Invest in your career with this bundle of courses focused on health, safety, and welfare. 

Achieving a more diverse workforce requires firms to be deliberate and take measurable actions. A lack of diversity in architecture can be a self-perpetuating cycle that reinforces unconscious biases. A diverse and inclusive workplace is one that makes everyone, regardless of who they are or what they do for the business, feel equally involved in and supported in all areas of the workplace. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging has evolved from a "nice-to-have" to a mission-critical component for organizations to progress and stay competitive in the global market. In this session, attendees will hear from representatives from a diverse group of architecture firm sizes and practices who will share their experiences successfully implementing inclusive and equitable firm policies such as salary transparency, inclusive firm policies for LGBTQ+ folks, equitable and inclusive parental leave, and support for early career professionals. Panelists will share their insights in why consideration for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and the needs of individuals is imperative for architects and their communities. This session will have ample Q&A time, allowing for attendees to engage with the panelists. Hosted by the Young Architects Forum (YAF). Course expires 10/7/2026 This session was recorded live on October 3, 2023.

This session explains why and how to provide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to buildings. Beginning with a discussion of various efficiency metric and ending with an examination of thermal energy storage, additional topics in this session include COP, SEER. and EERs, heating systems, heat pumps, load calculations, ventilation air, water heating science and technologies, and controls.   Course expires 03/05/2025

Centering justice means different things to different people, depending on context and on their definition of justice. For architects, justice in the built environment encompasses history and practices that can be unrecognized and therefore difficult to notice and name. For clients and communities, justice may be understood through lived experience and values that are recent or continued from their ancestors. This course will offer participants frameworks for examining their own practices and broaden their capacity to center justice in ways that are most likely to be effective. The research team will share what they learned while writing the Justice in the Built Environment supplement after completing the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice and suggest ways they think practitioners can use the actions, prompts, and worksheets to center justice with their clients and community partners. Download the Guides for Equitable Practice Course expires 2/13/2026

The challenge for historic building renovations is the reliability, efficiency, and accuracy of existing documentation and existing conditions.  Laserscan technology is an efficient, accurate, and low-cost process that benefits both the design process and construction coordination process.  Originally built in 1905, this historically significant building is undergoing a complex, design-build renovation into a modern education facility. The presentation is delivered by the Design-Build team as a case study of strategy, process, best practices, and lesson learned of implementing the laserscan to improve the quality of the construction of documents, and enhance 3D building coordination during construction. Hosted by the Project Delivery AIA Knowledge Community Course expires 3/27/2025

The 2012 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code has been adopted by AHJs in many parts of the country. The 2012 IECC is a quantum leap forward in building performance and will have a significant impact on how architects and engineers work together to design high energy efficient, high performance buildings. In this course, speakers illustrate the changes in the code affecting architecture design and give an in depth look into the building science and physics behind the the changes and how they will result in significant energy reductions. They will emphasize that the process to achieve compliance must be a team effort among all members of the project early on and describe how to demonstrate compliance with the code and advantages and disadvantages for each pathway. This course is presented in collaboration with AIA Middle Tennessee, which produced the course and provided it for delivery on AIAU.  Course expires 5/22/2025

The AIA Guides for Equitable Practice make the moral, business, ethical, and societal cases for equitable practice in the profession of architecture. They provide key insights to hear insights on how the guides can change firm culture and create an environment that nurtures retention and inspires limitless thinking. In this course, participants will discover recommendations on how to achieve goals found within the Guides through utilization in practice and as a resource in connecting these goals with the work of their firm/organization. Download the Guides for Equitable Practice Course expires 3/29/2025

