ArchEx 2026 – November 4-6, 2026 in Richmond, VA.
Architecture Exchange East is the annual thought-leadership conference and expo curated by AIA Virginia. Our goal is to bring together the brightest minds and most engaging speakers to present talks that are future-focused on a wide range of subjects, to provoke important conversations among design professionals, and to promote networking, relationship building, and collaboration.
ArchEx 2026 Theme: Threshold
Registration opens Tuesday, September 1
Architecture stands at a threshold. Firms face an unprecedented transfer of ownership and leadership. Cities hope to transform aging infrastructure into a resilient future. Shifts in business, culture, and technology reshape how we design, collaborate, and deliver projects. Architects expand beyond traditional practice – into entrepreneurship, urban planning, civic leadership, and new territory.
ArchEx 2026 will explore how we navigate these transitions: preserving wisdom while embracing change, maintaining our core focus while expanding our impact, and honoring the past while building what comes next.
We want to hear from practitioners navigating these thresholds:
Leadership Transitions – Succession planning, generational collaboration, knowledge transfer
Practice Reinvention – New business models, emerging technology, human-centered growth
Reuse & Resilience – Adaptive reuse, circular economy, climate resilience, regenerative futures
Cultural Continuity – Balancing tradition with innovation, heritage with growth
Expanding Impact – Beyond buildings: urbanism, civic leadership, policy influence, new frontiers
Join us at the threshold – where uncertainty meets possibility, and our next chapter begins.
Thank you to our 2025 Architecture Exchange East sponsors!
Life of the Party
The Garland Company
The Beauty of Block
Marinoware
Platinum
The Turman Group
Duradek MidAtlantic
Sierra Pacific Window & Door
Gold
Antebellum Manufacturing
Kawneer
Extron
Dominion Energy
York Building Products
Sherwin Williams
NIPG/Centria & Metl-Span
IMETCO
Marvin
Do you want to be an ArchEx 2026 Sponsor? Secure your sponsorship HERE and/or contact Jody Cranford.