Events & Opportunities
Welcome to our monthly roundup of upcoming events and opportunities presented by AIA Seattle committees, partner organizations, AIA National, and more.
Here you’ll find educational events, involvement opportunities, and programs tailored to our Washington design community.
February 2026
Spill the Tea with NOMAS UW + Diversity Roundtable
Wednesday, February 4 | 6pm
Join NOMAS UW + DRT at UW’s Gould Court for an informal event where students sit down with practicing professionals to talk honestly about the field – no portfolios, no jargon, no pressure.
Adaptation & Resilience Committee Meeting: Fire Systems
Thursday, February 5 | 12-1:20pm PT online
During their February meeting, AIA Seattle’s Adaptation & Resilience Committee will cover sprinkler system types, standpipes and design considerations, and an overview of fire disasters with guest speaker Amedeo Gallucci, PE Senior Fire Protection Engineer.
1 LU|HSW
Leadership Pathways with AIA Seattle and Seattle Design Festival
Thursday, February 5 | 5:30-6pm PT online
Through personal storytelling, info-sharing, and Q&A, this virtual program aims to demystify the process of nominating yourself or your peers for board service. Learn about the personal and professional benefits of serving in one of the many board positions that AIA Seattle and Seattle Design Festival offer.
Help Shape the New “Timely Topics” Short Programming Series!
Complete the survey by Friday, February 6
We want to hear from you! We’re looking for member feedback on our new Timely Topics series, a lively new continuing education program exploring the hottest topics shaping the AEC industry today.
Women in Design Coffee Hour
Tuesday, February 10 | 7:30am
Join WiD for their monthly Coffee Hour at Populus Seattle.
Diversity Roundtable Social Hour at Mithun
Wednesday, February 11 | 5:30pm
Join AIA Seattle’s Diversity Roundtable Committee for their first Social Hour of the year, hosted by Mithun in partnership with NOMA|nw and Seattle International Architecture Forum.
Call for Entries: SAF’s 2026 Model Exhibit
Submit by Friday, February 13
Each year, SAF features physical and digital models, architectural renderings, and other displays that illuminate the design process and engage the public directly with the language of architecture. This year’s theme is “EMERGENCE,” showcasing the dynamic processes that bring design to life.
Call for Nominations: AIA Seattle + SDF Board of Directors
Nominate by Friday, February 13
Would you or someone you know make a great AIA Seattle + Seattle Design Festival Board Member? Nominate yourself or a peer today! See the Seattle Design Festival and AIA Seattle Calls for Board Members.
Call for Presentations and Project Tours | AHC Spring and Fall Conference
Submit by Friday, February 13
The Architecture for Health Committee (AHC) welcomes presentation and project tour proposals for their Spring and Fall Conference, focusing on flexibility and adaptability in healthcare planning, design, construction, operations, and facilities management.
COTE Meeting: Reducing Chemicals of Concern
Tuesday, February 17 | 12pm
Join COTE for a Knowledge Sharing session with Chris Hellstern, architect and Living Building Challenge Services Director at Miller Hull, discussing chemicals of concern in architecture.
Mass Timber: Active Sustainable Logging Tour with NNRG
Wednesday, February 18 | 9am-12pm
Visit an active ecological forestry timber harvest! Participants will see modern logging at work in two stands — one older (80 to 90 years) and one younger (35 to 40 years) in ways that improve forest habitat and future timber yields.
3 LU|HSW (pending)
YAF: Licensing Workshops – 2026 Kick Off
Wednesday, February 18 | 5:30-7:30pm
Join YAF at MG2 to jump back into the swing of studying by reviewing exam content and practice questions for the practice-based Architecture Registration Exams (Practice Management, Project Management, Construction and Evaluation).
SPARC: An Open Conversation about Insurance
Thursday, February 19 | 12-1pm
Join the Small Practice and Residential Committee (SPARC) online for an open discussion with colleagues about professional liability insurance, or any other types of insurance that you may have questions about.
Design in Depth: Transit-Oriented Development
Wednesday, February 25 | 5-7:30pm
Join Seattle Architecture Foundation for their first Design in Depth panel of 2026. They’ll be exploring the development of mass transit networks while preserving neighborhood character, green spaces, and affordable housing options.
2026 Path to Fellowship
Thursday, February 26, 5:30-6:30pm online
Join a panel of local FAIAs to learn more about the College of Fellows eligibility and submittal process, our chapter’s coaching and endorsement of candidates, and tricks and tools you can employ now to tell your own professional story.
Call for Hosts: YAF “INTERACTION” Happy Hour Series
Submit form by Friday, February 27
YAF is seeking hosts to provide a space for their Happy Hours, offering light food and drinks, and staff to engage in a discussion on the session theme. Firms are encouraged to co-host, but it is not a requirement. Show your interest by completing this form and sending to YAF.
