ADUs: Why the Future of Housing is in Your Backyard (1 LU | HSW) – 2:00-3:00pm
An Architect’s Guide to Sound Isolation (1 LU | HSW)
Design Forum 2026 Sponsorship
Using Technology to Implement Meaningful Design in K-12 Schools
Back to school marks more than just the end of summer; it’s an opportunity for students to step into environments that spark curiosity and possibility. The sense of discovery felt when starting a new school year is powerful because it does not stop at the physical space. When students encounter a thoughtfully designed environment, it invites them to imagine, question, and create in ways they might not have before. Every detail, from the openness of a learning commons to the energy of shared spaces encourages them to see learning not as a task but as an adventure, where students can uncover new strengths, passions, and ideas within themselves. By designing schools that ignite creativity and support exploration, we create more than classrooms – we create experiences that help students discover who they are and what they can achieve.
In the article below, Clark Nexsen demonstrates how they use technology and computational design to create new opportunities for design in their K-12 studio.”
https://www.clarknexsen.com/using-technology-to-implement-meaningful-design-in-k-12-schools/
Historic Tour: Tangier Island History and Vernacular Architecture Tour
ArchEx 2025 Keynote Panel
Join us at ArchEx 2025 for our Kickoff and Keynote Panel Discussion with Margaret Cavenagh, AIA, LEED AP (Perkins & Will), Elliott Felix (Buro Happold), and Peter B. MacKeith, Assoc. AIA (Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design, University of Arkansas) titled Uncertainty to Opportunity: Designing Resilience in a Changing World.
Margaret Cavenagh is the Managing Director of Perkins&Will’s Chicago studio, a lecturer at UVA’s School of Architecture, and recent Chair of the A-School’s Dean’s Advisory Board. Through her work at Studio Gang and Perkins&Will, Margaret focuses on projects that strengthen communities, connect people to one another, and build resilience for the future.
For Margaret, design comes from working with what’s already there. “Every project contains a clue about where to begin,” she says. “It’s a process that unfolds over time, shaped by the many voices and identities that come and go.” She gravitates toward projects that celebrate this continuity—transforming existing buildings or restoring public spaces to keep them relevant today and resilient into the future. To her, the success of a project is measured by its connection to its place, by how much it feels like it’s always belonged there.
Margaret grew up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but for over 30 years Chicago has been home. Throughout her career, she’s worn many hats, embracing a hands-on, “do whatever it takes” mindset, whether managing projects, building client relationships, or mentoring teams. She’s always led with empathy.
As managing director of our Chicago studio, Margaret is committed to nurturing our collaborative, supportive environment. Here, trust, open communication, and a shared vision fuel creativity and enable personal and professional growth.
Elliot Felix is an accomplished strategist, facilitator, and sense-maker who is focused on defining and solving problems for people. Under Elliot’s leadership, he has helped transform over 90 colleges and universities including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, MIT, NC State University, New York University, Stanford University, the University of California Santa Cruz, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia.
Elliot is a prolific speaker and writer on reimagining higher education, having presented at more than 80 conferences including EDUCAUSE, SXSW, SCUP, and Tradeline; having been cited in publications such as Fast Company and Forbes; and written more than 40 articles in publications such as Planning for Higher Education, Library Journal, Business Officer Magazine, and Touchpoint: The Journal of Service Design. Elliot also serves on the Advisory Boards of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative as well as the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.
Peter B. MacKeith is dean and professor of architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas. Appointed in July 2014, and reappointed in 2019, he is the fifth dean of the school and a nationally recognized design educator and administrator. MacKeith received his Bachelor of Arts in Literature and International Relations, with distinction, as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia (1981) and his Master of Architecture and the Alpha Rho Chi Medal from Yale University (1985). An advocate for contextual design and Nordic architecture, Peter connects academia and practice to strengthen communities through design.
