Colorado Architecture News | 06.18.25
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 06.18.25
In this Newsletter:
- Design + Honor Awards submission window closes this Friday
- Legislative session recap: Part 2
- Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Announces Jury
- Member Perspectives: AIA25 Recap
- True Nature Healing Arts Kiva tour
- June 18 Business of Architecture: Employees to Owners & Transition to Leadership
- June 19 Committee on the Environment Session 4
- Partner news
- National news
- Premier Partner spotlight: KL&A
AIA COLORADO NEWS
2 Days left to submit!
Submissions for the 2025 AIA Colorado Design and Honor Awards close Friday, June 20, at 5pm. Whether you’re submitting a project or nominating a peer, now is the time to finish your submission so the jury can review your great work. Submit today and help us honor the people and projects driving our profession forward.
Don’t miss your chance to be recognized! Start your submission here
2025 Legislative Session Summary • Part 2 now available
2025 was a busy year at the State Capitol for AIA Colorado. Despite a significant state budget shortfall, we tracked more legislation than usual affecting the architecture profession. We identified 26 bills of interest to our members and took positions on 12 of them. We’re proud to report that every bill AIA Colorado supported passed, and every bill we opposed failed.
In Part 1, we took a deep dive into the most impactful bills related to housing and sustainability/resiliency. In Part 2, we cover professional liability, building codes, project funding, and legislation affecting the construction trades.
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Announces Jury
The City of Denver, AIA Colorado, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, have launched an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. Submissions will be reviewed and selected based on creatively addressing design excellence, sustainability, demonstrating how affordability and design can coexist. We’re pleased to announce the competition’s jury:
- Lucy Begg, AIA, Thoughtbarn, Austin, TX
- Troy Fosler, AIA, Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Santa Monica, CA
- Dean Maltz, AIA, Shigeru Ban Architects, New York City
- Katie Swenson, Assoc. AIA, MASS Design Group
- Julien De Smedt, JDS Architects, Denmark
- Andrew Maynard, Austin Maynard Architects, Australia
- Rozana Montiel, Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura, Mexico
- Kendra Garrett, City and County of Denver
- Caeli Hill, City and County of Denver
- Gosia Kung, Denver Housing Authority
- Brenna Maloney, Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency, City and County of Denver
- Susan Powers, Urban Ventures, LLC, Denver
Meet the jury here.
Member Perspectives: AIA25 Recap
Last week, AIA Colorado members traveled to Boston for AIA25 and we asked them to share a few reflections from their experience. From inspiring keynotes to conversations with peers across the country, here’s what stood out to members Scott Rodwin, AIA, Kaylyn Kirby, AIA, Andy Nielson, FAIA, Sarah Broughton, FAIA, Nikolaus Remus, AIA, Marisol Gallagher, AIA, and David Beal, AIA. Read it here.
Last week, members in the West enjoyed a tour led by West Director Andi Kober, AIA, Land+Shelter, of True Nature Healing Arts Kiva, a 2024 AIA Colorado Design Award recipient.
AIA Colorado Events
June 18 • Business of Architecture: Employees to Owners & Transition to Leadership
Wednesday, June 18th, join AIA Colorado’s Business of Architecture Committee for a roundtable discussion. This is a hybrid event, taking place in person in Denver and via Teams. There will be two parts to the discussion with part one’s topic including discussion about employees to owners and the second part a discussion about the transition to leadership. More information and RSVP here.
June 19 • Committee on the Environment: Beyond the Surface: Vetting Materials for Health, Carbon, and Impact
Thursday, June 19th, at Noon, join AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment for virtual, educational session on sustainable design and construction, featuring Green Badgers Founder & CEO Tommy Linstroth. Additionally, we’ll review selection criteria and resources, industry trends, occupant health, and Material Pledge guidelines. More information and RSVP here.
Member News
The Western Mountain Region College of Fellows (WMR COF) published its 2025 Awards Issue. Learn about the regions’ newest Fellows—including our own Elizabeth Hallas, FAIA, and Thomas Walsh, FAIA—and view the recipients of the WMR COF’s awards. The issue also spotlights AIA Colorado’s 2024 Architect of the Year AdamWagoner, AIA, and Creating the Regenerative School, the new book by Alan Ford, FAIA. See the Awards issue here.
Fentress Architects acquired by Populous. Read about the acquisition here.
Modern in Denver’s new Summer issue highlights several AIA member projects and stories, notably:
Renee del Gaudio’s gas-free residential project above Boulder’s Betasso Preserve.
A West Highlands home designed by Fuse Studio and Davis Urban architects.
Step inside Tomecek Studio’s new live/work space as they celebrate their 20-year firm anniversary.
Partner News
Passive House Synergy: Certifier, Engineer, Architect, Consultant in Convo
Learn how teams across Colorado are collaborating on high performance design in diverse climate zones. Panelists include:
- Marisol Sanchez Gallagher, AIA, Owner at Marisol Studios
- Steven Forrester, Principal at DMA Engineering
- Enrico Bonilauri, Co-Founder + Chief Product Officer, Passive House Certifier
- Amanda Poindexter, Full Circle Construction Services, Owner
More info and RSVP here.
Career Corner
The AIA Colorado Job Board is updated daily. Job hunting? Take a peek to discover new opportunities. Hiring? Post your single job for 30 days. Connect with qualified candidates. Here are a few featured job openings:
NEWS AT NATIONAL
AIA Trust Launches New Climate Risk Factsheet to Help Architects Design Responsibly—and Protect Their Practice
New tool provides site-specific, climate projections for hazards such as wildfire, flooding, windstorm, and extreme heat—allowing architects to better inform resilient design strategies and document their professional standard of care. View and order Climate Factsheet here.
Soft Business Conditions Persist at Architecture Firms
The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) remained in negative territory in May with a score of 47.2, up from 43.2 in April. Any score below 50 indicates a billings decline, although this month’s score indicates that somewhat fewer firms reported a decline in billings in May than in April. Read at AIA.
2025 Annual Business Meeting addresses AI usage in architecture, Fellowship qualifications
Delegates passed three bylaws amendments and one resolution at the annual meeting. Read at AIA.
Three new leaders elected to AIA Board of Directors.
AIA delegates elected:
- Yiselle Santos Rivera, AIA, 2026 President-elect/2027 President
- Jason Takeuchi, AIA, as 2026 – 2028 At-Large Director
- Lisa L. Kennedy, FAIA, as 2026–2027 Treasurer
Meet the new delegates at AIA.
Pete Buttigieg calls on architects to lead at a “delicate time” for America
At AIA25, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation joined AIA President Evelyn Lee for a conversation on the vital local role architects play in rebuilding trust and community. Read at AIA.
Allie K. Miller inspires architects to lead in the AI age at AIA25
AI expert Allie K. Miller shared how architects can amplify creativity, boost productivity, and shape a more agile, human-centered future with AI. Read at AIA.
Dami Lee encouraged architects to harness the power of storytelling at AIA25
The architect and YouTube creator demonstrated the value of narrative and emotional connection. Read at AIA.
“Design Is Protest”: Bryan C. Lee Jr. Calls on Architects to Dismantle Oppression, Not Just Design Around It
At AIA25, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award honoree delivers a powerful call for design justice—urging architects to move from passive participation to radical intervention. Read at Architect Magazine.
AIA Awards 2025 Winners Announced in 11 Project Categories
- AIA/ALA Library Building Awards: AIA is proud to partner with the American Library Association to honor the best in library architecture and design. See the winners here.
- Architecture Awards: Honoring the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or type. See the winners here.
- COTE Top Ten Awards: The industry’s best-known award for sustainable design excellence.
- Design for Aging Review Awards: Honoring innovative design solutions to improve the quality of life for older adults.
- Education Facility Design Awards: Celebrating state-of-the-art learning environments, including early childhood, K-12, alternative, higher education, and non-traditional environments.
- Healthcare Design Awards: Recognizing the most innovative, functional, and sustainable projects in healthcare and design.
- Housing Awards: Honoring the best home design that showcases how beauty, safety, sustainability, and comfort come together.
- Interior Architecture Awards: Celebrating the most innovative and spectacular interior spaces across a range of projects.
- Justice Facilities Review Awards: Recognizing the best in design for justice architecture.
- Regional & Urban Design Awards: Honoring the best in urban design, regional and city planning, and community development.
- Small Project Awards: Recognizing the value and design excellence that architects provide regardless of size and budget.
For more information on the 2025 AIA Awards and to view the winning projects, visit AIA Awards.
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, KL&A, and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
KL&A is a firm built around the idea that structural engineers should return to a master builder role by taking ownership of structural systems. A collaborative approach and project centric behaviors are our differentiators, facilitating a more engaging design and construction process. Their philosophy of personal responsibility has generated a corporate culture of problem solving and innovation. They are engineers first and foremost, which they leverage on their steel detailing and steel construction projects. hey also take great pride in sustainability efforts, utilizing mass timber to minimize embodied carbon in our structures, and providing Life Cycle Assessments on our committed projects.
Looking for Additional Resources?
Allied Members are better known as trusted industry colleagues and members of AIA Colorado—they’re the interior designers, the kitchen specialists, the engineering partners, and more who make up our AEC community in Colorado.
View AIA Colorado’s Allied Member Directory.
Helpful Links:
AIA Colorado Firm Directory
- Add your firm to the directory here.
Save the Dates:
- 2025 Design + Honor Awards
- Submission window opens Wednesday, April 30th, and closes Friday, June 20th, at 5pm.
