Blogs

RUDC Letter from the Chair (May, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 6 days ago
RUDC is excited to announce that the Call for Speakers is now open for the RUDC Symposium this fall, developed in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture as part of the Intersections Conference . We’re also looking ahead to our gathering next month at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 in San Diego. Together, these events represent important opportunities to elevate the role of urban design across practice, research, and civic engagement. RUDC Symposium 2026 — Call for Speakers This year's symposium will take place October 1–3, 2026, in New York ...

IAKC May Letter from the chair: Candice Rabovsky, AIA & Bob Dillon, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 6 days ago
Happy May from the IAKC committee! We have a busy few months ahead starting with our next Knowledge Salon on May 19. May also marks the end of our inaugural Interior Elevations Mentorship Program , and our mentors and mentees will soon convene to share what they have learned. If you're interested in joining the next cohort in the fall as a mentor or mentee (or both), please let us know. We’d love to have you join us and share your knowledge with other interior architecture professionals. And lest we forget, June is just around the corner! AIA26 in San Diego will take place June 10-13, where the IAKC is sponsoring multiple events. Please join ...

RUDC Insight Article: An Urban Design Lens: City Parks and Community-Shared Green Spaces

By Alison Karfeld posted 11 days ago
City parks and community-shared green spaces are a critical part of the infrastructure of a city. City-park land is renowned as a public and urban recreational land use with potential benefits to the local ecological system, stormwater management, and overall human well-being. Increasingly, these places have been acknowledged by cities as urban development assets within the evolution of public spaces in downtowns, providing positive economic, environmental, and community-driven impacts. Challenges in creating sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development in the downtowns of cities of all sizes are being framed within the future of city parks and ...

My experience in CCA: An interview with Shaili Patel-Legge, AIA

By Shaili Patel, AIA posted 11 days ago
By Shaili Patel-Legge, AIA, responding to questions shared by CCA leadership Name / Title / Company / Years in the profession Shaili Patel-Legge, Architect, Colby Company, LLC, 12+ What gets you up in the morning to go to work? What are you passionate about? I love what I do; the challenge to solve a problem is invigorating. I find joy in understanding how the world is built, from the big picture items to the small details of nuts and bolts – life is all about learning, staying curious, and trying to make things a bit better than how I found them. Who are you outside of work? I am a military spouse, prior service member ...

May 2026 AIA Corporate Partners COTE Newsletter Article: James Hardie

By Ellie Falcon posted 12 days ago
Building Resilience with Fiber Cement Siding: Insights from James Hardie Discover how fiber cement siding—drawing on practices from James Hardie—enhances building resilience and sustainability. Explore practical design strategies and key benefits for architects and designers seeking durable, long-term solutions. Building Resilience: Sustainable Strategies with Fiber Cement Extreme weather and shifting climate patterns are driving a new era in building design — one where architects and designers must deliver structures that remain durable, resource-efficient, and resilient. Sustainability now demands more than just energy efficiency ...

AIA IDKC Project Spotlight: Scarsdale Synagogue

By Alison Karfeld posted 12 days ago
Image: Joshua Zinder What and where is this project? Scarsdale Synagogue, Scarsdale, NY The congregation of Scarsdale Synagogue sought to redesign their sanctuary to meet 21st century accessibility and flexibility needs. The original 3,500 SF sanctuary was barn-like with a wooden silo, an interior space filled with steps, tiered seating, and hard surfaces; these elements made the space inaccessible, acoustically challenged, and dark. Image (left): Landau | Zinder Architecture Image (right): Ryan Bowlby The design team recentered and reimagined the sanctuary to be more ...

Practice management content at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 19 days ago
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there is an official PMKC event plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that PMKC members might be most interested in. If you work in a small firm, you might also be interested in the Small Firm Exchange's guide to Conference . Also make sure you visit the Prosper Zone on the Expo Floor for a curated cluster of related exhibitors, covering topics such as firm management, finance, careers, business development, interest rates, inflation, and succession planning ...

Climate Action at AIA26 | The COTE Guide to the AIA Conference

By bruce boul posted 20 days ago
COTE’s Climate Action Guide to AIA26 Climate Action, Community, and Connection in San Diego June 10–13, 2026 | San Diego The AIA Conference on Architecture returns to San Diego June 10–13, and the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Leadership Group—alongside many COTE volunteers, members, and allied groups across the COTE Network—is looking forward to gathering once again. Each year, the conference offers more than CE credits and keynote moments. It is a chance for the COTE community to reconnect, exchange ideas, celebrate design leadership, and continue advancing our shared work around climate action, resilience, and ...

CAE-related content at AIA26

By Alison Karfeld posted 21 days ago
If you're coming to AIA26, there are so many great tours, sessions, and expo highlights to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at other CAE-relevant content that you might be most interested in. Tours June 10 UC San Diego Campus Transformation: A Walking Tour | ET152 Point Loma Nazarene University Science Center Tour | ET137 Big Impact, Mid-Size Firm: Studio E at UC San Diego | ET104 Shaping Snapdragon: Inside a New Campus District's Anchor Stadium | ET129 San Diego High School Administration/Academic Building & Campus Quads | ET126 Transforming Student Life: UCSD's Award-Winning ...

It is time for the 2030 Commitment to evolve.

By Daniel Overbey, AIA posted 27 days ago
By Daniel Overbey, AIA , NCARB, LEED Fellow (BD+C, ID+C, O+M), WELL AP and Jacob Werner, AIA , LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA, CPHC | AIA 2030 Commitment’s 2026 Co-Chairs Since the AIA 2030 Commitment launched in 2009, the program has become the architecture profession’s primary scale of progress for reducing the built environment’s carbon emissions. The Commitment began by creating a shared framework for measuring the energy performance of design projects at the portfolio scale . Over the past 15 years, that framework has done its job . Over ...

