Category: Environmental Stewardship

Anne Miller’s keynote offered a comprehensive look at how Colorado is approaching resilience as a statewide, systems-level challenge, and what that means for architects, planners, landscape architects, and community leaders.

As Director of the Colorado Resiliency Office, Miller framed resilience not simply as disaster recovery, but as “the ability of communities to rebound and positively adapt or thrive” amid changing conditions, climate impacts, and economic and social disruptions. She emphasized that resilience work requires long-term thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and design imagination, areas where architects and designers play a critical role.

Miller traced the origins of Colorado’s resiliency framework back to the devastating 2013 Front Range floods, which exposed the need for a more coordinated statewide approach. Colorado became one of the nation’s first states to establish a resiliency office, and today remains a national leader in resilience planning.

A major focus of the presentation was the ongoing update to the Colorado Resiliency Framework, the state’s five-year strategic resilience plan. The framework integrates climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, housing, infrastructure, land use, water planning, and equity into a unified strategy. Key priorities include:

• Strategic growth and land-use planning to reduce risk
• Nature-based solutions for wildfire and flood mitigation
• Resilient and affordable housing
• Water security and drought preparedness
• Critical infrastructure resilience
• Economic resilience and workforce readiness

Miller repeatedly emphasized the importance of “co-benefits”, projects that solve multiple challenges at once. She highlighted the Native American Housing Circle project in Denver as an example of resilience-centered design, combining affordable housing, cultural responsiveness, energy efficiency, and community partnerships.

The presentation also explored how climate projections are reshaping Colorado’s planning priorities. Updated state mapping and climate preparedness efforts show increasing exposure to heat, wildfire, water scarcity, and air quality impacts across much of the state, particularly eastern Colorado. Miller encouraged designers to think beyond individual buildings and consider resilience at the community scale.

One topic of particular interest was the growing network of “resilience hubs”, trusted community spaces that provide services during normal operations but can also serve as gathering and support centers during emergencies or power outages. Miller suggested these hubs present important opportunities for architects and designers to rethink the role of civic and community buildings.

Wildfire resilience and rebuilding practices were also central themes. Miller discussed lessons learned from the Marshall Fire recovery effort, including the use of passive house standards, improved filtration systems, defensible landscaping, and higher energy-efficiency standards to create healthier and more resilient homes. She noted that some passive homes experienced dramatically less smoke intrusion during the fire event.

Additional discussion focused on Colorado’s new wildfire resilience codes, drought-response planning, insurance challenges tied to hail and wildfire risk, and emerging programs supporting fortified roofs and resilient building practices.

Throughout the keynote, Miller reinforced that resilience depends on collaboration and interconnected systems rather than isolated efforts. She closed with an analogy to fungal networks in forests, decentralized systems built on resource sharing and interconnection, as a model for how communities, agencies, and design professionals can work together to build Colorado’s adaptive future.

Speakers:

• Jeffrey Woodruff, AIA, Architect, Cloud Hill Design, Pitkin Co. Commissioner
• David Lowrey, Chief Fire Marshall at Boulder Fire Rescue
• Aaron Johnson, WUI Professional Development Educator at CO Fire & Life Safety
• Jason Newsome, Landscape Architect/Urban Designer, CIVITAS
• Anne Ness, AIA, Architect at Anderson Hallas Architects

The “WUI Code – Lessons Learned” breakout session brought together architects, fire officials, landscape architects, and state code educators to discuss how Colorado’s new Wildfire Resiliency Code and Map are reshaping design and development practices across the state in wildland/urban interface (WUI) areas.

Panelists explored the origins of the statewide code, which was developed over an intensive two-year process involving architects, fire marshals, builders, planners, and resilience experts. Jeffrey Woodruff, AIA, who served on the statewide wildfire resiliency code board, described the balancing act between improving public safety and addressing concerns around construction costs, implementation, and development feasibility.

A recurring theme throughout the session was that the code is not intended to eliminate good design, but rather to encourage more integrated and thoughtful approaches to resilient communities. Speakers emphasized that wildfire resilience cannot rely solely on hardened buildings, that landscape design, vegetation management, site planning, and coordination with local authorities are equally critical.

David Lowrey from Boulder Fire Rescue and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control explained how local jurisdictions are adapting and enforcing the code differently depending on local conditions, staffing, and existing regulations. Boulder, which has had WUI regulations in place for more than a decade, has recently strengthened its landscaping and defensible space requirements based on evolving wildfire science and post-Marshall Fire lessons learned.

Landscape architect Jason Newsome discussed how the code is already changing the design process, particularly on dense urban and mixed-use sites where defensible space, tree spacing, circulation, open space requirements, and wildfire setbacks can conflict with traditional urban design goals. Rather than viewing the code as restrictive, panelists encouraged designers to treat the requirements as creative constraints that can shape stronger and more resilient projects.