- Celebration Event: September 18th, at Tivoli Turnhalle in Denver, CO.
- Sponsorship
- 2025 AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference
- May 21: Expo Hall Opens
- July 1 – July 31: Call for Presentations
- November 12-14, 2025 at Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO.
- Sponsorship
2025 Legislative Session Summary • Part 2
2025 AIA Colorado Legislative Session Summary
Part 2
2025 was a busy year at the State Capitol for AIA Colorado. Despite a significant state budget shortfall, we tracked more legislation than usual affecting the architecture profession. We identified 26 bills of interest to our members and took positions on 12 of them, listed below.
We’re proud to report that every bill AIA Colorado supported passed, and every bill we opposed failed.
This summary will be published in two parts:
- In Part 1, we took a deep dive into the most impactful bills related to housing and sustainability/resiliency.
- In Part 2, we cover professional liability, building codes, project funding, and legislation affecting the construction trades.
Top AIA Colorado Liability Bills
SB25-157: Deceptive Trade Practice Significant Impact Standard
Bill status: Failed in Senate
AIA Colorado position: Oppose
Summary
Colorado’s consumer protection statute includes dozens of individual sections in addition to its general provisions. As a result, it’s difficult to make sweeping changes, even when they mean well, without unintended consequences. This bill could have made it easier to make a deceptive trade practice claim alongside a construction defect claim, which could open up defendants to trebel damages. A scary prospect given the dollar amounts that may be necessary to correct an issue. This situation is very different than the scale of harm for a typical consumer protection lawsuit. Appropriate damages that can be awarded exist in this act and bills targeting other sections of statute shouldn’t take precedence. Architects were one of many interest groups affected that believed this bill was too broad in its attempt to increase consumer protections and the bill failed on the senate floor.
Impact
AIA Colorado opposed this bill because consumer protection claims shouldn’t be used as a vehicle to increase judgements for construction defect lawsuits. Some trial lawyers already try to tack on consumer protection claims as a scare tactic and this bill would make this more common despite such claims not having merit. The existing Construction Defect Action Reform Act (CDARA), while not perfect, is a comprehensive statute design specifically for lawsuits against architects and other construction professionals.
SB25-185: Claims Against Construction Professionals
Bill status: Failed in House
AIA Colorado position: Oppose
Summary
Never has a bill so concise had so many negative implications for the architecture profession. SB25-185 simply stated that “Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a construction professional owes an independent tort duty to an original residential home purchaser and a subsequent residential home purchaser“. This single sentence would have effectively removed our ability to negotiate liability-related provisions in contracts with other construction professionals.
When a homeowner suffers from a construction defect and pursues a lawsuit to correct the issue, the Economic Loss Doctrine dictates that the proper course of action is to file a contract claim against the seller of the home. This doctrine is intended to guide parties in disputes with purely monetary losses (such as paying to have a defect corrected). Terms in the sales contract are relevant to how liability issues are handled. The world of construction is a complex web of contracts, so there may be multiple suits filed down the contract line depending on what party is at fault. A homeowner could sue a homebuilder, who would then sue an architect to be made whole if the architect was at fault and was hired by the homebuilder.
To the benefit of homeowners in general, courts have ruled that subsequent buyers, who only had a contract with the original homeowner, don’t have to file contract claims. They can file tort claims against construction professionals directly since suing the previous homeowner is an overly burdensome means to get to the party who caused the defect. We’ve been operating under this guidance for decades in Colorado.
This bill would have allowed original homeowners to sue anyone directly with a tort claim.
This effort specifically tried to reverse a recent court case decision (Appleby vs Dossey Sudik) where a structural engineer limited their liability to an agreed-upon dollar amount with the architect, who was under contract with a general contractor on a for-sale residential project. The original homeowners had a structural defect and tried to sue the structural engineer directly via tort claim because a contract claim would not have covered the repair costs. However, the courts (up to the Colorado Supreme Court) all agreed that the homeowners could only file contract claims, starting with the seller of their home.
While that might sound unfair to homeowners at first pass, the intent of contract liability provisions is that both parties agree to them. If one side reduces their liability risk, then the other side opts in to taking on that liability themselves. This isn’t always about dollar amounts. Dispute resolution processes (arbitration and mediation) are also common contract clauses that this bill would have undermined. Architects are hired long before a housing unit goes to market. We’re not privy to the terms of a final sales agreement to the homeowner. As such, we can only properly negotiate contracts with the clients who hire us. We rely on contract claims to provide guardrails on who can sue who and when it’s appropriate to do so.We believe that courts ruled correctly in favor of requiring contract claims in construction defect lawsuits so that negotiated liability-related provisions are respected by all parties and taken into consideration in court proceedings.
Impact
It took a lot of work to explain how bad this bill was to legislators given how little detail there was in the bill text itself. Thankfully, we were ultimately successful in defeating it despite the bill having bipartisan support. If it had passed, architects and professional engineers (who were great allies in our lobbying effort!) would have had more lawsuit exposure in for-sale residential projects resulting in greater insurance costs and risk. This would drive firms out of this market and/or raise costs to cover the new risk.
HB25-1261: Consumers Construction Defect Action
Bill status: Pulled by sponsor in House committee hearing
AIA Colorado position: Oppose
Summary
This bill is a long list of changes intended to benefit homeowners who file construction defect lawsuits against construction professionals, many of which are similar or returning provisions from last year’s failed HB24-1230. AIA Colorado opposed this bill not just because every section was bad for architects, but also because of the heavy-handed approach taken that would have raised costs for architects with no litigation history. The most significant changes included:
- Changing the statute of repose for filing lawsuits against construction professionals from 6 years to 10.
- Letting homeowners wait until they know the cause of a defect before informing construction professionals of an issue. Unlike current law that requires disclosures upon the manifestation of a potential defect, this makes it impossible for well-meaning construction professionals to offer to correct an issue or even try to determine if they do or do not have any culpability.
- Awarding prejudgment interest on a successful claim against a construction professional at 6% from the date the defective work was finished on top of damages resulting from the defect. Professional liability insurance won’t cover this interest.
Impact
In Colorado, there are already no real penalties against lawyers who threaten every construction professional involved in a project with a lawsuit. This bill only would have made this practice more egregious. Additionally, prejudgment interest would result in a strong disincentive for a defendant to argue their case in court because judgements will automatically be higher, and the longer a case takes to resolve (which we have no control over, the higher the interest total would be.
While there’s potentially room for improvement for homeowners trying to deal with a construction defect, solutions need to respect construction professionals’ right to plead our defense in court without additional penalties for doing so. Solutions also need to be careful they don’t raise insurance or out-of-pocket costs for all architects who do residential projects even when we’re not the party at fault in most construction defect cases.
Top AIA Colorado Building Codes Bills
HB25-1093: Limitations on Local Anti-Growth Land Use Policies
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Colorado generally defers to local jurisdictions on policies related to housing growth. While logistical considerations still vary by locality, this bill prohibits local governments from enacting growth restrictions through simple limits on building or development permits. Previous implementations of such policies are forms of NIMBYism, are effectively discriminatory, and can cause significant issues—especially in clusters of cities where these limits are applied inconsistently at the regional level.
HB25-1030: Accessibility Standards in Building Codes
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Amend/Support
Summary
As a home rule state, building codes are adopted and enforced at the local level. However, there is precedent for energy codes that require local jurisdictions to adopt certain versions of a code when they do any code update cycle. This makes it easier to promote adoption of newer codes even if a local jurisdiction can decide on their own schedule.
This bill promotes adoption of newer accessibility code provisions in the same way as existing energy adoption requirements. The primary difference is that this bill focuses on chapter 11 of the IBC instead of an entire publication. Either of the two most recent versions of this IBC chapter are allowed to be adopted. AIA Colorado successfully proposed a number of friendly amendments to this bill to offer clarity on how this process would work.
Impact
Even if a local jurisdiction does not want to be on the newest version of the IBC, this bill ensures better accessibility for building occupants, even if it’s slightly more complicated for architects to mix and match versions of the same code. Because the baseline in this bill is to use the 2021 IBC version, smaller rural communities are the most likely not to already be in compliance. An added benefit for architects is that a local jurisdiction may decide it’s easier to simply adopt an IBC version that meets this bill’s requirements. This could get more of the state on more modern codes.
SB25-002: Regional Building Codes for Factory-Built Structures
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Amend/Support
Summary
Factory-built structures and building components are being promoted in Colorado to lower construction costs and therefore housing prices in particular. To facilitate broader adoption and investment of this construction practice, the state wants to simplify the application of building codes and inspections when construction occurs in a different jurisdiction (or state) than where the project site is located.
This bill empowers the state to determine standard off-site inspection practices and create regions with a unified set of building codes that must be designed and built to for off-site construction. AIA Colorado, amongst many other stakeholders, noted that as introduced, the bill didn’t have clear language to ensure the strictest code provisions in a region would apply in this context. With four climate regions in the state and significant variance in other site conditions such as wind loads, it’s important to ensure appropriate safety and building performance code provisions govern any given project.
Impact
With broader adoption of off-site construction, this bill will help architects, contractors, an local building departments navigate otherwise overlapping or conflicting building code requirements in projects that where construction occurs wholly or partially outside the local project site.
Other Building Codes Bills of Interest
SB25-039: Agricultural Buildings Exempt from Energy Use Requirements
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Under current law, owners of certain large buildings are required to annually collect and report each covered building’s energy use to the Colorado energy office. This bill clarifies that agricultural buildings were never intended to be included in the state’s Building Performance Standards program for benchmarking and annual energy use limitations.
