Pictured: Artist Studio in West Seattle by GO’C Studio (Photo by Kevin Scott / Courtesy of The Seattle Times)

Advocacy Update – May 2026

This Month in Advocacy: Final Classification Ruling from US Dept of Education, Public Comment Opportunity on WA State Building Code, and Mayor Wilson at Housing Design Forum

US Dept of Education Excludes Architecture Degrees from Professional Classification

AIA issued a statement at the beginning of the month regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s final “Reimagining and Improving Student Education” (RISE) rule, which excludes architecture degrees from professional classification under federal student loan limits. Part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the rule classifies M.Arch and D.Arch degrees as “graduate” programs, restricting architecture students to lower federal borrowing caps than peers in “professional” programs. The rule will go into effect on July 1, 2026.

Despite significant advocacy from AIA and allied stakeholders, the Department of Education chose to make no changes to their originally proposed rule which will push students toward higher cost private loans or out of the architecture profession. AIA is now pursuing a legislative fix, endorsing three bills aimed at improving access to federal student loans for advanced degree students. Read more about AIA’s federal advocacy here.

Public Comment Period Now Open for WA State Building Code

Every three years, the State Building Code Council (SBCC) reviews and updates Washington state’s building codes, and the current public comment period is now open through June 12. Proposed changes include adjustments to allow for taller single-stair buildings and adding multiplexes to the WA State Residential Code, which would require the use of NFPA 13R sprinklers. Our partners at Futurewise are asking for architects who would like to see a pathway for no sprinklers for projects with higher-rated floors and walls to consider sending in public comment with stories, numbers, or further details about indirect and direct costs on these projects.

This public comment period is an important opportunity to amplify the voices of built environment professionals in shaping the future of building codes in our state. If you’d like to share your thoughts, comments can be provided via in-person or virtual testimony, or sent by email to sbcc@des.wa.gov. For more information about the process, you can check out Futurewise’s SBCC toolkit.

Join Mayor Wilson and Advocates at the 2026 AIA Seattle Housing Design Forum

Against the backdrop of her recent “taller, denser, faster” approach to Seattle’s comprehensive plan, Mayor Katie B. Wilson will open the 2026 AIA Seattle Housing Design Forum, Getting to Abundance: Unlocking the Future of Housing on June 1 at the National Nordic Museum. As Washington state tackles implementation of middle housing legislation, transit-oriented development, and affordability mechanisms amid the constraints of a volatile economic environment and persistent uncertainty, this event will bring together advocates and designers committed to delivering plentiful housing to our communities.

The 2026 AIA Seattle Housing Design Forum is a great opportunity to engage in learning how we can foster abundant, high-quality, diverse and sustainable housing options – an advocacy priority and Strategic Imperative of AIA Seattle. Learn more and register here to join us!

Join us online at noon on June 11 for Housing Advocacy Committee: Learn About New Opportunities for Housing in Mixed Use & Commercial Zones

Join Housing Advocacy Committee’s June meeting to hear from Alex Brennan, Executive Director of Futurewise, about the implications of SB 6026, new state legislation that allows for more housing in commercial zones and grants more flexibility around ground-floor retail. Register here.

Call for Designs Now Open for ADUniverse

The City of Seattle is inviting designers, architects, and homebuilders to submit ADU and middle housing designs that fulfill the City’s criteria and requirements for ADUniverse 2.0. Selected plans will be displayed in a gallery on ADUniverse, where applicants can browse and contact a designer if interested in using their plan to facilitate a faster, simpler, and more predictable permitting process. Find more information and submission guidelines here.