The Davidson County Metro Criminal Justice Center offers a mission-driven approach to detention, diversion, and treatment in downtown Nashville. This session will present the description of the need, process, and design of the new Davidson Criminal Justice Center and Behavioral Care Center by HOK. The new facility for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) provides an opportunity to evaluate prisoners’ emotional and psychological needs at the early stages of processing, and includes spaces for therapy. HOK’s contemporary design blends the often competing missions of security and treatment.  Course expires 12/07/2025

Electric lighting accounts for a significant portion of a typical building’s energy load. Daylighting can be intergrated with efficient artificial lighting to provide occupant comfort and productivity in buildings of all types, while minimizing energy consumption. This course will identify strategies for maximizing natural light, while controlling for glare and unwanted heat gain. The AIA+2030 Online Series is an AIA and Architecture 2030 co-production. It's based on the highly successful AIA+2030 Professional Series, which was created by AIA Seattle and Architecture 2030, with support from the City of Seattle and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

In recent years, the climate crisis has placed decarbonization at the top of the urban agenda. While cities across the world have created climate action plans and pledged ambitious emission reductions, recent research has revealed that many jurisdictions are struggling to develop implementation strategies to meet those targets. This session will identify some of the common gaps in current city approaches and highlight innovative work happening at the local level that may provide broader guidance to community decarbonization strategies across the country. Participants will gain an understanding of the current context for this work and promising practices that may inform they own work.  This session was recorded live on February 22, 2023. 

Local, state, and federal government projects, especially those located in low income areas, often try to include features targeted to improve the local community. The area immediately surrounding a new government building or campus is taken into account during the design process. This webinar will focus on three urban projects: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Ariel Rios Federal Building in Washington, DC; the Department of Homeland Security Campus in Washington, DC; and the City of Chicago Joint Public Safety Training Center in Chicago, IL. The speakers will discuss how each project met health, safety, welfare, sustainability, and energy requirements while also contributing positively to their local communities.  Hosted by the Building Performance Knowledge Community (BPKC). Course expires 9/30/2026 This session was recorded live on November 8, 2023.

A century of constructing zoning laws in America has resulted in illogical, disconnected, and homogenous built environments that are not environmentally or economically sustainable. Yet we keep hoping that doing much of the same will yield different results. This course examines how deconstructing zoning leads to more economically sustainable development outcomes.  Produced in partnership with AIA|DC Course expires 10/17/2026

By helping owners understand the tensions and alignments between their organization’s decision-making profile and different types of project delivery methods, the Building Owner's Assessment Tool (BOAT) empowers project managers to understand their organization, to reflect on delivery methods, and to onboard project team members with an understanding of and create strategies to address roadblocks and pain points during project delivery.  Discover how you and your clients can leverage this new tool to foster productive collaborative conversations, identify organizational challenges, set shared expectations, and design specific processes to address challenges.  The Building Owner’s Assessment Tool was developed by the University of Washington with support from the Charles Pankow Foundation, AIA Project Delivery Knowledge Community, Integrated Project Delivery Alliance, P1 Consulting, and Chandos Construction.   This course was recorded live on October 30, 2024.

Dive into the work of UNA Barbara e Valentim—a São Paulo-based studio focused on enhancing public and private spaces for better collective and individual life. Discover the diverse cultural and environmental issues in the Global South and how São Paulo's architects, planners, and iconic projects have helped shape the modern architecture movement globally.  Explore and be inspired by designs that exemplify refined materiality, climate adaptation, contemporary construction methods, and a respectful relationship with natural surroundings, with projects ranging from residential buildings to large facilities and public spaces. You’ll learn how architects in different contexts address current habitation issues and how regional design approaches are interpreted at various scales—enriching your understanding and perspective on global architecture and design.   This session was recorded live on September 18, 2024.

This presentation highlights how design and construction can come together to create a stunning structure, such as the new Johnson County Kansas Courthouse. The panel will showcase how design excellence can be achieved through the design-build delivery method. Course expires 03/27/2026

This interactive self-paced course introduces the Design for Equitable Communities principle of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. It includes perspectives from planners and architects on how to create more equitable places through design processes and strategies. The Design for Equitable Communities principle provides architects and design professionals guidance on how to enter every project ready to listen to and elevate the voices of those who are most impacted by the spaces they create. This course provides examples from the field as to how others are already creating more equitable outcomes through architectural practice. These outcomes include creating spaces where everyone can actively participate in the envisioning, design, and creation of projects. Focusing on inclusivity through participation can help reduce the inequity that exists between communities, encourage self-determination, and improve the quality of life for everyone. Course expires on 10/4/2026.