Top AIA Colorado Project Funding Bills
HB25-1061: Community Schoolyards Grant Program
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
This bill creates a grant program that can support planning, design, or construction grants for schoolyard projects that benefit and are accessible to the broader community beyond use by students during school hours. Suggested uses include natural landscapes or playgrounds, recreational spaces, sustainability/resilience projects, and hands-on learning spaces in underserved and underfunded schools and communities.
Impact
This community schoolyard grant fund has limited money available given Colorado’s budget challenges this year but can still make school outdoor space projects viable that might not otherwise have funding. Architects doing school projects are urged to speak with their clients to determine if part of the project scope may be qualified for this type of grant.
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
This bill creates a program, with a board led by the state treasurer and including the state architect, to provide financing to eligible projects. These include various infrastructure and affordable/accessible housing projects. This program is funded using state treasury money as collateral for more favorable rates than other project funding sources. Given the unique nature of this funding, projects have to be individually evaluated and subject to available money.
Impact
Given the substantial 2025 state budget deficit, legislators tried many different creative ways to find money not available in the general fund this year. This bill focuses on making certain capital construction projects a reality that are ready to begin but where supplemental funding is necessary for related infrastructure work.
Other Project Funding Bills of Interest:
HB25-1245: Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning Improvement Projects in Schools
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Schools that accept funding from the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act cash fund” for HVAC improvements must now meet certain performance, quality, and contractor qualification standards for the project.
SB25-006: Investment Authority of State Treasurer for Affordable Housing
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
The state treasurer may invest up to $50 million of state money in bonds with below-market interest rates if the proceeds are used for the creation or financing of new affordable, income-restricted for-sale housing that otherwise would not be made available.
Top AIA Colorado Construction Trades Bills
AIA Colorado is a member of Building Jobs 4 Colorado (BJ4C), a coalition of construction trade groups that work with industry stakeholders to preserve and build construction and design jobs in Colorado. There are numerous bills each year that BJ4C takes positions on in addition to our own efforts.
HB25-1286: Protecting Workers from Extreme Temperatures
Bill status: Failed in House committee hearing
AIA Colorado position: BJ4C coalition opposed
Summary
Climate change is resulting in more common extreme temperature days in Colorado. There is no worker protection consistency across industries with outdoor workers and this bill would have given protection to works for both heat- and cold-related temperatures. Protection would have included risk mitigation measures, rest break details, and injury/illness prevention plans. The construction industry was generally opposed to this bill as there are already robust measures in place in accordance with national OSHA requirements.
Impact
If this bill would have passed, it could have significantly reduced productivity on construction sites during the hottest and coldest parts of the year. Opponents successfully argued that the proposed protections would have gone well beyond what is required to protect worker safety. As temperatures continue to rise however, this issue isn’t going away. For the construction industry though, there are numerous examples of extreme weather procedures already in place in many southern states that we can emulate.
HB25-1300: Workers’ Compensation Benefits Proof of Entitlement
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: BJ4C coalition opposed
Summary
This bill makes a significant change to Colorado’s existing worker’s compensation benefits act by allowing injured workers to see their own physicians. Previously, employers were allowed to only approve a limited number of physicians that could be seen as part of a worker’s comp claim except in emergencies.
Impact
Opponents claimed that it benefits workers to see a physician who has experience both with workplace injuries and navigating typical billing procedures for worker’s comp claims that are typically the responsibility of an employer. There is also fear that less experienced physicians will keep workers from returning to their jobs longer out of an abundance of caution. It remains to be seen if these concerns prove true and if there will be impacts to construction costs or schedules.
Other Construction Trades Bills of Interest
HB25-1001: Enforcement Wage Hour Laws
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
After last year’s attempt at addressing wage theft was vetoed, proponents for reform came back with a more narrowly focused bill. Protections for workers have been strengthened, but there is an orderly process in determining the parties responsible for making workers whole. This is important in construction with multiple layers of contracts between various parties. We will hopefully see fewer wage theft issues on projects that could result in cost overruns or slowdowns.
SB25-005: Worker Protection Collective Bargaining
Bill status: Vetoed by Governor
Overview
Colorado is unique in requiring two elections to form a union and this bill would have removed the second election. It would have likely resulted in more union construction labor in the state. Proponents may this bill back either next year if a compromise can be identified or in 2027 when Colorado has a new governor that may be more union-friendly.
Member Perspectives: AIA25 Recap
Last week, several AIA Colorado members traveled to Boston for AIA25–the national conference of the American Institute of Architects. We asked them to share a few reflections from their experience. From inspiring keynotes to conversations with peers across the country, here’s what stood out to our members.
Scott Rodwin, AIA, AIA Colorado President, Principle, Rodwin Architecture
“My favorite thing about going to AIA conferences is the unexpected new friends that I make. At the AIA gala, I sat next to a Fellow who had successfully nominated this year’s–and last year‘s–national Firm of the Year. She knew everybody. We traded war stories, curiosities, and observations all night, and I came away with a friend after just a few hours.
I also had a wonderful time reconnecting with old friends from AIA Colorado, going out to dinner and deepening those friendships.
My two favorite sessions were the CRAN talk (Custom Residential Architects Network), and Pete Buttigieg’s keynote. Both were inspiring.
Oh, and going to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play was a special treat!
Lastly, being Colorado’s delegate this year, interviewing, and then voting for our new president-elect, treasurer, and board member at large was a wonderfully educational process and gave me great confidence that members are doing their best to responsibly steward the organization and keep it serving the members as effectively as possible.”
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA, CEO, AIA Colorado and Scott Rodwin, AIA, President, AIA Colorado attended a Red Sox game at historic Fenway Park.
Kaylyn Kirby, AIA, Young Architects Forum Representative, Associate Principal, Semple Brown
“Boston – AIA2025 – over 100,000 steps, lobster mac, old and new friends, inspiring keynotes (go Pete!), and puppies – my first national conference was an overwhelming success. I returned home exhausted, but with my cup full, reminded why I volunteer with the AIA, why I show up, and what we’re all working toward.
Throughout the week, I had serendipitous reunions with old classmates and colleagues from my architectural circles in Colorado, Minnesota, and Louisiana. I also connected with fellow Young Architects Forum (YAF) representatives from across the country—both current members and alumni. These spontaneous moments reaffirmed a central truth: this organization is powered by people, and the relationships we build here stretch across miles and endure for a lifetime.
One memorable moment was attending the Annual Business Meeting and candidate caucus alongside AIA Colorado President Scott Rodwin, AIA. I was deeply impressed by the tenacity and thoughtfulness of our membership. Delegates from all over the country posed insightful, challenging questions to board candidates, offering a powerful glimpse into their values and visions for AIA’s future. Another standout moment was the conversation between AIA President Evelyn Lee, FAIA, and Secretary Pete Buttigieg—a compelling reminder of the unique role architects play in shaping our world for the better.
I closed out the conference with an event I helped organize as part of the YAF Strategic Vision Focus Group: Young Architects Forum: Bridging Generations. Held over 30 years following YAF’s founding at AIA National, the session brought together attendees from every stage of career—from students to Fellows. We engaged in thoughtful dialogue around mentorship, career development, wellness, burnout, and the evolving future of architecture. What began over 30 years ago as a small gathering of emerging architects has now grown into a 60+ member committee representing young professionals across the U.S. and internationally. It was an honor to be part of continuing that legacy.
Now back home in Denver, I’m holding tight to the energy and momentum sparked by this incredible week—and feeling cautiously optimistic about all that the rest of 2025 has in store.”
John Glenn, AIA, AIA Colorado Secretary, Associate, Davis Partnership Architects, participating in Young Architects Forum: Bridging Generations event.
Andy Nielson, FAIA, Principal, Anderson Mason Dale
“What better way to close out the conference than with a Friday evening boat tour of Boston Harbor led by a group of really smart landscape architects? Although a little chilly by the end, it was a beautiful evening and a great perspective on Boston, its diverse neighborhoods, its history, and how the community is shaping a resilient future for its waterfront confronted by the challenges of climate change. Thanks AIA!”
Sarah Broughton, FAIA, Founding Principal, Rowland + Broughton
Boston was amazing! The venue was well laid out, great food and beverage and the surrounding Seaport neighborhood is very inspiring. Boston hosted many great tours, many walking straight from the conference center. I was very impressed on a tour of an adjacent part of Seaport, hearing from the developer and the architects and landscape architect how the multi-block design was knitted into existing context and even built over highway on ramps. They are building 6′ above current water like to adapt to rising sea levels.
Evelyn Lee, FAIA, gave an amazing speech on Friday morning reminding us when AIA began at a time of great uncertainty and natural disasters. Through optimism and leadership of our founders, AIA remains a constant champion and backbone to our profession. Built through advocacy and participation. Get involved, stay involved and help shape our future.
Finally, it was an honor for John and me to be included in a book signing of our recently published monograph, Designing Aspen, at the AIA Bookstore. We were with great company and we are so appreciative of the support!
Nikolaus Remus, AIA, Advocacy Engagement Director, AIA Colorado
Resilience was one of the key topics at AIA25 in Boston and members of the AIA National Resilience and Disaster Response (RADR) committee embraced this opportunity to attend and lead multiple breakout sessions in addition to an open forum event hosted by myself, co-chair Sammy Shams, and chair-elect Alan Scott to talk about the work the RADR committee has been doing.
