AIA Conference
Architects Gather in San Francisco, California
by Marcus Dodson, editor & publisher
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference on Architecture 2023 will be held June 7-10, 2023, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. This year, AIA’s Conference on Architecture is debuting seven specialized tracks to help attendees plan their experience around a topic of interest. The firm prosperity and profitability track will cover topics like negotiations, client engagement, remote work, and team collaboration. The career enhancement for future leaders track will dive into skills and knowledge for early career leaders and emerging professionals who want to make an impact.
The innovation and thought leadership track will include the topics driving architecture like machine learning, digital delivery, research, technology, reuse, and preservation. The global and local perspectives track will focus on innovative design solutions to the universal challenges and typologies like affordable housing, vernacular architecture, and health care and education facilities.
The equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) track will explore how design supports equity and inclusion and how the workplace can and should use EDI as a talent retention and acquisition strategy. The climate action track will cover the high-impact strategies to design for sustainability, including resilience, materials selection, passive design, renewable energy, carbon, and benchmarking. The community track will explore accessibility, well-being, and how designers can work with communities to understand their collective needs, listen with empathy and compassion, and build consensus.
Another new expo experience is the Architecture Expo, which is designed for networking, collaboration, and discovery across the AEC industry. The Architecture Expo will connect attendees across a diverse range of expertise and thought leadership while also giving access to the full product experience from hundreds of building product manufacturers. More than 100 new brands will be on display offering business services, innovative products, software, technology, and more.
The AIA Knowledge Communities Symposia is a two-day immersion into public architecture and technology. A small selection of popular conference sessions will be available on-demand after the event so attendees will have more time to enjoy the content and earn CE credits. The AIA has built health and wellness routines into each day to help ease the stress of travel for conference attendees. These will include movement classes and other well-being activities, which will be built into the conference environment.
The architecture industry’s best continuing education will occur at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2023. Acclaimed architects, designers, building product manufacturers, and professionals are leading a diverse range of educational sessions. These include seminars by leading architects on the topics, projects, and trends defining the industry. More than 20 workshop-style practical knowledge and skill sessions are free with conference registration. Explore San Francisco’s architecture icons through more than 100 exclusive tours that give you special access to the city’s best architecture. Leading building product manufacturers will be showcasing next-level product solutions through more than 60 session on the expo floor.
Educational sessions include, but are not limited to: A Holistic Approach to Windows in Sustainable Design; Type III Construction for Multifamily: Best Practice Detailing for Success; Versatile Aluminum Railing Systems: Quick to Install, Designed to Last; Vanguards in Color; Next-Generation Façade Solutions for Education; Perimeter Insulation: When Structure Conflicts with Thermal Performance; Moisture Management for Multifamily, Mixed-Use, & Light Commercial Buildings; Metal Composite Material Building Code Fire Requirements; Powder Coating: A Good Choice for Driving Sustainability Initiatives; The ABC’s of Openings in Multifamily; Discover the Advantages of Off-Site Fabricated Railing Systems; The Benefits of Flexible Auditoriums; Seismic & Building Movement Requirements for Curtain Wall Systems; Window Installation Best Practices; Acing the Fenestration Performance Test; Cohousing Communities: Designing for High-Functioning Neighborhoods; Color & Paint in Environments for the Aging; Concealed Spaces in Wood-Frame & Mass Timber Construction’ Working Together: Weather-Resistant Barriers & Continuous Insulation; Modular Architecture: Thinking Inside the Box for Great Design; Bridging Design & Collaboration; Roof Coatings: Decorative, Protective, & Sustainable Alternatives; Coatings Failures: Corrosion of Metals; Wind Ballasted Roofing Systems; The Chemistry to Create Color in Coil Coatings; Window Code Fundamentals; and Selecting the Right Door.
Seminars include, but are not limited to: Technology in Architectural Practice Symposium; Regenerative Design: Project Positive; Progressive Design-Build: Delivering Peak Performance; Equitable, Healthy & Sustainable Synergies to Address the Housing Crisis; Progress Through Storytelling: Small Firms Winning Approvals for Innovative Design; Digital/Hybrid Practice: A New Paradigm for Owner, Architect, & Contractor; The Negotiator’s Guide to Influence; Braving Space: Setting Goals for Equity & Inclusion in Design; Designing for Wildfires; San Francisco Housing Typologies; To Engage Black Architects in the Making, Start Local; Seize the Opportunity of Historic Passive House Retrofits; From Adaptive to Transformative: The Evolution of Reuse; Preserving American Midcentury Modern Houses; Deconstruction, Not Demolition; The 2030 Commitment & How It Changes Work; Empowering Communities Through Empathetic Listening; Navigating Murky Code for Gray Water & Rainwater Systems; Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings: The Role of Architects; Women at the Helm; Interdisciplinary Academic Buildings: Research & Design; Stronger Together: The Future of Latinx in Architecture; Desiging for Culture to Imbue Landscapes with Meaning; The Playbook for Zero-Carbon Building; Architects in Action: Impacting the Next Generation; and Designing for Employee Well-Being.
Barbara Bouza, FAIA, the president of Walt Disney Imagineering, is the keynote speaker on Thursday, June 8. In her role, she leads the global multidiscplinary team behind the creation of Disney’s theme parks, attractions, resorts, cruise ships, and entertainment experiences. At the AIA Conference on Architecture 2023, Bouza will share a window into the world of how Disney Imagineers inspire, push boundaries, and make the impossible possible.
The AIA Conference on Architecture’s Block Party will take over the expo floor on Thursday, June 8, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Visit exhibitors, parks, and themed hotspots for live entertainment, food, and drinks. Catch up with colleagues and friends, mingle with peers, and meet new people.
For more information and to register for the AIA Conference on Architecture 2023, please visit www.conferenceonarchitecture.com or call (864) 342-6385. We look forward to seeing you all at the Moscone Center in San Francisco in June.
