Please join us in welcoming Melissa to AIA Seattle + Seattle Design Festival! We are excited to be working alongside Melissa, as we navigate a “new normal” in our region and profession. Melissa K. Neher comes to our organizations most recently from her role as Executive Director of Architects Without Borders Seattle, an organization formed by a dedicated group of volunteers who came together under the umbrella of AIA to provide access to design to underserved communities. Read full bio and message here.

Multifamily residential accessibility compliance is far more complicated than it first appears. With the overlapping of federal laws and building code, it can become confusing very quickly.  This 4th session in our Decoded Series will inform and educate residential multifamily architects, builders, and developers on the key differences in federal laws and building code as well as the how, why, where, and when to applying them. Join us online September 21 & 22, 12-2pm

AIA Seattle + Seattle Design Festival is pleased to present this slate of accomplished members to fill open seats on our Board of Directors beginning September 1, 2021. Please join us in welcoming: Cory Hitzemann, Heather Pogue AIA, Marijana Misic AIA, Matt Hutchins AIA, Michele Hill AIA, Nicole DeNamur Hon. AIA, Sheryl Cababa, Stacey Crumbaker IIDA, and Vicki Ha AIA. We are deeply grateful for the enormous energy and effort our board members and other volunteer leaders devote to our organization.

SPARC’s Ask an Architect | September 25

AADU’s Career Ladder Webinar | September 29

CAE’s Mass Timber in Schools | September 29

And check out our events calendar for committee meetings and other upcoming events.

This month in advocacy: Neighborhood Residential’s moment arrives; small lot development standards proposed for Belltown; Seattle’s new stormwater code goes into effect; new uses for downtown storefronts are under consideration; and Climate Advocacy Week returns! You can find the full August 2021 Advocacy Update here.

AIA Northwest Washington (NWW) serves our members in North Puget Sound, supporting and promoting the design profession through educational programs and other activities. Check here for their latest updates.

Call for Submissions – 2021 NW WA Design Awards | Due Sept. 2

AIA NW WA Design Awards Live Event | October 7

As AIA Seattle reflects on our pursuit of racial justice, we are committing to a process of transparency in what measurable actions we are taking. As a member-led organization, we are establishing this evolving list for the sake of mutual accountability — so you may see what we are doing, and tell us where we should be moving in the future.

We know there is hard work to be done to achieve Racial Justice. We’ve compiled an evolving list of Racial Justice Resources. we’ve found helpful in this work.

AIA Seattle believes our world needs the visionary and integrative thinking of architects and designers, and that design solutions can positively impact our communities. Guided by our values of excellence, advocacy, integrity, equity, stewardship, and collaboration, we prepare our profession to lead, and deploy design to make a difference, so that we are all able to do our best work in a culture of design that fosters equitable, resilient, thriving communities. Read about the planning process, member feedback and our mission, vision, values in our strategic plan.