At our open forum, we talked about our major 2025 committee efforts, which include updating AIAU’s resiliency-related offerings, creating a knowledge hub website to help AIA members quickly find useful resources for their practice, and building a list of members nationwide with post-disaster rebuild efforts who can quickly help local AIA components after a disaster to understand what architects can expect in the coming weeks, months, and years. Stephanie Lamore with AIA National spoke about our ongoing efforts to preserve federal funding, primarily for FEMA, to continue providing grant funding and post-disaster assistance.
Finally, I chatted with Julie Wormser, chief climate officer for the City of Cambridge, MA and Nasser Brahim, director of climate resilience with the Boston-area Mystic River Watershed Association. They offered great insight on how local communities identify key community resiliency projects and how to fund them. Both panelists have extensive experience with sea level rise effects in particular, but their knowledge is broadly applicable to any community faced with prioritizing local resilience efforts. We all walked away inspired on how to maintain a positive attitude and look for opportunities to improve our communities instead of dwelling on policy changes we can’t control.
Marisol Gallagher, AIA, Marisol Studios
I landed in Boston just in time for a dinner hosted by the TAP + COTE symposium sponsors, Autodesk and Forma—and it couldn’t have been a better way to kick off the week. The conversation was rich with insight, diving into how technology is (and isn’t yet) being fully integrated into design workflows, especially in small and medium firms. It set the tone for a conference centered on collaboration, innovation, and the future of our profession.
From there, AIA25 unfolded into an energizing experience surrounded by peers, mentors, and visionaries—all committed to advancing the impact of architecture. A particular highlight for me was the launch of the AIA Business Academy, a first-of-its-kind professional development series designed for firm leaders who are ready to work on their business, not just in it.
The inaugural session—“Designing Your Firm’s Strategic Blueprint”—offered a deep dive into building the kind of business foundations we’re rarely taught in design school: articulating a clear value proposition, leveraging relationships for competitive advantage, and aligning strategy with execution. With a mix of real-world frameworks, group discussions, and hands-on collaboration, it was a powerful start to a seven-month journey focused on clarity, growth, and long-term impact.
I was especially excited to reconnect with a familiar face—Dana Ellis, AIA—and to meet Kevin Stockton, AIA, both fellow Colorado architects participating in the Academy. Colorado ended up being the most represented state in the cohort, which made the experience feel even more connected and collaborative.
I also had the honor of speaking on a panel during the TAP + COTE Symposium: “Implementation Strategies for Small and Medium Firms”, alongside Barry Yoakum, FAIA, Hafsa Burt, AIA, and Paul Doherty, moderated by Vickie Patel. What began as a structured Q&A quickly evolved into a lively, open discussion—touching on everything from the role of design technologies in high performance design and embedding environmental performance across firm portfolios.
The Business Academy blends online and in-person sessions for a sustainable pace, and I appreciate that the workload is manageable for practicing leaders. It’s already offering insights that are directly shaping how I think about leading Marisol Studios with intention.
This experience marks the beginning of an exciting chapter—not just for me, but for my new firm and the broader community of architects stepping more fully into strategic leadership. I’m grateful to be part of it.
David Beal, AIA, David A. Beal & Associates, LLC
“Pete Buttigieg’s keynote was the most memorable speaker at AIA25 and I really enjoyed what he shared.
Something new that I learned is that AI is way ahead of what I understood. I got some valuable feedback from some Colorado Architects at my seminars that have introduced AI into their day-to-day.”
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge Announces Jury
JURY ANNOUNCEMENT
Architects Worldwide Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver’s Design Challenge
International architecture ideas competition explores how affordability and design excellence can be harmonized to create innovative, high-quality housing solutions tailored to Denver’s specific context.
June 16, 2025 (DENVER) — The City of Denver, The Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Buildner, a leading global design competition platform, have launched an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. The competition anticipates over one hundred entries to be submitted by a local and global audience of architects engaged in addressing affordable housing, providing Denver with a platform of ideas to consider as the region addresses future affordable housing needs.
Through a jury of respected architects, City of Denver representatives and Councilmembers, and affordable housing developers, submissions will be reviewed and selected based on creatively addressing design excellence, sustainability, demonstrating how affordability and design can coexist.
MEET THE JURY
Lucy Begg, AIA
Thoughtbarn
Austin, TX
Troy Fosler, AIA
Koning Eizenberg Architecture
Santa Monica, CA
Dean Maltz, AIA
Shigeru Ban Architects
New York City
Katie Swenson, Assoc. AIA
MASS Design Group
Boston
Julien De Smedt
JDS Architects
Denmark
Rozana Montiel
Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura
Mexico
Andrew Maynard
Austin Maynard Architects
Australia
Kendra Garrett
City and County of Denver
Caeli Hill
City and County of Denver
Gosia Kung
Denver Housing Authority
Susan Powers
Urban Ventures, LLC
Denver
The competition began April 9th with early bird registration and closes September 11th. Winners will be announced December 10that a media event open to the public, in Denver, the first week of December.
Competition link: architecturecompetitions.com/denverhousing
Building Community
Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD) is responsible for visionary city planning and ensuring safe, responsible, sustainable building. CPD regulates planning, zoning, development and maintenance of private property in Denver. We’re working hard to make Denver a great place to live, work and play!
DenverGov.org/CPD
About AIA Colorado
AIA Colorado is a membership association working to advance the architecture profession in Colorado. Through advocacy, leadership development, education, and resources, the organization supports architecture professionals throughout the state in designing a better world. Our 2,500 members include architects, those working toward licensure, and allied industry professionals.
aiacolorado.org
Interviewees available upon request
AIA Colorado Media Contact:
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA
CEO, AIA Colorado
303.228.3915
mike@aiacolorado.org
City and County of Denver Media Contact:
Ryan Huff
Communications Director
Community Planning and Development
City and County of Denver
720.913.1608
ryan.huff@denvergov.org
Colorado Architecture News | 06.04.25
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 06.04.25
In this Newsletter:
- Legislative session recap: Part 1
- New Emerging Professionals and Young Architects (EP/YA) Leadership Council
- CKLDP Spring Recap
- Academy of Architecture for Health National and Local Updates
- Design + Honor Awards submission window closes June 20
- Practice + Design Conference sponsorship and Expo Hall now open
- Ice Core Facility tour
- June 5 Colorado Night at AIA25
- June 10 West Virtual Connect: Affordable Housing
- June 11 AWARDED: True Nature Healing Arts Kiva
- June 18 Business of Architecture: Employees to Owners & Transition to Leadership
- June 19 Committee on the Environment Session 4
- Partner news
- National news
- Premier Partner spotlight: KL&A
AIA COLORADO NEWS
2025 Legislative session recap: Part 1
2025 was a busy year at the State Capitol for AIA Colorado. Despite a significant state budget shortfall, we tracked more legislation than usual affecting the architecture profession. We identified 26 bills of interest to our members and took positions on 11 of them. We’re proud to report that every bill AIA Colorado supported passed, and every bill we opposed failed.
The Legislative Summary will be published in two parts and in Part 1 we’re taking a deep dive into the most impactful bills related to housing and sustainability/resiliency. Read it here.
New AIA Colorado Emerging Professionals and Young Architects (EP/YA) Leadership Council
AIA Colorado is proud to support the next generation of architects through Emerging Professional (EP) and Young Architect (YA) programming, leadership development, and national representation. This Council has been created to better connect and coordinate these efforts, to serve as a central hub for EP/YA leaders across the state and national levels to collaborate, share resources, and shape strategic programming for Colorado’s architecture community.
The Leadership Council has been formed by:
- Colorado Young Architects Representative Kaylyn Kirby, AIA
- AIA Colorado Associate Director Anna Friedrich, AIA
- Colorado National Associates Committee Representative Mo Zaina, Assoc. AIA
- Christiopher Kelley Leadership Program Representative Chelsea Wade, AIA
- Ascend Mentorship Representative Lauren Falcon, AIA
- AIA Colorado Student Dania Morelli, AIAS
Visit the AIA Colorado EP/YA webpage to learn more about our key objectives, resources, and initial event schedule. Join us for a kickoff happy hour at Schoolyard Beer Garden in Denver July 24th to meet the council members, other EP/YA’s, network, and share your ideas on programming or resources that you would be interested.
CKLDP Spring Recap
AIA Colorado’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program (CKLDP)provides participants the opportunity to form a cohort with other emerging professionals in the field of architecture, developing their skills on several focused topics in the once-a-month sessions throughout the year. The program is well underway in its ninth year, with Opening Ceremony and Sessions 1, 2, and 3 having occurred, where participants engaged in knowledge sharing from industry experts, team building and collaborative activities, and overall improving upon their professional skills. Catch up with a summary and highlights of the events thus far here.
Academy of Architecture for Health National and Local Updates
Catch up with AIA Colorado’s Academy of Architecture for Health and hear from 2025 AAH National President, Southern Ellis, AIA, who provides an overview of AAH National organizational structure, goals, and opportunities for collaboration. Watch here.
Celebrating the exemplary work of Colorado architects
Don’t miss your chance to be recognized! Submissions for the 2025 AIA Colorado Design and Honor Awards close on June 20th at 5pm. Whether you’re submitting a project or nominating a peer, now is the time to shine a light on excellence. Submit today and help us honor the people and projects driving our profession forward.
Start your submission here
Conference Sponsorship and Expo Hall now open
Planning is well underway for this year’s Practice + Design Conference, happening November 12-14, at Keystone Conference Center.
Place your company and brand right in the middle of the action and take advantage of our sponsorship opportunities!
Do you know trusted industry colleagues who should be there? Our Expo Hall booths – which typically sell out – are now available to reserve!
