Blogs

2026 AIA Policy Agenda Priorities Survey

By Lisa Ferretto, AIA posted 10-13-2025
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The AIA Government Affairs and Public Policy department is currently prioritizing the key policy issues that impact the architecture profession at every level. As we look toward developing the 2026 AIA Policy Agenda, we specifically need to ensure that the vital topics of climate action, resilience, and sustainability are given the prominence and strategic focus they deserve. Your expertise in these areas is absolutely critical to this process. To gather this input, the AIA Policy Survey has been created. We strongly encourage you to use this platform to articulate the policy needs, regulatory challenges, and legislative opportunities you see related ...
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Call to Action: Shape the future of Building Codes - Applications for 2027-2029 Code Cycle.

By Lisa Ferretto, AIA posted 10-13-2025
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Subject: Call to Action: Shape the future of Building Codes - Applications for 2027-2029 Code Cycle. Good afternoon, The International Code Council (ICC) is currently seeking volunteers for its five Code Action Committees (CACs) and the Codes and Standards Council for the 2027-2029 code development cycle. This is a critical opportunity for AIA members to directly influence the future of building safety and performance. As architects, our expertise is fundamental to the codes and standards that ensure the safety, resilience, and sustainability of our built environment. It is crucial that our profession is at the table. Your insights are ...
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New Course Early ACCESS: April 1–23 Only

By Ellie Falcon posted 04-09-2025
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Be among the first to experience AIAU's groundbreaking Design for Decarbonization series with free access to the inaugural course, The Built Environment's Carbon Challenge —for a limited time. This exclusive opportunity ends after April 22 (Earth Day). After this date the course returns to regular pricing as part of our premium series. Course Link: https://aiau.aia.org/course/details/the-built-environments-carbon-challenge Promo Code: EARTHDAY2025 Please share with colleagues to amplify our industry's climate impact!
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AIA25: Explore Building Performance Events at Boston’s Architecture Conference

By Luz Angela Toro Acuna, Intl. Assoc. AIA posted 03-24-2025
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Boston is gearing up for a landmark event in architecture and design, and you won’t want to miss it. This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA25) brings together top minds in AEC for four dynamic days (June 4-7). Be sure to mark your calendar for the official Building Performance events , but that’s just the beginning. AIA25 offers a lineup of inspiring sessions designed to educate, connect, and shape the future of design. BPKC events Reducing Carbon: Better Enclosures by Studying the Best 1.25 HSW/RIBA/LU | WE126 | 6/4/2025 1:30 am- 2:45pm | Register here Boston Convention & Exhibition Center 253AB ...
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Building Performance Knowledge Community - Deep Focus on Performance on All Scales

By William Babbington, FAIA posted 10-14-2024
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This article ran in the COTE News / November-December 2024 Issue Building Performance Knowledge Community - Deep Focus on Performance on All Scales by Will Babbington | FAIA, PE – Chair with contributions from BPKC Leadership Group Jason Danielson, AIA; Jessica Saravia, AIA; Rob Shearer, AIA; and Guanzhou Ji, AIA The profound impact of Building Performance on overall energy consumption is now well-known thanks to the efforts of groups like COTE. With more stringent requirements in current and future codes and standards, there's an increasing need to provide architects with even more tools and knowledge to lead design and ...
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Building Performance KC mission and goals

By Joseph Deringer, AIA Member Emeritus posted 07-15-2020
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Mission The mission of the Building Performance Knowledge Community (BPKC) is to increase building performance related to occupant comfort and health, and to the function, durability, sustainability, and resilience of buildings. Goals This Mission will be accomplished by increasing dissemination of knowledge and resources and increasing engagement of all stakeholders in the design and construction community with an emphasis on integration of building systems and a special focus on the Exterior Building Enclosure. The issues to address specifically include: building planning building planning establishing performance criteria integrated design ...
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The development of pressure equalized rain screen walls for masonry construction