Earth Day: COTE Network Spotlight

By Lindsey Falasca, AIA posted 30 days ago
By: Lindsey Falasca, AIA (Incoming COTE Chair, 2027) Across the country, AIA COTE state and local chapters are driving meaningful climate action through advocacy, public education, and community-centered engagement, advancing resilience and sustainability in the built environment. In celebration of Earth Day, this spotlight highlights a range of initiatives designed to inspire and empower COTE groups nationwide to take action and lead climate solutions in their own communities. Advocacy COTE groups are influencing policy at the local and state levels. Their efforts include advancing building performance standards, expanding decarbonization initiatives, ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (April, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-07-2026
As we get closer to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026, taking place June 10–13, 2026, in San Diego, California , we look forward to connecting with many of you in person and continuing the conversations that define and advance our work in urban design. If you are planning to attend and are engaged in urban design within your practice, we encourage you to join us for two RUDC-related programs taking place during the conference. These sessions reflect two important dimensions of our work—peer exchange and real-world application. Hope to see you there! Learn more & register: AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 ...

April Member Spotlight: Jonathan Ward, FAIA, & Ghazal Khezri

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-06-2026
As NBBJ’s Firmwide Design Leader and Design Partner, Jonathan Ward, FAIA, champions design excellence through an integrated, collaborative approach. Over three decades, he has led award-winning projects worldwide—from BlackRock, Tencent, and Samsung headquarters to health care, science, civic, and sports facilities. His work blends visionary design with human experience, creating healthy, sustainable environments that engage people and place. Widely published and honored by the AIA, RIBA, and others, Jonathan is also a frequent lecturer, juror, and critic internationally. Ghazal Khezri is an Architect, Educator, and Director at LOHA, based ...

IAKC April Letter from the chair: Candice Rabovsky, AIA & Bob Dillon, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 04-06-2026
Dear IAKC members and colleagues, As spring unfolds, our community's energy and collaboration continue to grow. The recent AIAU course, Engineering Equity—coming soon on demand—featured Kieran Timberlake’s Interdisciplinary Engineering Building at the University of Washington and its emphasis on equitable design at all levels of stakeholder engagement. Speaking of learning and engagement, have you registered for AIA26 in San Diego? IAKC will host our annual forum highlighting this year’s emerging themes in interior architecture. Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 11 from 4-5pm. We hope to see you there! In addition to the ...

COTE Books: Design for Resilience / Details and Materials for Resilient Sites by Meg Calkins / reviewed by Shawn Swisher

By Kira Gould, Hon. AIA posted 04-06-2026
COTE Books Please consider joining the COTE Book Talk with Meg Calkins and Shawn Swisher on June 18, 2026, 1-2pm ET: Register here . Thank you to AIA Minnesota COTE for hosting. Get 20% off the book with the code 26AEV1 at the Routledge site through June 2026. Design for Resilience Details and Materials for Resilient Sites: A Climate Positive Approach by Meg Calki ns Book Review by Shawn Swisher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C In daily practice, detail drawings are too frequently deferred to the final stages of design, the product of many months of conceptualizing, scrutinizing, negotiating, and, finally, documenting. Under the constraints ...

Happy April - Earth Month – so many great events happening!

By Lisa Ferretto, AIA posted 04-06-2026
Happy April - Earth Month – so many great events happening! 4/8 Registration Deadline - AIA / ACSA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition 4/10 Early bird rates end - AIA26- Conference on Architecture & Design 4/12-18 AIA Architecture week 4/13-17 National Healthy Schools Day / Week 4/14 AIA 2030 Commitment: Participating as a Small Firm (AIA SFx, 2030, COTE, AIA NJ) 4/14-4/17 Living Future Conference 4/15 Architect’s ...

Technology content at AIA26

By Emma Tucker posted 03-24-2026
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA26) this year (June 10-13 in San Diego), there are a couple official TAP events plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions and events that TAP members might be most interested in. Also make sure you visit the Innovate Zone on the Expo Floor for a curated cluster of related exhibitors, covering topics such as design software, AI, generative design, simulation, AR/VR, digital twinning, automation, and emerging tech. TAP events Wednesday: TAP+AI Taskforce Symposium at AIA26 Practical AI for Every ...

RUDC Letter from the Chair (March, 2026)

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-19-2026
As spring equinox arrives, it ushers in a season of renewal, growth, and fresh perspective—a moment to spring forward with new energy for urban design. Across our cities and regions, spring signals not just a change in weather but a chance to reimagine how we shape the built environment, strengthen communities, and design for resilience and connection. For RUDC, this sense of renewal reflects the work we do every day—advancing ideas, fostering collaboration, and cultivating leadership across a network now more than 10,500 members strong. Save the Date: 2026 RUDC Symposium – New York City We are pleased to share a Save the Date for the 2026 RUDC Symposium, ...

Member Spotlight: Bryce Bounds, AIA

By Alison Karfeld posted 03-16-2026
Bryce Bounds, AIA, is a Miami native and Architect in the Public Works Department of Broward County Government in South Florida. Here are his answers to some key questions that sought to highlight his personal experience, above and beyond his professional biography. How long have you been a member? I signed up for a CEU session at AIA24 in Washington, D.C. hosted by the Public Architects Knowledge Committee and realized almost instantly that I was sharing a room with people doing the same work I was doing at the County. I also quickly realized how professional everyone was, and how much I could learn from them all. I volunteered to join ...