Last week, members enjoyed the unique opportunity to tour the GSA National Science Foundation (NSF) Ice Core Facility. Led by OZ architecture, the group toured the existing aging facility and the construction progress of its replacement. Members bundled up before heading into the freezer to see ice core samples up close!
AIA Colorado Events
May 29 • GSA-National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility tour (re-scheduled)
Join the Denver Local Advisors Thursday, May 29th for a tour of a very unique property! Located within a large existing building on the Denver Federal Center campus, the GSA-National Science Foundation (NSF) Ice Core Facility supports the storage and climate-change research of some 30,000 ice cores from the Arctic and Antarctic. The design team from OZ Architecture will lead a tour of both the existing aging facility and the construction progress of its replacement. Tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. More information and RSVP here.
June 5 • Colorado Night at AIA25
Are you attending AIA25? If so, join us and connect with fellow AIA Colorado members and University of Colorado alumni during the AIA25. Light appetizers and drinks will be provided. Learn more and RSVP here.
June 10 • West Virtual Connect: Affordable Housing
Thursday, June 10th, at 8am, join AIA Colorado West Director Andi Korber, AIA, and connect virtually with Western Slope AIA members for a time of conversation. The topic will be affordable housing and how this issue is posing unique strains in mountain communities. There will be a brief presentation to get the conversation started, following by Q+A and discussion. RSVP here.
June 11 • AWARDED: True Nature Healing Arts Kiva
AWARDED is a series celebrating the standout achievements of AIA Colorado’s Design Award winners. This series invites you to explore the innovative spaces, visionary designs, and remarkable stories that set these projects apart.
June 11th, at 5pm, in Carbondale, tour this unique property, a cast in place board form concrete refuge anchoring an established public garden. The True Nature kiva includes a spiral ramp to a subterranean 100-person auditorium tucked away amidst an interactive garden of reflexology paths, labyrinths, and more. Join us to see modern architecture quietly centering an active, blossoming, communal space. This tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. RSVP here.
June 18 • Business of Architecture: Employees to Owners & Transition to Leadership
Wednesday, June 18th, join AIA Colorado’s Business of Architecture Committee for a roundtable discussion. This is a hybrid event, taking place in person in Denver and via Teams. There will be two parts to the discussion with part one’s topic including discussion about employees to owners and the second part a discussion about the transition to leadership. More information and RSVP here.
June 19 • Committee on the Environment: Beyond the Surface: Vetting Materials for Health, Carbon, and Impact
Thursday, June 19th, at Noon, join AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment for virtual, educational session on sustainable design and construction, featuring Green Badgers Founder & CEO Tommy Linstroth. Additionally, we’ll review selection criteria and resources, industry trends, occupant health, and Material Pledge guidelines. More information and RSVP here.
Member News
AIA Colorado North Director Huili Feng, AIA, co-founder of Tumu Studio, shares her story with Voyage Denver.
AIA Colorado President Scott Rodwin, AIA, is introduced in Voyage Denver’s “Hidden Gems: Meet Scott Rodwin of Rodwin Architecture.”
Partner News
Live from the Denver Botanic Gardens at the inaugural Alan Golin Gass lecture series presented by the Denver Architecture Foundation, Ron Radziner, FAIA, partner of Marmol Radziner, joins Adam Wagoner, AIA in this engaging episode of the ARCHITECT-ING to discuss the evolution of architecture, firm dynamics, and urban activism. Plus Ron opens up about his cultural activism through the Heavy Trash project, and the influence of figures like Alan Golin Gass and Clyfford Still. Watch this episode on YouTube and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, or wherever you get podcasts!
Career Corner
The AIA Colorado Job Board is updated daily. Job hunting? Take a peek to discover new opportunities. Hiring? Post your single job for 30 days. Connect with qualified candidates. Here are a few featured job openings:
NEWS AT NATIONAL
Young Architects Forum May newsletter
A newsletter from the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). Look out for important news, AIA updates, and ways to engage, no biggie. Find the newsletter here.
Attending AIA25? Attend the Young Architects Forum Events:
- Taking Care of Business • June 4, 9:30 – 11:30am
- YAF Meetup • June 6, 3 – 4pm
- Bridging Generations • June 7, 1 – 2:30pm
Join YAF on June 10th for an exciting webinar: Charting Your Own Career Path as a Young Architect. Learn more here.
National volunteer opportunities are available
Explore AIA volunteer opportunities—a great way to support the work and shape the future of the architecture profession, develop and grow leadership skills, and help advance AIA’s mission. AIA encourages participation from members who bring varied perspectives—across career stages, firm sizes, geographic regions, cultural backgrounds, and practice areas. We believe that diverse voices help ensure that our programs, policies, and initiatives reflect the evolving needs of the profession and the communities we serve. View the opportunities here and plan to complete the application before June 16th.
Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship
The Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship recognizes the significant contributions of emerging professionals at early stages in their careers and helps defray the costs associated with the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Developed by the AIA National Associates Committee, the scholarship honors the memory of late friend and colleague, Jason Pettigrew, Assoc. AIA. Scholarship recipients will receive funds to cover the cost of the ARE and study materials to prepare for testing, totaling $1,910.00. Applications will be accepted until July 7th. For more info and to apply, go here.
ByDesign in conversation with AIA President Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA
ByDesign Executive Producer Mike Chapman converses with with AIA National President, Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA, about the mindsets, values, and tools she finds helpful not only in her role as AIA President, but for architects in practice and life in general. Watch the special ByDesign segment here.
Call for Proposals: Women’s Leadership Summit 2025
Every year, WLS brings together the AEC industry’s largest network of women for a premier leadership training experience. AIA is seeking bold, insightful proposals for CE sessions that explore visionary leadership, professional growth, and transforming the future. Whether you lead projects, teams, or ideas—your story can spark the next wave of impact. Submission deadline has been extended to June 11th! Learn more and start your submission here.
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, KL&A, and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
KL&A is a firm built around the idea that structural engineers should return to a master builder role by taking ownership of structural systems. A collaborative approach and project centric behaviors are our differentiators, facilitating a more engaging design and construction process. Their philosophy of personal responsibility has generated a corporate culture of problem solving and innovation. They are engineers first and foremost, which they leverage on their steel detailing and steel construction projects. hey also take great pride in sustainability efforts, utilizing mass timber to minimize embodied carbon in our structures, and providing Life Cycle Assessments on our committed projects.
Looking for Additional Resources?
Allied Members are better known as trusted industry colleagues and members of AIA Colorado—they’re the interior designers, the kitchen specialists, the engineering partners, and more who make up our AEC community in Colorado.
View AIA Colorado’s Allied Member Directory.
Helpful Links:
AIA Colorado Firm Directory
- Add your firm to the directory here.
Save the Dates:
- 2025 Design + Honor Awards
- Submission window opens Wednesday, April 30th, and closes Friday, June 20th, at 5pm.
- Celebration Event: September 18th, at Tivoli Turnhalle in Denver, CO.
- Sponsorship
- 2025 AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference
- May 21: Expo Hall Opens
- July 1 – July 31: Call for Presentations
- November 12-14, 2025 at Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO.
- Sponsorship
2025 Legislative Session Summary • Part 1
2025 AIA Colorado Legislative Session Summary
Part 1
2025 was a busy year at the State Capitol for AIA Colorado. Despite a significant state budget shortfall, we tracked more legislation than usual affecting the architecture profession. We identified 26 bills of interest to our members and took positions on 12 of them, listed below.
We’re proud to report that every bill AIA Colorado supported passed, and every bill we opposed failed.
This summary will be published in two parts:
- In Part 1, we’ll take a deep dive into the most impactful bills related to housing and sustainability/resiliency.
- Part 2 covers professional liability, building codes, project funding, and legislation affecting the construction trades.
Top AIA Colorado Housing Bills
HB25-1272: Construction Defects & Middle Market Housing
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
Colorado condominium construction has been lagging behind demand for decades, primarily due to construction defect liability risks for all parties involved in these projects. The condo projects that have come to market tend to be at the luxury end, where costlier efforts to limit liability exposure can be absorbed into the selling price. Previous reform efforts have made modest gains in balancing the rights of homeowners and construction professionals, but they haven’t resulted in a meaningful increase in new projects.
HB25-1272 takes a new approach to the problem by creating an opt-in “Multifamily Construction Incentive Program” that developers, design professionals, and builders can join together. If all parties opt in, and a construction defect occurs, they receive enhanced protections and procedures to correct the issue before resorting to litigation. In exchange for these protections, stronger warranties must be offered to homeowners, and a more robust set of third-party inspections must be performed during construction—steps that should, in theory, reduce the occurrence of defects.
Architects and engineers, in particular, benefit from an improved “certificate of review” process conducted by a peer professional. Under current Colorado law, all regulated professions benefit from a certificate process in which a qualified third party must review the claim before a lawsuit can be filed. Unfortunately, the current standard is low (the claim must simply not be obviously fraudulent) and isn’t well-suited to complex issues like construction defects. For projects in this program, the third-party architect or engineer must be able to identify a negligent act or omission tied to the design work.
Impact
It will take time for this effort to bear fruit. Developers must choose to opt in and then bring the design team on board. General contractors bidding on a project must agree to the warranty and inspection requirements. It will be years before these projects reach the market—and years again before we know whether the program’s procedures successfully prevent lawsuits (though, ideally, defects will occur less frequently). If projects don’t opt in, the program framework may need to be revised. Still, we’re optimistic that this new program will result in more condo projects being developed in Colorado.