This presentation will reference the recently completed Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences building as a case study for communicating design concepts that include translating the client’s vision into design, development of the design in an IPD big room setting, clinical and lab planning for a neuroscience facility, and designing for seismic resiliency while supporting the project’s goals.  The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building will serve as headquarters for the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, uniting departments of neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and neurological surgery. It will promote collaboration, bringing together multi-departmental clinics and clinical research centers along with dedicated laboratories, and computational research. A cross-disciplinary hub, the building will drive advances aimed at new treatments for disorders of the brain and nervous system while providing expert and compassionate care for patients.  This high-performing and complex building includes 68,000 sf Wet Research, 70,000 sf Dry Research, 60,000 sf Clinical Space, two 3T MRIs, and 15,000 sf of Shared/Support Program. The 282,900 sf Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building opened in the summer of 2021 at UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus. Hosted by the Academy of Architecture for Health an AIA Knowledge Community. 10/26/2021 AIASF Health & Science Committee Presentation Course expires 06/12/2025

Many companies claim to have a great culture, but what does that really mean and how do you measure it? With today’s war for talent and drive for EDI+B, no workplace is immune to the care and feeding of firm culture. In this session, Lisa Brothers, PE, ENV SP, LEED AP BD+C, president and CEO of Nitsch Engineering—a company with an award-winning culture—joins Ruth Lund, co-founder of True North Culture Advisors to discuss the role that intentional, values-driven cultural development plays in the overall strength and sustained performance of organizations. You'll learn how this approach is uniquely beneficial in driving equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI+B) efforts within an organization. This session will share statistics and stories that showcase the importance of taking charge of your organization’s culture rather than letting it drive itself; highlight how leaders can measure the reality of the culture through values, beliefs, and behaviors; and demonstrate an effective process for managing and measuring the cultural evolution of any given organization. By the end of this session, you'll learn how this intentional approach to building and maintaining an organizational culture can help companies achieve EDI+B goals (including sharing seven ideas for how to integrate EDI&B at work), become more high performing, and develop long-term corporate resilience, particularly as it relates to the challenges of the new hybrid/remote work environment. And, perhaps most importantly, how an intentional culture directly results in highly engaged employees who continue to keep the culture alive! Course expires 10/22/2026

Join the AIA Regional & Urban Design Committee for a series exploring sustainability practices at the intersections of natural and man-made systems. The absence of green space in our cities has not only affected local and global ecosystems but has also negatively impacted human health and wellness. Our connection with nature affects the way we think, live, work, and navigate the world we live in. Our future, more than ever, relies on how we continue to grow and adapt within nature. This panel seeks to analyze the philosophical and practical implementation of biophilic design within our cities and explore how it has and can continue to be used as a tool to positively impact the health of our communities.   Course expires 7/11/2026 This session was recorded live on August 3, 2023.

Accessibility, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, often appears to be an unsightly afterthought to fulfill the letter of the law. However, when access is intentionally built in the plans, the design can be functional, accessible, and beautiful! Through this presentation, attendees will learn how the principles of accessible design can be attractive and at the same time beneficial in all design contexts. Creating beautiful design that everyone can enjoy changes lives, as it opens vast opportunities that were once closed to many. Course expires 06/05/2026

The rising occurrence of violence in the healthcare workspace is a growing concern. In a recent survey, 72% of healthcare workers said their biggest safety concern is patients becoming violent. Another 61% said their biggest safety concern is the mental health impact of burnout. These concerns are affecting healthcare worker recruitment and retention with 68% prioritizing workplace safety when looking for a job and more than half noting they would be likely to quit if a violent incident occurred.  Healthcare workers' mental and physical safety is a real and urgent concern affecting clinical care. The built environment must adapt and support these concerns. Join this panel of healthcare leaders to discuss and address operational and architectural healthcare modifications to create a safer work environment with improved wellness for staff.  This course was recorded live on July 23, 2024. Course expires 07/01/2027