Call for Projects: SPARC Methow Valley Tour
Submit projects for SPARC’s Methow Valley Tour on May 15-16! If you have projects to share with colleagues next spring, get in touch with Carrie Anderson or Tom Lawrence.
NCARB Year in Review: FY25 Annual Report
NCARB’s FY25 Annual Report is now available, highlighting new Competency Standards, an improved licensing requirement tool, and other priority updates from the year.
March – April 2026
To browse and register for events that are further out, see our full events calendar.
Submit Public Comment on the Department of Education’s Rule Limiting Federal Loans for Architecture Students
Public Comment period ends Monday, March 2
The American Institute of Architects strongly opposes a proposed Department of Education rule that would strip Masters of Architecture and Doctorates of Architecture programs of their professional designation.
AIA will submit formal comments during the public comment period and is working with a broad coalition of education, labor, and health organizations to elevate the real-world impacts of this rule. Submit your comment here.
WAsafe Building Safety Evaluations (ATC 20/25 Plus)
March 16 | 8:30am-4:30pm in Lynnwood
This course covers the basics of building safety evaluations for a variety of hazards, based on building safety evaluation programs for earthquakes, windstorms, and floods (ATC-20 & ATC-45), using examples from real events. The class also covers response to landslides, fires, and other hazards.
0.7 ICC CEUs
2026 Spatial Justice Program
Begins Thursday, March 19
Presented by the Center for Transformative Urban Design with AIA Minnesota, the 2026 Spatial Justice Program is an expanded program of three separate cohorts in Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle. In this program, participants will learn the critical theory behind spatial justice from Edward W. Soja to contemporary design practitioners Teddy Cruz and Danna Cuff.
2026 Code Series | Accessibility Matters
March 23 | 12:30-6pm at the National Nordic Museum
Accessibility Matters explores the essential role of accessibility in shaping the built environment and how design professionals can create spaces that are inclusive, compliant, and future-ready.
4 LU|HSW
International Mass Timber Conference
March 31-April 2 | Portland, OR
Co-produced by WoodWorks and Trifecta Collective, the International Mass Timber Conference is the world’s largest gathering of mass timber professionals – bringing together leaders in design, engineering, construction, development, and manufacturing.
AIA Architecture Week 2026
April 12-18
Architecture Week celebrates the profession of architecture and invites everyone—especially K-12 students—to explore architecture and design. Join AIA National for virtual read-aloud sessions.
Living Future 2026
April 14-17
Living Future 2026 convenes architects and design leaders advancing regenerative, climate-responsive practice shaping the future of the built environment.
AIA Seattle members receive $200 off registration. Please email Claire Needs for the discount code.
LU|HSW offered, credits vary by session
In the Community
Regenerative Design Masterclass
Classes begin Monday, February 2
Presented by GBES, discover how regenerative design surpasses traditional sustainability practices, enabling you to develop resilient, self-sustaining projects in harmony with the natural world. This course is perfect for architects, designers, and sustainability professionals looking to lead the way in innovative, impactful design.
15 LU|HSW + LEED CE
Engineered Living Materials for the Built Environment
Lecture on February 11, exhibit runs from February 2-March 6
UW’s College of Built Environments presents an interdisciplinary exhibit and lecture exploring how 3D printing with genetically engineered microbes could hold the key to new innovations in materials and architecture.
Women of Carbon
Thursday, February 12 | 7:30-9:30pm
Join Northwest EcoBuilding Guild and Passive House Northwest for an inspiring evening of film and discussion with local innovative women who are redefining our relationship with carbon.
Meet the Artist Behind the Waterfront’s ‘Guests’
Thursday, February 12 | 6:30pm at the Seattle Art Museum
Join the Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects, and Sound Transit for a free public lecture with artist Ann Hamilton. Hamilton will discuss her publicly sited artwork “Guests,” the evolution of the project and how public art can animate urban space and foster community engagement.
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training
February 14 | 1-5:30 EST or On-Demand
A virtual training program for those seeking to become a LEED Green Associate. AIA Seattle members qualify for $100 discount, please email Claire Needs for the discount code.
Architecture in the Age of AI
Wednesday, February 25 | 6-7:30pm
Join UW CBE at Gould Hall to learn about current applications of AI in architecture, emerging opportunities, and key questions around ethics, creativity, and how graduates entering the profession can respond.
2026 AIA National Photography Competition
Submit by Wednesday, April 15
Entries now open for AIA St. Louis’s national photography competition, founded to capture the talents of architects, design professionals, and architectural students.
Watch “Dark and Tender”
Shot on Whidbey Island and The Big Island of Hawai’i, short films by The Chronically UnderTouched (CUT). Project available to stream or screen.
Night Chapel
An installation made from CLT by Michael Bennett / Studio Kër, on-view at the Northwest African American Museum. Read more in The Seattle Times article.