HB25-1273: Residential Building Stair Modernization
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
Getting a multifamily residential project to pencil out can be challenging on small or oddly shaped lots. A commonly identified barrier is the space taken up by two egress stairs and the double-loaded corridors that typically result. Designing floor plans around a single central stair creates much more efficient layouts and can also facilitate units with three or more bedrooms, which are otherwise uncommon. The obvious downside is that, in an emergency, a single exit is a single point of failure—and people’s lives are at risk. Still, multiple exits are only one of many safety strategies embedded in building codes, and in recent years, there has been a growing movement to explore how taller single-stair buildings can still be designed with safety in mind. Seattle, Washington, in particular, has for decades allowed six-story multifamily buildings with a single egress stair, compared to the three stories typically allowed by the International Building Code (IBC).
After a failed effort in 2024 and significant stakeholder outreach with fire marshals, fire chiefs, and firefighter unions, there is now an agreed-upon framework for additional safety measures that must be implemented to allow five-story single-stair residential buildings in Colorado. Of the 22 new requirements, most are applications of provisions already found in the building code. Examples include limiting these buildings to Type I, II, or IV construction; requiring full sprinkler coverage; and enforcing limited travel distances, among others. Additional requirements, such as unit count and area restrictions, are specific to this project type. Local fire departments must be consulted, as they must have an adequate aerial apparatus to reach the top story of these buildings from the exterior.
The bill requires all local jurisdictions in Colorado with populations above 100,000 to allow these taller single-stair buildings by December 1, 2027.
Impact
This bill’s passage should enable more density on smaller lots that are currently vacant or underdeveloped as low-density residential. While we have concerns that the building type limitations could make it difficult to market units in these buildings as affordable, Colorado’s housing needs span the income spectrum. We remain hopeful that developers will find ways to make taller single-stair projects viable for both for-sale and rental housing.
Other Housing Bills of Interest
HB25-1093: Limitations on Local Anti-Growth Land Use Policies
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Colorado generally defers to local jurisdictions on policies related to housing growth. While logistical considerations still vary by locality, this bill prohibits local governments from enacting growth restrictions through simple limits on building or development permits. Previous implementations of such policies are forms of NIMBYism, are effectively discriminatory, and can cause significant issues—especially in clusters of cities where these limits are applied inconsistently at the regional level.
HB25-1169: Housing Developments on Faith and Educational Land
Bill status: Failed in Senate
Overview
Affectionately called the “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) bill, this proposal would have allowed vacant land on church- or university-owned properties to be developed into affordable housing units. While well-intentioned, the bill included limited guardrails on density, which could have led to massive new developments on large parcels of land owned by these entities—often in areas not zoned for, or lacking the infrastructure to support, such projects. Although low-density zoning across the state is one of the factors contributing to our insufficient housing supply, this bill didn’t strike the right balance due to the way it overrode local zoning authority.
HB25-1211-Tap Fees Imposed by Special Districts
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Tap fees in special districts vary widely across the state and can have a substantial impact on the cost of new housing units. This bill limits what special districts can take into account when setting tap fees to specific items directly related to water use and availability. In theory, these restrictions will reduce tap fees by requiring more carefully considered predictions of water usage.
Top AIA Colorado Sustainability/Resiliency Bills
HB25-1006: School District Solar Garden Lease Term
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
Based on future enrollment projections, it’s not uncommon for school districts to purchase land years in advance of developing a project. Similarly, districts may acquire larger parcels than are immediately necessary for various strategic reasons. Current state law prohibits school districts from leasing their unused land for terms longer than 10 years, to prevent an elected school board from making a short-sighted decision with long-term consequences.
This bill creates exceptions to the 10-year lease limit for uses such as solar fields, energy storage systems, and affordable housing. These uses are recognized as providing community benefits—but especially for solar fields, the projects often aren’t financially viable under a 10-year contract.
Impact
Even when projected enrollment growth doesn’t materialize, selling district-owned land can be short-sighted—particularly if the property lacks infrastructure, making it less suitable for private development. This bill supports Colorado’s carbon reduction goals by enabling more local renewable energy generation, and it encourages school districts to consider private partnerships to fund staff housing projects when up-front capital is unavailable.
HB25-1269: Building Decarbonization Measures
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
In 2021, Colorado became one of the first states in the nation to create a Building Performance Standards (BPS) program, requiring certain buildings (50,000 square feet and larger) to limit their annual energy use based on Energy Use Intensity (EUI) targets set by a board created under that bill. These buildings must also benchmark their annual energy use to demonstrate compliance.
The 2021 bill established two compliance years—2026 and 2030—during which buildings that fall short of their EUI targets must make at least incremental improvements. Based on early benchmarking scores and the impact COVID-19 had on office vacancy rates, the statutory goals have proven difficult to meet, and more buildings than anticipated have applied for variances and extensions.
This bill makes several adjustments to the BPS program to allow for more realistic compliance timelines, informed by early data and feedback from large building owners. It also adds a new EUI target for 2040. Grant funding will be made available to help building owners navigate the program and bring their buildings into eventual compliance.
Impact
It’s no surprise that a bleeding-edge BPS program would require tweaks along the way. The program has created—and will continue to create—opportunities for energy-use reduction projects that require design expertise from both architects and professional engineers. There are significant potential gains to be made in reducing carbon emissions from the built environment in Colorado.
SB25-182: Embodied Carbon Reduction
Bill status: Signed into law
AIA Colorado position: Support
Summary
Colorado has an existing C-PACE financing program originally intended to cover up-front costs of energy improvement projects (in new or existing buildings) that have predictable payback periods and can be repaid over time via property tax payments. Local jurisdictions must opt in to allow this program for buildings to utilize tax payments to repay this type of loan. C-PACE financing is one piece of any project funding puzzle but can make certain improvements achievable that are often removed from a project scope due to up-front costs.
This bill simply expands the allowable C-PACE financing project types to include embodied carbon improvements.
Impact
The intent is to promote low embodied carbon materials used in more projects, also incentivizing more companies in the state to consider lowering the embodied carbon in their products and materials. The example commonly used by the bill’s sponsors was low-carbon concrete that many Colorado plants are including in their mix offerings.
Other Sustainability/Resiliency Bills of Interest
SB25-142: Changes to Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
This bill introduces provisions to streamline the adoption process for local jurisdictions that must use the forthcoming wildfire resiliency code for wildland/urban interface areas.
HB25-1040: Adding Nuclear Energy as a Clean Energy Resource
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
The state will consider nuclear energy as a source of clean energy, given its lack of emissions in the context of Colorado’s aggressive carbon reduction goals in the coming decades. Nuclear energy is also perceived as being better for grid reliability than solar or wind power energy sources. This bill may or may not result in more nuclear power generation (large scale or via modular units) but opens the door for nuclear to be considered more favorably.
HB25-1096: Automated Permits for Clean Energy Technology
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
As every architect knows, permit review times across the state have increased substantially in recent years. This bill will remove some of that strain by allowing residential solar panel projects to be reviewed and approved via automated permitting software, which has a record of success already in other states.
HB25-1113: Limit Turf in New Residential Development
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
Following up on the 2024 bill limiting turf grass, artificial grass, or invasive species in certain types of properties and spaces not occupied by people, this year’s bill expands the scope to multi-family residential projects of 12 units or more. “Functional turf” remains allowed in spaces intended for recreational use or regular human occupation.
HB25-1267: Support for Statewide Energy Strategies
Bill status: Signed into law
Overview
This bill makes changes to rules and grant funding for electric vehicle charging stations to further promote expanding electric charging infrastructure across the state.
CKLDP 2025 Spring Recap
AIA Colorado’s Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program provides participants the opportunity to form a cohort with other emerging professionals in the field of architecture (sixteen are selected each year from a group of well-qualified applicants), developing their skills on several focused topics in the once-a-month sessions throughout the year. The program honors Christopher Kelley’s legacy, an influential architect in the Washington D.C. community and an advocate for furthering the profession through mentorship. The program originated in Washington D.C., however local chapters now exist across the country, with additional chapters continuing to be established each year (Colorado’s first program year was 2017).
The program is well underway in its ninth year, with Opening Ceremony, Sessions 1, 2, and 3 having occurred, where participants engaged in knowledge sharing from industry experts, team building and collaborative activities, and overall improving upon their professional skills. See below for a summary and highlights of the events thus far.
Session 1
Management & Mentorship
SESSION DATE: 3/14/2025
LOCATION: McCarthy Building Companies
HOSTED BY: Noelle Wilhite, AIA & Lyris Sanchez
WRITE UP BY: Amanda Hansen, AIA & Jenni Lane
Presenters
Managing Interdisciplinary Teams – Rick Sommerfeld, AIA, Architect, Associate Professor, and Directorof ColoradoBuildingWorkshop at the University of Colorado Denver
Leadership & Management Panel + Q&A. Panelists:
- Byron Zick, AIA, Associate, Davis Partnership Architecture
- Jim Kehoe, Founding Principal, KEO studioworks
- Jonas Philipsen, Design Director/Principal, Gensler
- Elena Scott, Principal, Norris Design
Mentorship + Support Challenge Exercise – Isiah Leyshon, CAGE Civil Engineering
OZ Architecture Mentorship Program – Kiley Baham, OZ Architecture
Session Description
Management and mentorship play crucial roles in the development of an emerging professional in order to gain awareness of the current state of the industry and guidance through project role advancement. Scholars engaged with professionals who work in the education, architecture, and consultant industries to gain their perspectives on managing interdisciplinary teams, firm sizes and management structures. Scholars learned about what makes a good mentor-mentee relationship, how to have difficult conversations, and how to be on track to becoming a successful leader.
