ArchEx 2026: Call for Presentations

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

For two and half days, 500+ architects and design industry professionals from across the state converge for our annual thought-leadership conference and expo filled with educational sessions and networking. The conference will be held Nov. 4-6, 2026, in Richmond at the Richmond Marriott. 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.

This year’s theme is: Threshold.

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.

Celebrating its 39th year, ArchEx has always strived to help push the profession forward. We are looking for exciting and engaging topics and speakers to make this year unforgettable.

We value sessions that encourage conversation, connections, and collaborative learning. Think workshops, roundtables, tours, and interactive panels. Many of our session slots will be 60 minutes, but we can consider reserving longer time slots for more in-depth explorations. 

To propose an offering, complete and submit the Presentation Proposal Form by April 30, 2026. Your proposal will be reviewed, and you will be contacted no later than June 2026. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.

Requirements

  • Submit a completed proposal form online
  • Proposals must be received by the deadline date.
  • Expert speakers with public speaking experience are preferred
  • Presentation content must be sufficient for the proposed length of the session

Deadline is 11:59 p.m., April 30, 2026

Decision Process
All proposals are evaluated by AIA Virginia’s Education Advisory Council to ensure they address the educational needs of the audience and that the program is well-balanced. The submission review process will begin in May and will continue until the end of June.

If you would like to be a part of the Education Advisory Council and help shape the ArchEx program, please contact Delaney Ogden at dogden@aiava.org.

Suggestions and Questions
Suggestions for potential speakers or questions about the conference can be directed to Delaney Ogden, Director of Education at dogden@aiava.org.

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.
  • Tours/Experiences — Projects of interest, in progress or recently completed, restoration, redevelopment, urban planning, art installations, artist studios, creatives, historical architecture, etc.

Join us at the threshold – where uncertainty meets possibility, and our next chapter begins!

We encourage interactive presentations (panel discussion, live Q&A/audience participation, slide show/visual presentation etc.) and those that qualify for HSW credit. We encourage presentations to tie to this year’s theme of – Threshold.

ArchEx 2025 Keynote Panel

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

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.

ArchEx 2025: Call for Presentations

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

Architecture Exchange East is the annual thought-leadership conference and expo curated by AIA Virginia. The conference will be held Nov. 5-7, 2025, in Richmond at the Richmond Marriott. 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.

This year’s theme is: Design the Future: Advancing Technology, Community & Business.

Today’s architects face unprecedented uncertainty & opportunity: rapidly evolving technologies, shifting global and political reality, the urgent demands of climate change, expanding housing crisis, evolving culture of work, and new markets, delivery types, and client expectations. Our profession is at a crossroads. Yesterday’s answers are no match for today’s challenges. Navigating change while delivering high quality work can feel overwhelming, leaving many wondering how to keep pace and make a meaningful impact in their work and communities?

But there is a way forward. Leaders and organizations are embracing innovation, collaboration, and community engagement, to transform these challenges into opportunities. Leveraging sustainable best practices, adaptive reuse, and emerging technologies, the profession can reimagine not just buildings, but the very fabric of our cities and societies. Through new approaches to practice—drawing on neuroscience, biophilic design, community engagement, and powerful storytelling—architects can create spaces that are resilient, efficient, and truly responsive to the needs of all.

Design the Future: Advancing Technology, Community & Business is your roadmap to a better tomorrow. ArchEx 2025 brings together visionary leaders and practical strategies to help you adapt, thrive, and lead in a rapidly changing world. You’ll gain actionable insights to future-proof your practice, connect with a community of innovators, and discover how to shape a built environment that is sustainable, inclusive, and ready for tomorrow’s challenges. Join us to turn today’s uncertainty into opportunity.

Celebrating its 38th year, ArchEx has always strived to help push the profession forward. We are looking for exciting and engaging topics and speakers to make this year unforgettable.

We value sessions that encourage conversation, connections, and collaborative learning. Think workshops, roundtables, tours, and interactive panels. Many of our session slots will be 60 minutes, but we can consider reserving longer time slots for more in-depth explorations. 

To propose an offering, complete and submit the Presentation Proposal Form by April 30, 2025. Your proposal will be reviewed, and you will be contacted no later than July 2025. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.

Requirements

  • Submit a completed proposal form online
  • Proposals must be received by the deadline date.
  • Expert speakers with public speaking experience are preferred
  • Presentation content must be sufficient for the proposed length of the session

Deadline is 11:59 p.m., April 30, 2025

Decision Process
All proposals are evaluated by AIA Virginia’s Education Advisory Council to ensure they address the educational needs of the audience and that the program is well-balanced. The submission review process will begin in May and will continue until the end of June.

If you would like to be a part of the Education Advisory Council and help shape the ArchEx program, please contact Delaney Ogden at dogden@aiava.org.

Suggestions and Questions
Suggestions for potential speakers or questions about the conference can be directed to Delaney Ogden, Director of Education at dogden@aiava.org.

Topics of interest include (but aren’t limited to):

  • Design the Future
    • Shaping the Built Environment for a Resilient Tomorrow
    • Focus on cutting edge technology, sustainable best practices, innovative business structures to transform the industry.
    • Explores how to leverage advancements to create more efficient, resilient, & responsible firms, buildings, & communities.
    • Decarbonization, electrification, adaptive reuse, and sustainable materials in response to climate change.
  • Evolving Practice/Business
    • New technologies, evolving client needs, increasing importance of collaboration, innovations in work / office / practice. 
    • How emerging technologies like AR, VR, Metaverse are reshaping architectural practice and spatial experiences.
    • Provides insight and strategies to adapt and thrive in a dynamic environment.
    • How neuroscience, psychology, & biophilic design influence architectural practice.
    • How architects can use narrative, visualization, and branding to communicate ideas, win projects, and inspire action.
    • Architecture of Space: designing for human habitation beyond Earth.
    • Architecture beyond space: what design for virtual worlds will look like.
  • Community
    • Building a More Inclusive and Just World Through Architecture
    • Emphasizes the importance of designing with and for communities, focusing on equity, accessibility, and social impact. 
    • Explores how architects can engage with diverse stakeholders to create spaces that meet the needs of all users and contribute to a more just and equitable society.
  • Future of Housing/City/Life
    • New models to address housing crises through design, policy, and technology.
    • The 15-Minute City: Rethinking Urban Design for a Post-Pandemic World. Creating walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that promote sustainability, equity, and well-being.
  • Adaptive Reuse & Historic Preservation
    • Balancing sustainability, heritage, and innovation in reimagining existing spaces.
  • Tours — Projects of interest, in progress or recently completed, restoration, redevelopment, urban planning, art installations, artist studios, creatives, historical architecture, etc.
  • Tours/experiences of cultural, historical, and artistic interest

We’re curating a dynamic lineup of sessions to help architects, firms, educators, etc. to navigate rapid change while making a meaningful impact. Whether you’re working at the intersection of design and technology, engaged in community-led practice, or reimagining the future of housing or cities—we’d love to hear your voice.

We encourage interactive presentations (panel discussion, live Q&A/audience participation, slide show/visual presentation etc.) and those that qualify for HSW credit. We encourage presentations to tie to this year’s theme of – Design the Future: Advancing Technology, Community & Business.