Education Programs

AIA Seattle offers over 50 continuing education opportunities annually.

Learn more about Continuing Education requirements for licensed architects, as well as maintaining your transcript, and online education options.

This page details AIA Seattle’s major half-day, full-day, and series continuing education programs. Additionally, member committees present programs and host events on a variety of topics throughout the year.

2023 MAJOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Stay tuned for additional information about these exciting programs! Details are provided approximately 6-8 weeks before the program date(s).

Safety Assessment Program (SAP) | February 14 &15
Post-Disaster Safety Assessment Training Program (SAP) Training provides architects, engineers, building officials, and inspectors with the knowledge to provide evaluation of buildings and larger infrastructure in the aftermath of a disastrous event. This all-hazards training course will train architects to be first-responders to help folks transition to safely reoccupying, clearing, or demolishing buildings after a major event.

Code Series | March 22-23, May 17, September 19-20, November (Date TBD) – Registration Open!
Join us for Code Reload in 2023, a series consisting of four unique sessions presented by AIA Seattle’s Code Committee and experts (representing the public and private sector) as they cover the most relevant topics, including recent local code updates, existing building requirements, accessibility, and compliance issues and implications.

Climate Summit | May 8-9
Join us online, May 8-9, 2023, 9am-2pm both days, for Decarbonization for Health Equity & Community Resilience. Our annual Climate Summit advances research and knowledge, bringing together interdisciplinary leaders and design professionals to amplify the role of the profession in climate and sustainability at varying scales. Through examining 1) indoor air quality and the right to positive health outcomes; 2) adaptive reuse strategies, the circular economy, and electrification; and 3) case studies demonstrating what “good” looks like through responsible building in projects and practice, this year’s thought leadership summit will take a systems-approach to explore high-impact decarbonization strategies that nurture our communities and ecosystems.

AHC Spring/Fall Conferences | April 7 & November (Date TBD)
For over 30 years, the Architecture for Health Committee (AHC) has provided vital networking and education programming for a regional audience spanning Washington and Oregon, dedicated to healthcare design, systems, and strategies. These programs are shaped by a team jointly based in Portland and Seattle, drawing a dedicated, congenial audience of highly engaged professionals. Each program features a keynote speaker, project tour, and an array of panel discussions and lightning talks focused on drawing emerging professionals. The sessions represent a comprehensive look at the innovations, codes, and adaptations of the region’s healthcare systems, and their interactions with our broader built environment. The Spring Conference was April 7, 2023 at the Silver Reef Casino Resort for AHC’s Spring Conference: The Native American Voice in Healthcare! Stay tuned for info later this year on the Fall Conference.

Housing Design Forum | June 15 – Registration Open!
Join us Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 415 Westlake for Housing Now! Design / Access / Delivery. The annual Housing Design Forum explores design trends, regulations, practice innovations, and demographic changes that impact professionals designing homes in the Pacific Northwest. This full-day forum will highlight practical solutions, innovative models, and inspiring case studies, as we address the pressing need for housing at all levels and explore the work being done at this very moment to get there.

Justice & Equity Series | Fall
This multi-session professional development series is the continuation of our Culture Change in Practice cohort program and informed by the work of our Racial Justice Working Group and AIA Seattle’s Justice and Equity for Diversity and Inclusion (JE:DI) Council. With the goal of building a more equitable profession and built environment, this series will offer firm leaders a framework for critical dialogue, self-assessment, deep engagement, and ongoing action and accountability in facilitating broader impact within their firms and industry.

ONLINE CONTINUING EDUCATION

Precedents & Possibilities Transforming Residential Practice (2022 Housing Design Forum)
Filmed in-person at the 2022 Housing Design Forum, this 6-part program highlights some of the most innovative and inspiring work in this region spanning the past, present, and future of residential practice. Explore transformations in residential design on projects ranging from youth-led builds, to DADUs, to larger scale housing on the cliffs of Norway. Earn up to 7.25 LU/HSW and SAVE OVER 20% when you purchase the 6-part series through aecKnowledge.

Practicing Equity & Advocacy in Rapid Decarbonization (2022 Climate Summit)
Recorded online from the 2022 (Virtual) Climate Summit, this 4-part program examines how to remove barriers in expediting decarbonization while supporting equitable, resilient, and healthy communities. Dive in and discover expansive opportunities to make actionable differences in policy and practice. Earn up to 7.5 LU/HSW and SAVE OVER 20% when you purchase the 4-part series through aecKnowledge.

Just Transition: Upstream and Downstream Impacts of Decarbonization (2021 Climate Summit)
Adapted from the 2021 (Virtual) Climate Summit, this 4-part series delves into the upstream and downstream impacts of decarbonization and explores how building design with a strong focus on equity and social justice can vastly improve our health, economy, and communities. Learn about the impacts and opportunities that “just” transitions to clean energy sources, materials, and processes have on our most vulnerable communities as we aggressively push towards our climate action goals. Earn up to 7 LU/HSW and SAVE OVER 20% when you purchase the 4-part series through aecKnowledge.

Virtual Collaborative Spaces with Sheryl Cababa
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, AIA Seattle hosted a live webinar on how to best keep your team creative and collaborative in a time of exclusively-virtual work, using some common web-sharing tools. These offerings can translate to community engagement, team design ideation, or any other form of collaborative design. The presenter, Sheryl Cababa, is VP of Strategy at Substantial, a Seattle-based digital design and development studio.

Digital Firm Management Solutions with Carlos Obando
Offered with the support of Allied members Mercer Island Telecom, founder Carlos Obando presents solutions for intra-office management, IT support, and client communication. He covers technical options, including Google Suite products, Zoom, and RingCentral, as well as how to use the respective software, their individual capabilities, and how to integrate into architecture practice.

COTE Earth Day Sustainability Slam
COTE’s annual series of short presentations focused on sustainable design.

Density Done Right (2019 Housing Design Forum)
Filmed live at the 2019 Housing Design Forum, this series of case studies and lightning talks offers innovative strategies for achieving higher housing density, creating more housing options that support vibrant communities, and promoting equity, sustainability and livability in rapidly changing neighborhoods. Learn from architects, planners and developers on the forefront of density done right. Earn up to 7.25 LU/HSW and SAVE OVER 20% when you purchase the 7-part seriesthrough aecKnowledge.

Inspiration, Innovation, Impact: The Future of Residential Design (2018 Housing Design Forum)
Filmed live at the 2018 Housing Design Forum, this series features 10 captivating speakers and combines keynote presentations, case studies, research and provocative dialogue. Find out how today’s most inspired architects and thinkers employ innovative performance strategies, explore materials, and engage with questions about the future of housing design. Featuring keynote speaker Stephen Kieran, FAIA, LEED Fellow (KieranTimberlake). Earn up to 5.75 LU/HSW and SAVE OVER 20% when you purchase the 5-part series through aecKnowledge.