Key Takeaways
- A successful mentor-mentee relationship relies on the proper balance of challenge and support.
- A good leader must prioritize Relationships, Communication, Respect, Patience, Inclusion, and Reflection.
- People come first. The power of a mentor relationship starts with understanding their why, and above all what truly works for them.
- Embarrassment is the cost of entry…to learn to grow and become the mentor, one must be willing to take the chance and make mistakes in order to get outside of your comfort zone and gain mastery and resilience.
- Give perspective, not advice, and meet disagreements with curiosity.
Session 2
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
SESSION DATE: 4/18/2025
LOCATION: TAXI Community, Flight Building
HOSTED BY: Gwendoline Albright Ndikumagenge, Assoc. AIA, & Monica Mong
RECAP BY: Noelle Wilhite, AIA, & Lyris Sanchez
Presenters
Design in Mind: Psychology for Neuroinclusive Environment – Kati Peditto, PhD, EDAC, DLR Group
Cultural Proficiency in Times of Change: Strategies for Leaders – Paola Baglietto, Inclusive Culture LLC
Energize Denver: Putting the Human Touch on Building Decarbonization – Berenice El Gharamti, CAS
Voices of Change: Shaping Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Our Professions and our Communities Panelists:
- Jen Skidmore, University of Colorado Denver
- Alexander Person III, AIA, CNU-A, NOMA, JEDI, Smith Group
- Jovina Amor, LEED AP, Associate Principal at JNS
- Flory Hamstra, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, Project Manager at AE Design
Session Description
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) session introduced three keynote speakers and a panel with four professionals within the architecture industry addressing a series of topics including unconscious bias in design, neuroinclusive design, strategies for fostering inclusive workplaces, and ensuring equitable hiring and leadership representation. Scholars learned how to include the minority voice with highly involved real-world case studies. Scholars gained an understanding on how to engage culturally sensitive topics with leadership and provide productive paths to move forward. Through this course scholars learned that community engagement can give a deeper understanding to different perspectives, privileges, and lifestyles that people identify with and perhaps apply these topics within design.
Key Takeaways
- Acknowledging that privilege is a special advantage within social classes.
- Empathy is the first step in putting yourself in other people’s shoes to understand their struggle and inform your leadership decision.
- Equity is how well your practices align with the reality of people’s lives, while it may seem unattainable, we can strive to improve social economic factors.
- Understanding bias contributes to “social norms” and how we constantly judge people and make decisions on them. This a?ects hiring practices and should educate those on bias.
- As a professional, be open to inviting leadership to co?ee for the opportunity to learn about each other and gain useful experiences if struggling with a problem.
Session 3
Community Engagement
SESSION DATE: 5/16/2025
LOCATION: Perkins&Will
HOSTED BY: Quinn McFadden & Zach Rowley
RECAP BY: Gwendoline Albright Ndikumagenge, Assoc. AIA & Monica Mong
Presenters
Community-Centered Design: Engaging Partnerships for Accessible Healthcare and Housing. Panelists:
- Rainey Hughes, EDAC, Healthcare Strategic Account Exec, MillerKnoll
- John J. White, AIA, Associate COO, Denver Health
- Christine Kennedy, Space Planning Utilization Administrator, Denver Health
- Haley Jordhal, Dr. of Development, Perry Rose LLC
- Courtney Burns, Public Realm Manager, RiNo Art District
Empowering Through Art: LCAC’s Mission of Culture and Community Engagement – Alfredo Reyes, Executive Director, Latino Cultural Arts Center
Access to Housing – Chad Holtzinger, AIA, President, ShopWorks
Civic Leadership 101 – Plugging In & Standing Out – Amy Tarczynski, Dr. of Civic Engagement & Development, Downtown Denver Partnership
Session Description
This session on Community Engagement offered scholars a rich and multi-dimensional look at how design, leadership, and civic participation intersect to support equitable, inclusive, and resilient communities. Through a panel discussion and individual speaker presentations, scholars explored the nuanced distinctions between placemaking and placekeeping, emphasizing the importance of designing with communities—not just for them. Case studies such as the Sun Valley redevelopment and 655 Broadway highlighted how collaboration between design professionals and local organizations can transform public housing, healthcare access, and wellness facilities.
From practical engagement strategies to a deeper understanding of community-rooted design, scholars left with actionable tools, a renewed sense of purpose, and an invitation to action. The session reminded all attendees that effective leadership begins with listening, showing up, and building spaces that reflect the needs, values, and pride of the communities they serve.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Understanding the nuances between placemaking (creating new spaces) and placekeeping (honoring and preserving the existing culture and community)
- 2. It’s not about the buildings; it’s about the people – listen and gather input from all stakeholders.
- 3. Think about the end user of the space.
- 4. The power of showing up – a lot of learnings come from walking the site in-person and being immersed in the community
- 5. Build out a toolkit – to remember what has worked well on projects
- 6. Consider how the building can create a point of identification and pride for the community
National and Local AAH Colorado Chapter Updates
Here from the 2025 Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) Knowledge Community for an update from AAH National and a discussion on local developments. We are joined by the 2025 AAH National President, Southern Ellis, AIA, who provides an overview of AAH National organizational structure, goals, and opportunities for collaboration. Additionally, AAH Colorado Chair Tim Neely, AIA, shares a preview of AAH Colorado’s remaining events for the year.
Colorado Architecture News | 05.21.25
News from the Colorado Chapter of The American Institute of Architects | 05.21.25
In this Newsletter:
- Legislative Session Highlights
- COTE Session 3 now available to watch
- MORFEUS presentation
- 1 Line tour
- Design + Honor Awards submission window closes June 20
- Board meeting and sketching tour
- Practice + Design Conference Sponsorship and Expo Hall now open
- May 22 happy hour in Colorado Springs
- May 29 Academy of Architecture for Health National and Chapter updates
- May 29 Ice Core Facility tour
- June 5 Colorado Night at AIA25
- June 10 West Virtual Connect: Affordable Housing
- June 11 AWARDED: True Nature Healing Arts Kiva
- Partner news
- National news
- Premier Partner spotlight: Ascent Contracting, Inc.
AIA COLORADO NEWS
Legislative session highlights
It was another busy year for AIA Colorado at the state capitol with bills introduced on a variety of subjects affecting the architecture profession. We supported 9 bills this year, all of which have been signed into law or are awaiting the governor’s signature. We opposed 3 bills this year that would have increased architects’ liability risks and successfully defeated them all.
These photos are from the signing of HB25-1273, Residential Building Stair Modernization, creating a new building code framework to safely allow multifamily residential buildings up to five stories tall with a single set of stairs. This bill marks months of tireless legislative activity on behalf of the architectural community as we work to design a more affordable, and more beautiful, Colorado of tomorrow.
We’ll publish our full report next month, but we’re pleased to share some of the highlights from the 2025 legislative session here.
Committee on the Environment sessions
Committee On The Environment’s Session 3 “Embodied Carbon: Regulations, LEED v5, and Contractor’s Role” is now available to watch.
RSVP for Session 4 here!
Denver Affordable Housing Challenge
The City of Denver, AIA Colorado, and Buildner, have launched an international call for ideas to address Denver’s housing needs with a focus on the role of design excellence. The competition anticipates over one hundred entries to be submitted by a local and global audience of architects engaged in addressing affordable housing, providing Denver with a platform of ideas to consider as the region addresses future affordable housing needs. Learn more here.
The competition was recently featured in The Architectural Review here.
Members enjoyed a presentation by MORFEUS co-founder Caroline Støvring, joining us from Norway. Known for their thoughtful integration of landscape and architecture, she presented a variety of inspiring projects highlighting the firms’ focus navigating the intersection of built form and natural environment.
Last week, members gathered in Denver for the first event of AIA Colorado’s new Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN). The next CRAN event will take place July 17th in Boulder and you can RSVP here.
Last week, the AIA Colorado Board of Directors met at the Museum of Boulder, followed by a fun sketching tour with various stops down Pearl street, and a happy hour on the patio of Rodwin Architecture’s new offices.
Members recently toured the AWARDED project 1 Line, a 2024 Design Award of Excellence and Sustainability Recognition recipient, learning about the unique mass timber project.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
A hockey quote in an architecture newsletter? It fits. Each year, some Honor Award categories go unawarded—not because the jury didn’t find a winner, but because no one submitted.
If you’ve ever considered submitting for an Honor Award, now’s the time! There’s no fee to enter, and the jury is eager to learn more about you and your contributions to the profession.
And while you’re at it, make sure your photographer is capturing your latest work and that you’re reviewing the Design Award submission guidelines. The deadline is closer than it appears!
Conference Sponsorship and Expo Hall now open
Planning is well underway for this year’s Practice + Design Conference, happening November 12-14, at Keystone Conference Center.
Place your company and brand right in the middle of the action and take advantage of our sponsorship opportunities!
Do you know trusted industry colleagues who should be there? Our Expo Hall booths – which typically sell out – are now available to reserve!
AIA Colorado Events
May 22 • Happy Hour in Colorado Springs
Thursday, May 22nd, from 5 – 7pm, join AIA South members for a happy hour in Colorado Springs at Avenue 19. RSVP here.
May 29 • GSA-National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility tour (re-scheduled)
Join the Denver Local Advisors Thursday, May 29th for a tour of a very unique property! Located within a large existing building on the Denver Federal Center campus, the GSA-National Science Foundation (NSF) Ice Core Facility supports the storage and climate-change research of some 30,000 ice cores from the Arctic and Antarctic. The design team from OZ Architecture will lead a tour of both the existing aging facility and the construction progress of its replacement. Tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. More information and RSVP here.