Though it is one of the world’s oldest building materials, wood is still revolutionizing the way buildings are designed and constructed today. Timber design and construction necessitate an interdisciplinary approach from the outset of a project. With the emergence of mass timber, it is important to begin by considering the impact of building codes, and what is possible within a given jurisdiction. At an elemental level, material selection is tied to both material performance and critical environmental considerations, including regional availability, carbon sequestration, and life cycle analysis. Once underway, the delivery of complex mass timber structures often involves novel approaches to construction documentation, from collaborative drawing and modeling software to parametric CNC fabrication. The end product – buildings with unencapsulated timber – creates architecture designed for occupant health and happiness, with the biophilic benefits of natural materials, abundant light, and carefully-considered building systems. Through a series of wood and mass timber case studies, this lecture presents the 38-year trajectory of Shigeru Ban Architects’ work in wood, emerging from an interdisciplinary approach. As an introduction to this presentation, there will be a panel discussion with Colorado-based professionals who do work related to the intersection of resiliency and building materials. In particular, they will discuss examples of how post-disaster rebuilds can benefit from designing to newer codes, pursue lower lifetime energy costs, and how wood construction should consider future disasters in how it is implemented.  Presented in partnership with AIA Colorado

Whether you’re an aspiring firm owner, a small business owner looking to expand, or an up-and-coming entrepreneur, this course will give you the knowledge, tools, and strategies to turn your business ideas into successful ventures. What you’ll gain: Design professionals starting their own practice: Learn how to build a strong business foundation by defining your idea, conducting market research, and crafting a focused business plan tailored to your goals. Firm owners looking to expand: Reevaluate and redefine your firm’s strategy and explore new growth opportunities to position your business for long-term success.   We’ll cover key topics like the entrepreneurial mindset, the seven stages of the entrepreneurial journey, traditional business models, and new approaches leveraging creativity and innovation. Each lesson is carefully structured to offer practical strategies—plus resources and tools—for your specific career stage, so you’re ready to lead confidently and thrive financially.

The Dillwynia Correctional Centre Expansion offers a design solution considerate of recognizing trauma via an approach to rehabilitative design. This session will present the methods and challenges encountered when designing for a Women’s Prison, and some of the successes of implemented design initiatives. In essence, the new facility combines materiality, with a masterplan designed to promote familiarity and self-agency which aim to provide an environment whereby new activities and learning pathways can be conducted in a safe and supportive environment.    Interactions within the prison environment is becoming increasingly identified as a keystone to any prisoner’s rehabilitation and support process. Relationships between prisoners, staff and visitors all contribute to the shaping of the experience and outcomes of the prison term. Spaces that provide for families, children and friends should allow for a semblance of normality and respect to all involved in the visitation process. At Dillwynia the Visitor Centre has been designed with materials not becoming of a prison environment, exhibiting color, natural materials and light to allow the interactions to occur unencumbered of the sense of authority and typically harsh ambience found in older prison environments.   Course expires 10/03/2025

Architects have a critical role to play in preparing communities for disasters. In this 3-course series, learn how you can use your skills to support communities before and after a disaster. Discover innovative approaches and best practices to safeguard structures and minimize the devastating effects of floods. Explore the trends and projections that highlight the growing frequency and complexity of cascading and compounding disasters, and gain insights into the implications for disaster preparedness and response efforts. Learn how you can contribute to enhancing equitable outcomes by actively involving community members, considering their unique perspectives and needs, and designing resilient and inclusive spaces. Presented in partnership with the AIA National Disaster Assistance Program (DAC).

In 2020, the cumulative costs of disaster events in the US reached $95 billion - more than double the previous year. In 2021, the costs from disasters reached $145 billion. In fact, between 2012-2021 it was estimated that 142 separate billion-dollar disaster events had cost the nation over $1 trillion. This National Preparedness Month, join in conversation with two communities who have experienced major tornado disasters and are now over a decade past the events, allowing for a long-term perspective on how we think about disaster recovery, resilience and the future of our communities in an era of climate change vulnerability. Hosted by AIA Center for Communities by Design. Course expires 09/1/2025

A disruptive innovation helps create a new market and value network. In this course, three professionals will demonstrate how firms can utilize these innovations to expand into more sustainable and resilient business models beyond traditional architecture. Learn how to: Utilize tools to re-conceptualize your firm's expanded services offerings Determine how expanded services integrate with your current business models Develop strategies for marketing expanded services to new and existing architectural clients Consider how expanded services augment opportunities for traditional architectural services offerings Course expires on 1/2/2026.