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Resilience Design Toolkit: Building a Foundation for Sustainable and Adaptive Architecture

AIAU23-RADAG01R
Included in subscription Included in subscription
1.0 LU|HSW
Course expires on: 08/30/2026
$30
Architect$30

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Description

In the ever-evolving landscape of architectural practice, understanding and incorporating resilience design principles have become imperative. This course delves into the fundamental aspects of resilience design, equipping architects and professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to create projects that are adaptable, sustainable, and capable of withstanding a range of challenges. Through a structured approach and practical exercises, participants will learn how to identify hazards, develop resilience strategies, and integrate them seamlessly into their architectural projects, fostering a holistic approach to design. Note: The course content is based on the AIA Resilience Design Toolkit. This comprehensive resource offers an objective analysis process which incorporates financial evaluation of resilience design strategies. Hosted by the Resilience and Adaptation Advisory Group (RAD AG).

Course expires 08/30/2026

Learning Objectives

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Evaluate resilience scope by analyzing client and stakeholder requirements to determine resilience needs and goals, while also demonstrating the ability to integrate the community into the design solutions. 

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Understand how to develop a comprehensive work plan, assemble a diverse project team, and formulate strategies with resilience design principles that protect the building occupants and the longevity of the building.

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Learn how to conduct pre-design investigations to identify potential hazards, assess associated risks and vulnerabilities, and recognize the significance of primary and secondary impacts, such as natural disasters and power outages, in resilience design. 

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Develop strategies to integrate effective resilience design through hazard evaluations and risk assessments; specifically, how to apply Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) and Choosing by Advantages (CBA) exercises to evaluate and validate the effectiveness of design strategies.

Instructors
Amanda S. Barton
AIA, RID, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA

Amanda S. Barton is a registered Architect in the State of Florida with ten years of experience serving the architectural community. Amanda strives to enhance communities by meeting challenges with unique design solutions that influence the future of the industry while also remaining timeless. Amanda, who specializes in coastal hospitality design, works on projects from master planning, conceptual design, and through documentation. When not designing, she volunteers on the AIA Miami Board as the current President and chairs multiple committees. She is a strong advocate for sustainable design, sitting on the AIA Miami and AIA Florida Resilience and Adaptation Committees, participating in multiple LEED and WELL projects, and promoting environmental resilience through education and advocacy. Amanda also participates across multiple HKS initiatives that help push the boundary of ESG, as well as co-founder of the HKS Resilience studio, and is one of the authors of Resilience Design Toolkits, co-published with AIA, helping integrate resilience design into architectural practice. Her work includes: Four Seasons Sao Paulo, Four Season One & Only, Cap Juluca renovation, Lopesan Costa Bavaro, and Four Seasons Jacksonville.

Amanda was awarded the AIA Miami Associate of the Year Award in 2016, the AIA Miami & Fort Lauderdale Emerging Professionals Rising Star and Volunteer of the Year Award in 2021 and 2018, respectively, the EP Spotlight for the Summer 2018 Edition of the AIA Florida/Caribbean Architect magazine, the AIA Florida Individual Member of the Year Award in 2019, and the AIA Miami Emerging Professionals Award in 2020. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Miami, where she was awarded the prestigious Alpha Rho Chi Medal of Architecture in 2013.

Sammy Shams
AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador, Living Futures Accredited

Sammy is a Sustainable Design Professional at HKS Architects in Orlando, Florida working in DesignGreen, HKS’ building performance and sustainability group. He assists teams in developing design thinking and strategies around sustainability, healthy buildings, building performance, embodied carbon, and resilience. He works with project teams to achieve LEED, WELL, Fitwel and similar green building certifications in most any project types including healthcare, commercial, hospitality, and others.

Sammy leads high-performance design workshops for teams and engages directly with clients. Sammy also conducts early phase energy modeling and whole building life cycle assessments (WBLCA). He participates on internal research teams focused on environmental and community resilience, and embodied carbon. He is a co-founder of the HKS Resilience studio and actively works on projects to understand potential risks and develop effective solutions to help projects adapt and mitigate impacts.

Sammy earned a BA in Sociology from the University of Florida; a Master of Architecture with a specialization in healthcare design, and MS in Architecture focusing on High Performance Buildings from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Sammy is a registered architect in Florida & Georgia and holds a position on the AIA Resilience & Adaptation Advisory Group.

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