By E. Gellert, AIA posted 09-13-2019
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The development of pressure equalized rain screen walls for masonry construction By International Masonry Institute (IMI) and E. Bradford Gellert, AIA With the introduction of steel columns into “transitional masonry buildings” the structural responsibilities of the masonry lessened as the loads began to be carried by the steel. Image: Brad Gellert The AIA Building Performance Knowledge Community Definitions Project has developed the following definitions for Rain Screen walls: "A cladding system resists the five main forces of water penetration: gravity, kinetic movement, surface tension, capillary action, and pressure difference through compartmentalization. ...
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Conservation and fire science: a delicate balance

By Daniel Lemieux, FAIA posted 05-06-2019
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Conservation and fire science: a delicate balance By Daniel J. Lemieux, AIA, RIBA and Nicholas E. Ozog, PE Energy efficiency and conservation of our natural resources have arguably become two of the most significant influences on the design and construction of our built environment. The demand for deep-energy retrofits and adaptive reuse of post-war and more recently constructed modern and post-modern built assets is a reflection of this trend. In the wrong hands, this demand can create fertile ground for the introduction of exterior wall components and materials that may increase the risk for fire, particularly when regulatory enforcement is weak, product ...
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AEC TECH+ Conference 6/13 NYC

By Susan Kramer posted 04-10-2019
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The Architect's Newspaper 3rd annual TECHplusExpo.com/nyc/ NYC 6/13 @New York Academy of Sciences, 7WTC. Great lineup: Morning Keynote Dr. Andrea Chegut/ Director of the MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab INDUSTRY KEYNOTE Navigating the Changing Landscape of AEC Technology James Vandezande/HOK Optimizing Workflow & Collaboration | BIM, Revit + New Tools that Deliver your Project Seamlessly From design and prefabrication to construction, learn how to create a lean and productive chain throughout the project lifecycle. Ayse Polat/Turner Construction , Russ Manning/U Penn , Dan Gallivan/Payette ...
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Join the AIA Code Review Team

By Paul Karrer posted 03-19-2019
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We are seeking AIA members interested in participating in the AIA Code Review Team evaluating code change proposals during the International Code Council (ICC) model code development cycle. This includes members who are: Current and former members of the AIA National Codes and Standards Committee; Previous participants of the AIA Code Review Team during previous ICC code development cycles; Contacts of the AIA Codes Advocacy Program who have expressed interest in model code development; and/or Colleagues of members from the categories above who have recommended you as potentially interested participants. This effort is vital to the AIA’s ...
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Intelligent building design: The Johnson Controls Headquarters Asia Pacific

By Stephen Katz, AIA posted 03-06-2019
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Johnson Controls, a leading provider of intelligent building technology and energy efficiency solutions, hired Gensler to design a new headquarters for its Asia Pacific Region in Shanghai. The 35,000sm building is located in Changning District and is situated along Suzhou Creek. Johnson Controls and Gensler set high sustainability goals for the project which has resulted in the first building in China to receive all three top sustainability certifications; USGBC LEED Platinum, China Green Building Design Label Three Star Certification, IFC-World Bank EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Certification. The building is expected to generate 44 percent ...
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Interior Design Trends for New Construction in 2019

By Brooke Collits posted 02-19-2019
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Home is a single place where people can be who they really are. At least, it should be so: our home regardless it is the place of constant living or our holiday residence should accompany our identity, awake our true nature, enhance it with the aura of inspiration. It is possible only in the case you first put your soul in creating as “your space” as possible. If you think that designers have not discovered yet the way to implement your creasy desires, we are going to surprise you. Look through some of incredibly atmospheric interior design ideas, which could help to materialize any of your aspirations. True nature – secret design element Nature is ...
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Letter from the Chair - June 2018

By E. Gellert, AIA posted 05-24-2018
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Letter from the Chair, 2018 to the members of the Building Performance KC: 2017 was a great year for the B uilding P erformance K nowledge C ommunity under the strong leadership of our outgoing chair Pamela Sams and the hard work of the KC team. Note that the name of the KC has been shortened from Technical Design Building Performance KC to Building Performance KC. The purpose of the KC remains the same as stated on our web page: The goal of the Building Performance Knowledge Community is to promote architects as leaders in the application of technical design for building performance; in the use of high-performance design criteria, codes, and standards; ...
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Building Simulation - Call of Abstracts Aug 10