A nationally recognized leader in advancing the cause of a forest-centered culture and economy, and the cause of a wood-product centered approach to architecture, engineering and construction, MacKeith lectures and presents frequently on these topics, most recently for The Architect’s Newspaper, the Sustainable Forests Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, and the International Living Future Initiative. He has worked with the World Trade Center Arkansas to organize a state trade and industry delegation to Finland in 2021, to advance the state’s interests in environmental and economic development, particularly in its forests, timberlands and wood products industries, and with the production team of the PBS series “America’s Forests” on two episodes devoted to the Arkansas forests and forest communities. In 2021, AIA Arkansas awarded MacKeith the Award of Merit in recognition of his contributions to the state’s architecture and education culture.
Registration for Architecture Exchange East opens Tuesday, September 2.
ELA 2026 Applications Due November 12
AIA Virginia announces the call for applications for the 2026 Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) class: An Honors Academy of AIA Virginia.
The application and more information is available here>>
The application deadline is November 12, 2025
ELA is an intensive program of educational sessions structured around presentations, discussions, team exploration, analysis, consensus-building, collaboration, and case study activities undertaken over the course of a year by a small cadre of participants selected for their potential to be outstanding contributors to the profession and the community. Facilitators and mentors who are established leaders in the building, finance, non-profit, development, university, legal, consulting, and design professions and in the community at large develop and deliver the sessions, designed to provide participants with advanced knowledge and skills related to specific areas of leadership and practice.
The program consists of monthly, day-long seminars, work sessions, or class project presentations, culminating with a presentation at Architecture Exchange East in November.
The seminars are interactive, drawing on real examples and actively involving participants. They rotate among sites in Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond, Alexandria, and Norfolk in conjunction with each area’s firms, schools, and the local AIA component.
The class project for 2026 will be in Richmond, so many sessions and the project workdays will be located in the Richmond area.
How to Apply
The committee seeks applicants from three categories:
Component Nominees: Each of the five AIA Virginia local component Boards may nominate one or more individuals for admission to the program. One participant will be selected from each component for a total of five. If interested, please contact your local AIA chapter representative. Each chapter sets its own deadline and application requirements for these positions.
Student Nominees: Any student enrolled in a Virginia architecture program or a professional architecture degree program may apply. A maximum of 2 student participants will be selected each year for the class.
Open Applications: Applicants may apply independently or be nominated by someone else. Participants will be selected from among these applicants to fill the class.
The application and more information is available here>>
The application deadline is November 12, 2025.
If you have any questions, contact Delaney Ogden, Education Director, at dogden@aiava.org
Designing for LEED v5: What Architects Need to Know Now
ArchEx 2025 Keynote Speaker
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Mehdi Nourbakhsh as one of the keynote speakers at our 38th Architecture Exchange East annual conference in Richmond, VA. Dr. Mehdi Nourbakhsh is an author, speaker, and CEO of YegaTech, a technology consulting company in the AEC industry specializing in AI strategy, governance, and implementation for AEC companies.
With more than a decade of experience in the research and development of innovative AI solutions in the AEC and manufacturing industry at YegaTech, Autodesk, and Georgia Tech, Mehdi brings a unique perspective to this space. He has developed several AI solutions that are used by tens of thousands of AEC and manufacturing professionals every day and has filed eight US patents on the use of artificial intelligence in these industries.
As a keynote speaker, he brings his unique insights and perspective to industry events. Dr. Mehdi is a firm advocate for proactive innovation, believing that companies should shift from simply reacting to AI disruptions to actively investing in processes that foster continual innovation and strategic growth.
Dr. Mehdi is the author of two Amazon best-selling books: Augment It: How Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Leaders Leverage Data and Artificial Intelligence to Build a Sustainable Future, and Disrupt It: How Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Executives Can Transform Their Organizations in the Age of AI Disruption. He holds a Ph.D. in design computing, a master’s in computer science and construction management, and a bachelor’s in civil and structural engineering.
Registration for Architecture Exchange East opens Tuesday, September 2.