May 29 • National and Local AAH Chapter updates
Thursday, May 29th, at Noon, Join AIA Colorado’s Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) Knowledge Community for an update from AAH National and a discussion on local developments. We will be joined by the 2025 AAH National President, Southern Ellis, AIA, who will provide an overview of AAH National organizational structure, goals, and opportunities for collaboration. AAH Colorado Chair Tim Neely, AIA, will be sharing preview of AAH Colorado’s remaining events for the year. RSVP here.
June 5 • Colorado Night at AIA25
Are you attending AIA25? If so, join us and connect with fellow AIA Colorado members and University of Colorado alumni during the AIA25. Light appetizers and drinks will be provided. Learn more and RSVP here.
June 10 • West Virtual Connect: Affordable Housing
Thursday, June 10th, at 8am, join AIA Colorado West Director Andi Korber, AIA, and connect virtually with Western Slope AIA members for a time of conversation. The topic will be affordable housing and how this issue is posing unique strains in mountain communities. There will be a brief presentation to get the conversation started, following by Q+A and discussion. RSVP here.
June 11 • AWARDED: True Nature Healing Arts Kiva
AWARDED is a series celebrating the standout achievements of AIA Colorado’s Design Award winners. This series invites you to explore the innovative spaces, visionary designs, and remarkable stories that set these projects apart.
June 11th, at 5pm, in Carbondale, tour this unique property, a cast in place board form concrete refuge anchoring an established public garden. The True Nature kiva includes a spiral ramp to a subterranean 100-person auditorium tucked away amidst an interactive garden of reflexology paths, labyrinths, and more. Join us to see modern architecture quietly centering an active, blossoming, communal space. This tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. RSVP here.
Member News
Aspen Public Radio captured a book event at Explore Booksellers, in Aspen, featuring AIan Ford, FAIA, and Andi Korber, AIA, discussing the book Creating the Regenerative School. Listen at Aspen Public Radio.
Josie Hyde, AIA, Gensler, was recently interviewed by CPR regarding the adaptive reuse of two downtown high rise buildings in downtown Denver. The buildings are located on 17th street and plan to have 700 residential units with retail space on the lower floors. Read the interview here.
Tina Du Mond, AIA, has joined JLG Architects’ Healthcare Practice Studio as a Principal Architect. Congratulations!
Congratulations to member firm Land+Shelter as they celebrate 20 years in business with an event May 28th, from 5:30 – 7:30pm, at Colorado Mountain College, Aspen Campus. More info here and RSVP at info@landandshelter.com
Partner News
Practice Disrupted episode with AISC’s Nima Balasubramanian
In this episode of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee, FAIA, 2025 AIA President sits down with Nima Balasubramanian, Director of Architecture at the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), an AIA Colorado Premier Partner, to explore how architects can deepen their material knowledge, challenge industry norms, and find joy in alternative career paths. Nima’s story takes us from long nights at overworked firms to welding workshops and global entrepreneurship—and along the way, she invites us to imagine a better way of practicing architecture. Listen here.
Career Coaching Part III – Final Session
Tuesday, May 20th, from 5 – 7pm, join NOMA Colorado for an engaging evening focused on career growth, mentorship, and connection within the architecture and design community. Whether you’re just starting your career or exploring your next move, this session offers valuable guidance and the chance to connect with peers and professionals in the field. Hosted by DLR Group. Light refreshments will be provided. More info and RSVP here.
NOMA Colorado: Members & Friends Kickoff Event at SAR+
Thursday, May 29th, at 5:30pm, join NOMA Colorado’s first Members & Friends Event of 2025 is here. Hosted by SAR+ Architects, join for an evening of connection, insight, and community. Learn about the Ball Arena and River Mile projects from SAR+, hear what’s ahead for NOMA Colorado in 2025, and enjoy snacks and drinks during happy hour. RSVP here.
Do you have a cutting-edge steel project in the ground or on the horizon? The structural steel industry’s highest design honor is calling your name!
Presented by AIA Colorado Premier Partner American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and Building Design + Construction, the prestigious IDEAS Awards honor beautiful, innovative, and sustainable projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel. AISC has identified and celebrated game-changing structures for decades—and yours could be next! Call for Submissions is now open – submit here.
Career Corner
The AIA Colorado Job Board is updated daily. Job hunting? Take a peek to discover new opportunities. Hiring? Post your single job for 30 days. Connect with qualified candidates. Here are a few featured job openings:
NEWS AT NATIONAL
National volunteer opportunities are available
Explore AIA volunteer opportunities—a great way to support the work and shape the future of the architecture profession, develop and grow leadership skills, and help advance AIA’s mission. AIA encourages participation from members who bring varied perspectives—across career stages, firm sizes, geographic regions, cultural backgrounds, and practice areas. We believe that diverse voices help ensure that our programs, policies, and initiatives reflect the evolving needs of the profession and the communities we serve. View the opportunities here and plan to complete the application before June 16th.
Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship
The Jason Pettigrew Memorial ARE Scholarship recognizes the significant contributions of emerging professionals at early stages in their careers and helps defray the costs associated with the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Developed by the AIA National Associates Committee, the scholarship honors the memory of late friend and colleague, Jason Pettigrew, Assoc. AIA. Scholarship recipients will receive funds to cover the cost of the ARE and study materials to prepare for testing, totaling $1,910.00. Applications will be accepted until July 7th. For more info and to apply, go here.
Business conditions at architecture firms continues to decline
The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to 43.2 in April, down from 44.1 in March. This decline reflects an accelerated decrease in billing activity. Billings have decreased in 28 out of the past 31 months, following their initial drop into negative territory after the post-pandemic boom. New project inquiries decreased for the third month in a row in April, and the value of new design contracts has declined at the majority of firms for 14 consecutive months. Read at AIA.
Don’t miss AIA25 in Boston, June 4–7!
More than just a conference, AIA25 is an invitation to inspiration. Across four days of immersive learning, inspiring keynotes, architect-led tours, networking events, and the industry’s largest expo, AIA25 will leave you inspired and equipped with new tools, fresh perspectives, and a renewed sense of purpose to design a better world.
It’s everything you need, in one location. Get your ticket before it’s too late. Register here.
Premier Partner Spotlight
We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, Ascent Contracting Inc., and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community.
Colorado-owned and -operated, Ascent Contracting specializes in guiding clients through the building process—from the initial concept to the final detail. Each member of our team delivers personalized service, careful and intentional planning, and high-quality craftsmanship, and believes in the value of close collaboration with our clients and with design professionals.
- View Ascent’s AIA flipbook: Guiding Your Project from Concept to Completion
- From 5280 Magainze: An Ultra-Fresh Take on the Suburban Ranch
- From Avid Lifestyle: Rambler Redux
Visit Ascent Contacting’s website
Looking for Additional Resources?
Allied Members are better known as trusted industry colleagues and members of AIA Colorado—they’re the interior designers, the kitchen specialists, the engineering partners, and more who make up our AEC community in Colorado.
View AIA Colorado’s Allied Member Directory.
Helpful Links:
AIA Colorado Firm Directory
- Add your firm to the directory here.
Save the Dates:
- 2025 Design + Honor Awards
- Submission window opens Wednesday, April 30th, and closes Friday, June 20th, at 5pm.
- Celebration Event: September 18th, at Tivoli Turnhalle in Denver, CO.
- 2025 AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference
- May 21: Expo Hall Opens
- July 1 – July 31: Call for Presentations
- November 12-14, 2025 at Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO.
2025 Legislative Session Highlights
2025 Legislative Session Highlights
AIA Colorado is proud to stand up for the profession as your legislative champion. This year was one of our most successful sessions ever. We took a position on 12 bills and each one got the result we lobbied for! We’ll publish our full report next month, but here are the major highlights from the 2025 legislative session.
We supported 9 bills this year, all of which have been signed into law or are awaiting the governor’s signature. We opposed 3 bills this year that would have increased architects’ liability risks and successfully defeated them all.
HB25-1272: Construction Defects & Middle Market Housing creates a new program to promote more housing and condominium projects in particular. Projects that opt into the program will have a mix of incentives and requirements to improve construction quality and promote construction defect solutions before resorting to lawsuits.
Read more about this bill here.
HB25-1273: Residential Building Stair Modernization creates a set of code requirements that large cities will be required to adopt to allow five-story single-stair residential buildings. This space-saving measure will create opportunities for more density on smaller lots and the new code requirements offset the potential reduction in safety for only having one exit stair.
Read more about House Bill 1273 in the Colorado Sun.
SB25-185: Claims Against Construction Professionals would have allowed more tort claims in residential project construction defect lawsuits to be filed instead of contract claims that respect terms negotiated between construction professional parties. We defeated this bill but if it had passed, architects and engineers would have had more lawsuit exposure in for-sale residential projects resulting in greater insurance costs and risk. This would drive firms out of this market and/or raise costs to cover the new risk.
Rea more about Senate Bill 185 here.
To achieve these extraordinary results takes a team effort. Your membership lets us stand up a robust advocacy infrastructure of full-time staff, experienced lobbyist, enhanced bill tracking systems, an Architects’ Day at the Capitol, committee testimony from affected professionals and a dedicated group of Government Affairs Committee volunteers. We hope you feel part of this success and will join us in thanking the Representatives, Senators and Governor who were on our side.
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA, CEO, AIA Colorado