By Pamela Sams, AIA posted 07-28-2016
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One-Page abstracts are sought for peer-reviewed papers to be presented at Building Simulation 2017 in San Fancisco, California, August 7-9, 2017. This is the 15th biennial conference for the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBIPSA). For submission details and conference information: www.buildingsimulation2017.org You are encouraged to submit abstacts of papers on any aspect of building-related performance modeling and associated software techniques. Abstract Due: August 10, 2016 Paper Due Date: November 30, 2016
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Working Toward High Performance: Roles and Responsibilities

By Joseph Deringer, AIA Member Emeritus posted 05-02-2016
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By Joseph Deringer, AIA, LEED-AP | May 2016 Technique What are high performing buildings? They provide the following: High performance for its occupants Comfort – thermal, visual, acoustic, + Productivity Well-being: Air quality, outside and inside Outdoor airflow Visual comfort Visual quality of spaces Access to outside Daylighting Thermal comfort Acoustic comfort High performance thru building life cycle Actually delivered & maintained, not just in design. Not just via simulation during design, but performance that is actually delivered. Includes siting, design, construction, ...
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Addressing Foundation Wall Vapor Drive

By Drake Wauters, AIA posted 05-02-2016
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By Drake A. Wauters, AIA | May 2016 Technique When reading about fearless world famous architects and the building scientists that support their projects with their active skins, advanced materials, and many innovations one would think that change comes swiftly to the design of buildings. However for most buildings this is certainly not true and to that point I would like to say a few important things about the humble basement. Buildings with basements which number in the many tens of millions in the US if we consider housing are infamous for experiencing moisture problems in most regions. The University of Minnesota Extension page “Moisture in basements: ...
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Letter from the Chair: May 2016

By Pamela Sams, AIA posted 05-02-2016
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I have the honor of being the 2016 and 2017 Chair of TDBP. I wanted to send out a greeting and update our members on the current state of TDBP focus and activities. At this moment in our profession, we are confronting the questions of “What is the relevance of our service for our clients?” and “What is the impact of our work for society?” TDBP members have a large part to play in this conversation. Architects should be leaders in the application of technical design for building performance. We can leverage our expertise and our position as Leaders of the Design Team to be more focused on delivering projects that meet the goals that we set with our clients. ...
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Managed Windows

By Drake Wauters, AIA posted 10-29-2015
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Decades ago there was a fairly extensive efforts to help manage solar heat gain and cold weather heat loss through windows around the nation. Since most windows were single glazed and not even thermally improved in any way, these methods resulted in significant changes to energy transfer through windows. Adding a metalized film to the interior side of a sheet of plain glass, using heat reflective blinds, or insulated interior window coverings made a dramatic difference when there was so little resistance to the passage of energy through most windows back then. Of course most of us have plenty of anecdotal experience about how this did or did not work ...
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Net Positive Realities

By Drake Wauters, AIA posted 10-24-2015
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Net Zero energy still seems like a faraway place to many as we grapple with definitions, discover (or rediscover) better ways to design to lowest energy use, how well on site solar and wind work, and what energy storage options are available. But as they say, you will not get to a really new place by doing the same things that got you where you are now. Most building owners have an opportunity now to generate at least solar power from their building roofs and from solar canopies over parking. In some cases they have wind options or façade solar options as well. As we decentralize the source of our power supplies those who miss out on the income from generating ...
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Codes on Basement Vapor Drive

By Drake Wauters, AIA posted 07-15-2015
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Habits are very hard to break and this is why we have regulations and codes. A large part of our nation is experiencing many times the normal summer rain and attendant water problems this. Yet we continue to build homes with no vapor impermeable waterproofing in basements and at some lowest story slabs and we still build some nonresidential buildings with subsurface waterproofing that is substantially vapor permeable (allowing humidity/vapor to travel through it even when liquid water is controlled). In many regions and for many building types this means high to very high vapor drive all year round from the soil in to the occupied space leading to very high ...
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