Changing access and supervision requirements are beginning to challenge the traditional norm of designing segregated, gender-specific restrooms and locker rooms for K–12 schools. Inclusive facilities offer a more humane and dignified approach to the traditional toileting and locker room experience. Learn the benefits and practicalities of designing inclusive restrooms and locker rooms—highlighting their role in promoting equity, accessibility, efficiency, and student health.  Understand how inclusive facilities can reduce bullying, enhance privacy, and improve overall student safety and well-being. Gain practical tools to navigate conversations with community stakeholders, code officials, administrators, staff, families, and students—ensuring a smooth transition to more inclusive environments in K–12 schools. AIA Best Practices Guide To learn more about inclusive and universal restroom and locker room design in K-12 schools, read the AIA Guide on Inclusive restrooms & locker rooms in K-12 schools by Cheryl Jacobs, AIA, Greg Louviere, AIA, & Benjamin Fields, AIA, published June 2024. This session was recorded live on August 29, 2024.  Course expires 6/14/2027

Women, planet, and design. This plenary looks at the global challenges and displacement of women due to war, violence, climate change, and poverty. Zainab Salbi, humanitarian, media host, author, and nonprofit founder, will share her life’s work and call upon the audience to reflect on their own role in an interconnected ecosystem and how architects can contribute to supporting women and ecological efforts across the globe. Zainab is the founder and former CEO of Women for Women International and co-founder of Daughters for Earth. She’s been identified as one of the “25 Women Changing the World” and one of the “100 Top Global Thinkers.” After an exciting talk on global change, Zainab Salbi will engage two leaders on stage in a dynamic conversation about the future of women in architecture. What are we doing today to address better equity for women in the profession of architecture? The journey women take from academia through the profession is riddled with challenges, barriers, and inequities. The speakers will present ideas and solutions to improve the advancement and retention of women within the architecture profession, starting with challenging the status quo and cultivating leadership, equity, belonging, and support.

As a residential architect, would you like to include more high-performance building products and construction processes into the homes you design?  Did you know that designing a home to Passive House certification standards can deliver an energy savings of 80-90% over homes designed and built to current code. In addition to the energy savings, Passive House design and construction produces homes that are more comfortable, healthier, and are more resilient in the face of environmental challenges.  Building to the Passive House certification standard ensures a comprehensive approach to residential design, energy modeling, and construction processes that produce comfortable, healthy, and resilient homes. We will review typical construction types, windows and installation, air barriers and insulation and new, innovative PH products, proper installation of components. Gain insights on how Passive House standards are applied to new custom homes as well as how Passive House certification standards are applied to remodel projects. Hosted by the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN).  Course expires 10/24/2026 This session was recorded live on November 9, 2023.

With a focus on cultivating culturally aware thoughts and actions, learn strategies and practices that promote inclusion, reduce bias, improve equity, and create lasting culture change within firms, organizations, and communities. Explore how to foster inclusive leadership and improve cultural competence in architecture both internally within workplaces and externally within the built environment. This course is particularly beneficial for working to address the challenges faced by individuals with nondominant identities—including but not limited to women, immigrants, people with disabilities, single individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and individuals from diverse age groups, educational backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic classes. Course expires 6/26/2027

Every year, AIA presents opportunities to go beyond the familiar and learn about practice and design excellence through a different lens. This standout course offers you just such an experience as recipients of the institute's Honorary Fellowship present their work.The AIA Honorary Fellowship program recognizes international architects for their exceptional contributions to architecture and society. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with your colleagues from around the globe as they describe the challenges and opportunities behind their successes. Hosted by Committee on Design (COD). Course expires 02/27/2025

When the design assistance team program was created in the 1960s, it pioneered participatory approaches to city building. Over five decades later, the program has established a track record of urban innovation and change that has influenced cities all over the world. Learn how the DAT program has employed one of the most powerful methodologies for urban innovation in the field today – and how its component parts have been adapted and deployed globally for urban transformations.  This session was recorded live on April 26, 2023.

