Tuesday, January 20, 2026  |  3-4pm ET Discover the advantages of integrating 100% offsite fabricated and custom- designed stainless steel railing systems in your architectural projects. When compared to local fabrication, 100% custom-prefabrication of railing systems not only dramatically improves product quality, regardless the number of project phases, it also reduces product cost, and streamlines the fabrication and installation processes. Due to its durability, recyclability, and resistance to corrosion, stainless steel is the preferred choice for products and structures that require little maintenance and long lifespan. In this presentation you will learn how architects, designers, and engineers can reduce overall project cost and improve project outcomes by specifying architectural products which have been custom-designed to precisely fit each project, and then prefabricated to completion offsite.

Wednesday, February 4, 2026  |  3-4pm ET AI is all the rage in today’s design firms, but many jump into the deep end without regard for the security and veracity of their source data. Further, many firms still separate their design technology and IT teams—despite their sharing of critical data. In this session, we will explore today’s cloud, cybersecurity, and AI landscape in AEC, highlight the risks of inadequate preparation for AI, provide guidelines for establishing a firm-wide digital foundation, and share a simple framework for evaluating AI tools and platforms you may be considering for your practice.

Thursday, February 5, 2026  |  2-3pm ET Communities by Design (CxD) brings together volunteer professionals and citizens to build strategies that solve the most pressing issues facing the places we call home. CxD represents one of the most impactful investments ever made in communities by the profession and one of the largest sustained investments ever made in urbanism. The program has a five-decade track record of demonstrated success with tens of thousands of volunteers and citizens working hand in hand to benefit communities. Today, the initiative encompasses direct work in over a dozen countries across 5 continents, including communities in 47 US states. The outcomes have created international renown for places like the Pearl District in Portland, Santa Fe’s Railyard District and East Nashville. Several Kemper Award winners have emerged from the program as well. It has profoundly impacted how our profession approaches communities, with its methodology widely adapted to fuel thousands of additional processes and a global participatory urban movement in recent decades.  Along the way, the program has influenced future Presidents and Kings, the Olympic Games and a spectrum of institutions. This session will focus on the core elements of the methodology that have made the program so impactful.  

Thursday, February 12, 2026  |  2-3pm ET In April 2007, two graduate architects founded The Urban Charrette as a response to what they saw as disappointing city leadership around the built environment in Tampa. The organization convened emerging professionals across the city to discuss its future. The Urban Charrette was described as “a guerrilla movement in its approach to influencing urban development,” because it utilized innovative tactical urbanism, social networking and unconventional formats and interventions to push change. Its impact on the city over time was undeniable. The volunteerism and public service work also helped launch careers and gave voice and then influence to its core members, who have become civic leaders across the city and points beyond. The Urban Charrette provides a quintessential example of grassroots design leadership and creative problem-solving where new civic mechanisms can provide breakthrough ideas for positive change.

Thursday, February 19, 2026  |  2-3pm ET Join AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, and AIA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Carole Wedge, FAIA,  for our quarterly conversation about the AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI). The ABI is a leading monthly economic indicator that uses proprietary AIA data to predict nonresidential construction activity 9–12 months ahead. Get ahead of emerging challenges and opportunities and inform your strategic planning with key insights into the industry’s latest economic data and trends.

Thursday, February 19, 2026  |  2-3pm ET The AIA was a critical partner to the early Community Design Centers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, there are dozens of community design centers across the country. The Nashville Civic Design Center represents one important model that emerged out of local advocacy efforts and has gone on to have a profound impact on the future of the city.  The Minnesota Design Team embodies a Component-led model at the state level. Established in 1983, the MDT has served over 100 communities across the state, leveraging the contributions of hundreds of volunteer professionals. The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center for Resilient Metro-Regions has partnered with Communities by Design in recent years to deliver technical assistance to 9 towns in Vermont and Massachusetts, offering another model. This session will explore comparative approaches to design leadership and volunteer mobilization to impact communities.  

Thursday, February 26, 2026  |  2-3pm ET Design professionals across the United Kingdom have been at the forefront of efforts to promote international adaptation of collaborative design practice since the 1980s. In 1988, a seminal joint design assistance team project took place between UK and American professionals in Pittsburgh, leading to a wave of new practice across Europe and beyond. This session will explore comparative experiences in collaborative design and planning with two leading thinkers, as well as the development of the Association for Collaborative Design. The session will share experiences with collaborative planning events from the UK and elsewhere and introduce the new Engagement Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, a tool to promote best practice and ensure the most successful and collaborative project outcomes.

March 25-26, 2026  | 12 - 4pm ET  / 9am-1pm PT Intended for licensed architects, engineers, or certified building inspectors, this training certifies attendees as Building Evaluators in the nationally recognized Safety Assessment Program (SAP). To register | Click Add to cart and complete the checkout process. Evaluator Field Manuals |  ATC 45 | ATC 20 | Participants are responsible for purchasing these texts from ATC. They are not included in the course cost. The program is managed by Cal OES with cooperation from professional organizations, including AIA. It utilizes volunteers and mutual aid resources to provide professional engineers, architects and certified building inspectors to assist local governments in safety evaluation of their built environment in an aftermath of a disaster. SAP is the training standard of the AIA Disaster Assistance Program, which provides leadership, advocacy, and training to architects who are interested in volunteering their professional skills in times of crisis. This workshop will teach participants to conduct rapid damage assessments of structures affected by earthquakes, wind, and water. Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to consistently and safely assess structures for habitability and will receive a nationally recognized Cal OES registration ID card from the state of California. AIA SAP Training Program