Tag: cote corner

Join us for the AIA Virginia COTE 2026 Sustainability Summit on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Richmond, VA.

The Virginia COTE Sustainability Summit brings together design professionals across Virginia committed to advancing sustainability throughout our practices. This full-day summit is structured to spark inspiration, elevate practitioner insight, and produce tangible next steps for the profession.

Earn 6 AIA LU | HSW

Purchase Tickets Here

The opening keynote by Virginia’s Chief Resilience Officer Greg Steele will frame the future challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth. Short, focused presentations by practitioners will highlight critical topics, innovations, and on-the-ground experiences to set the stage for more in depth discussion. Participants will then engage in morning and afternoon roundtables centered on key sustainability issues — the focus of these breakouts will ultimately be defined by the attendees, but topic prompts include policy and legislation, energy innovations, the AIA Materials Pledge, and resilience imperatives across the state. Each group will identify strategic priorities and actionable recommendations before sharing insights with the broader audience. The summit concludes with a collective synthesis session where themes are refined and distilled into a focused set of priorities to guide our shared work in the coming year.

Draft Agenda for the day:

Agenda:

8:30-9:00am: Arrival/check in & networking 
9:00-9:30am: Opening keynote – Greg Steele, P.E., Chief Resilience Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia
9:30-9:50: Morning Presentations

• • Paul Battaglia,  AIA – Advocacy and Legislation
  • William Abrahamson, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C – Greening the Building Code
  • Rebecca Aarons-Sydnor, CDT, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP ID+C, GPCP – Virginia’s High Performance Building Act

9:50-10:15: Define 3-5 subtopics for breakouts/bio break/networking break
10:15-11:15: Roundtables 
11:15-11:45: Report out to larger group
12:00-1:00: Lunch 
1:00-1:30: Afternoon Presentations

• • Andrew McKinley, AIA, LEED AP – Resilience in Coastal Virginia
  • Gwen  Murray, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, True Advisor – Decarbonization
  • Brendan Owens, PE, LEED Fellow – Operational Carbon and energy use
  • Bryna Dunn, Assoc. AIA, AICP, LEED Fellow – Health and Wellness in Design

1:30-1:45: Define 3-5 subtopics for breakouts
1:45-2:45: Roundtables 
2:45-3:15: Report out to larger group
3:15-4:00: Closing session

Location
Lost Office Collaborative
5000 Old Main Street
Henrico, VA 23231

Tickets
AIA Member: $85
Assoc. AIA Member: $75
Non-member: $99
Students: FREE

Purchase Tickets Here
Registration closes on 5/26 at 12:00pm

(Photo credits: Illustration by Thanh Huong Bui on Unsplash)

In this three-part workshop, sustainability experts will focus on the basics of what architects need to know to integrate successful energy modeling into their practices. Various types of modeling systems will be discussed as well as how to decipher the layers of data needed to successfully complete a sustainable project.

Virtual Workshop Dates:
October 9 (Great Design – Climate, Daylighting and Comfort)
October 23 (Energy Modeling Basics)
November 21 (Optimizing Energy Models)

Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Zoom webinar
Cost: FREE
Up to 3 AIA LU

Zoom Registration Here>>

Session 3:
November 21: Optimizing Energy Models

Session Three will provide detailed studies and the optimization of energy modeling for an architectural practice.  Panelists will discuss the advantages of simplified “shoebox” energy models for initial design planning. They will also demonstrate multiple zone energy models for more advanced modeling. Participants will workshop the shoebox energy model and study how it can be an effective tool using a portfolio of industry standard software tools. This final presentation will tie together the tools needed for the integration of energy modeling in architectural practice.

After this session participants will be able to:

• • Discuss the advantages of shoebox energy modeling for initial design planning.
  • Describe the differences between shoebox energy modeling and multiple zone energy models.
  • List the alternatives for energy modeling.
  • Optimize teamwork throughout the design process.

In this three-part workshop, sustainability experts will focus on the basics of what architects need to know to integrate successful energy modeling into their practices. Various types of modeling systems will be discussed as well as how to decipher the layers of data needed to successfully complete a sustainable project.

Virtual Workshop Dates:
October 9 (Great Design – Climate, Daylighting and Comfort)
October 23 (Energy Modeling Basics)
November 21 (Optimizing Energy Models)

Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Zoom webinar
Cost: FREE
Up to 3 AIA LU

Zoom Registration Here>>

Session 2:
October 23: Energy Modeling Basics

Session Two will demonstrate the basics of energy modeling. Panelists will describe what metrics should be considered.  They will explore environmental loading, peak studies, net annual loading, net benefits, how to access climate data, as well as other basic metrics. Participants will workshop simple massing studies. Panel members will demonstrate energy modeling using a portfolio of industry standard software tools.

After this session participants will be able to:

• • Evaluate useful metrics and studies that may be applied to a specific project type.
  • Describe basic environmental loads that should be investigated in project planning. 
  • Appraise which energy modeling programs will be applicable to their projects.
  • Discuss how massing studies will help model the basics of environmental loading.

In this three-part workshop, sustainability experts will focus on the basics of what architects need to know to integrate successful energy modeling into their practices. Various types of modeling systems will be discussed as well as how to decipher the layers of data needed to successfully complete a sustainable project.

Virtual Workshop Dates:
October 9 (Great Design – Climate, Daylighting and Comfort)
October 23 (Energy Modeling Basics)
November 21 (Optimizing Energy Models)

Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Zoom webinar
Cost: FREE
Up to 3 AIA LU

Zoom Registration Here>>

Session 1:
October 9: Great Design – Climate, Daylighting and Comfort

The first session will focus on the basics of design for comfort and tools to assess performance.  How far can an architect go in-house?  What collaborative team members are needed to successfully achieve sustainable design goals? What questions should the architect ask of their consultant? How do you develop and implement an efficient sustainability workflow?  Participants will workshop climate and daylighting strategies led by a panel of architects and engineers.

After this session participants will be able to:

• • Develop a battery of productive questions and actionable metrics for consultants to answer throughout the design process. 
  • Describe a workflow that integrates energy modeling into a design practice.
  • Identify tools to model climate and daylighting impacts during early stage design.
  • Identify the collaborators needed for successful energy modeling.