Regardless of scale, new projects will always require effective project management—whether you’re employed by an architecture firm, as a consultant, in academia, or you’ve pursued another career path that leverages your unique set of design skills. But what does project management actually entail? What’s the difference between being a manager and a project manager? What skills do project managers need?  In this course, you’ll discover the fundamentals of project management, understand what it takes to become a project manager, and learn proven strategies for building and supporting an effective project team.  This entry-level course is perfect for people who are considering project management as a career path or who want to better manage their own work—even if you work outside the AEC industry. Course expires 02/10/2027

Technology implementation is an important part of efficiency in practice for higher revenue and better project delivery. Project information is diffused across multiple tools and organizations. Dashboards are one solution to provide a common access point for every team member regardless of discipline or position to find and interact with relevant actionable information. This session will demonstrate how high performing teams use dashboards to accelerate project deliverables while keeping members accountable to each other.  Hosted by the Project Delivery AIA Knowledge Community Course expires 3/23/2025

The climate is changing. ASHRAE tells us that the US is warming at least a degree a decade. We are experiencing more frequent and more intense severe weather events. We are experiencing movement of disease vectors and changing health threats. In the face of these changes, the healthcare system must adapt and must plan for resilience. This is not a political issue; rather, it’s physics, and it’s an issue with lasting devasting effects (exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius) if ignored or treated with a lack of urgency. We know that the healthcare sector represents roughly 20% of the US economy; 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions; 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. How can/is healthcare legitimately removing carbon from the delivery of care (i.e. carbon-free care)? Is it fully possible? Join this unique webinar, designed as a panel forum, to hear the owner-side of the equation and engineering/consulting side. Helen Wilmot, Chief Facilities & Sustainability Officer Stanford Health Care and Walt Vernon, CEO of Mazzetti & National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative Steering Committee member, will provide candid, and perhaps unexpected perspectives on the most relevant topic impacting human health — decarbonization. Stanford Health Care (SHC), in many ways, is the leading the decarbonization charge in the industry. Discover how SHC is addressing the obvious barriers of “dependence on fossil fuels” to perform essential tasks — heating, humidifying, sterilization — as well as the somewhat less obvious barriers re fleet and medical gasses. Discover how the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative to decarbonize the U.S. Healthcare is addressing operational pathways, including healthcare delivery (e.g. “hospital at home”), supply chain, financing, regulation, and even relevant education and communication for various stakeholders. Course expires 09/13/2025

Leverage your education and experience to inspire and broaden the pipeline of future talent! This two-part series will prepare you to successfully engage K-12 students.

This interactive self-paced course will consider best practices in creating and implementing architecture and design exposure opportunities for kindergarten through 12th grade students. Participants will leverage their own education and experience in their efforts to inspire and broaden the pipeline of future talent. The Framework for Design Excellence will be considered as a guide to potential activations. Participants will consider three questions in their volunteer efforts: Design for Equitable Communities: What opportunities exist to include, engage, and promote human connection? Design for Well-Being: How can this activation be welcoming and inclusive for all? Design for Discovery: What strategies promote a sense of discovery and delight? This course is divided into two parts: a .5 LU course on volunteer best practices followed by a 1.5 LU capstone course. Participants will be provided with a actionable resources to engage with students. Course expires 7/21/27

Who builds, manages, and supports the team and how? This session focuses on how business strategy defines and influences an A+D practice's structure and its management, as well as the firm culture. Join Think-Time Tuesdays host, and SO|arch founder Elisabeth Sporer, AIA CIC a presentation on the business of running an A+D firm. Elisabeth provides an overview of firm profiles and firm structures, as well as leadership styles and firm cultures, then presents select SO|arch case studies in conversation with her clients: Building teams with Michelle Gayle Hill (Spatializing) and Rob Zirkle (brick) Improving overall performance for small and midsized firms with Cathy Merrill (Merrill Morris Partners) Leveraging niche services with Dong Kim (DIALOG) Course expires 03/24/2025

Women face a variety of challenges - and opportunities - as they navigate the waters of a career in the field of architecture. From work-life balance and gender-based assumptions to glass ceilings and even go-it-alone entrepreneurship, women often encounter obstacles to finding right-fit roles, upward mobility, and workplace fair-play. This is an unprecedented year with new challenges that are still being overcome and solutions still to be discovered. Join us for this candid and mindful discussion on the challenges and opportunities that women face working in the architecture industry today, as leaders share stories and identify solutions to the obstacles they have encountered this year. Course expires: 10/31/2026