The conversation also highlighted the growing importance of early coordination between architects, landscape architects, fire officials, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). Speakers repeatedly stressed that successful projects depend on engaging code officials early in the design process to navigate material choices, vegetation strategies, defensible space requirements, and site-specific interpretations of the code.

Panelists noted that Colorado’s WUI map and hazard classifications are still evolving and will continue to be refined over time as jurisdictions gather more localized data and experience implementing the code. Designers were encouraged to familiarize themselves with the state mapping tools, ignition-resistant planting guides, and local amendments that may apply to specific projects.

Throughout the session, speakers reinforced that wildfire resilience is ultimately about community-scale thinking. While requirements around noncombustible zones, fire-resistant materials, and defensible landscaping may introduce new complexities, the panel emphasized that resilient design and beautiful places are not mutually exclusive. Instead, the new code presents an opportunity for architects and landscape architects to collaborate more closely and rethink how Colorado communities are designed in an era of increasing wildfire risk.

Panelist Group A:

• Aaron Johnson, WUI Professional Development Educator at CO Fire & Life Safety
• Anne Ness, AIA, Architect at Anderson Hallas Architects
• Anne Miller, AICP, Director, Colorado Resiliency Office
• Sara Tabatabaie, Teaching Assistant Professor at CU Boulder
• Jared Tanaka, Environmental Program Manager, Douglas County Biochar Project

Panelist Group B:

• Dr. Khai Nguyen, Climate Resilience Senior Specialist, Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, Resiliency
• David Lowrey, Chief Fire Marshall at Boulder Fire Rescue
• Jeffrey Woodruff, AIA, Architect, Cloud Hill Design, Pitkin Co. Commissioner
• Marissa Sterrett, Sustainable Landscapes Services Manager at Denver Botanical Gardens
• Abigale Purvis, Governor’s Office of Climate Preparedness and Disaster Recovery

The Policy Topic Room explored how Colorado’s designers, policymakers, researchers, and public agencies must work together to address intensifying drought, wildfire, heat, and climate risk across the built environment. Participants emphasized that climate hazards can no longer be treated as isolated issues; drought, heat, wildfire, and water scarcity interact as interconnected systems that multiply impacts across communities and ecosystems.

Speakers discussed how Colorado is already experiencing the realities projected in climate models, including prolonged drought, record-setting wildfires, declining snowpack, and increasing pressure on water resources. While acknowledging uncertainty in future projections, panelists agreed that the broader trajectory is clear: hotter, drier conditions will require major shifts in planning, design, and policy.

A recurring theme was the urgent need to accelerate collaboration between academia, practitioners, industry, and government agencies. Participants noted that valuable research and resilience strategies often take years to become adopted standards, leaving many current codes and regulations outdated for today’s climate realities. The discussion highlighted the importance of integrating research directly into policy and practice more quickly, while also creating shared systems for exchanging data, lessons learned, and performance outcomes.

The panel also explored how resilience is increasingly becoming an expected baseline rather than an optional enhancement. Speakers discussed how resilient design strategies, including wildfire-resistant construction, defensible space, adaptive landscapes, energy resilience, water-conscious planning, and retrofit approaches, can create broader community benefits while reducing long-term risk and recovery costs.

Equity and affordability emerged as critical concerns throughout the conversation. Panelists acknowledged that vulnerable and lower-income communities are often located in higher-risk areas while simultaneously lacking access to resilient infrastructure, shade, tree canopy, and long-term maintenance resources. The group discussed the importance of developing adaptable, lower-cost resilience solutions that can be implemented equitably across communities.

The conversation concluded with discussion around practical implementation tools, including grants, local resilience funding, insurance challenges, retrofit strategies, and neighborhood-scale mitigation efforts. Speakers stressed that while no single solution exists, meaningful progress depends on proactive planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, updated policy frameworks, and designing for the future climate Colorado is expected to face, not the one it has historically known.

AIA Colorado West Virtual Connect (Virtual Event) | April 21, 2026

The first West Virtual Connect session of 2026 brought together architects and industry leaders from across Colorado’s western region to focus on a topic that is becoming increasingly central to practice: disaster preparedness. With wildfire risk intensifying, flood events recurring, and climate-driven disruptions reshaping both policy and practice, the conversation centered on how architects and firms can prepare not just buildings, but themselves, their systems, and their communities, for moments of crisis.

Moderated by Molly Wheelock, Assoc. AIA, Studio MW, and Andi Korber, AIA, Land+Shelter, the session featured perspectives from AIA Colorado, AIA National, and Scott Rodwin, AIA, Rodwin Architects, each offering a distinct lens on preparedness “before, during, and after” disaster events.

Nick Remus, AIA, Advocacy Engagement Director, AIA Colorado, opened with reflections from the “After the Flames” conference, where the architecture profession was notably underrepresented but increasingly essential. The conference reinforced a key theme: architects must be engaged in disaster ecosystems before events occur, not only after.

He also outlined ongoing state-level policy and preparedness efforts, including wildfire resiliency code implementation, legislative debates around delaying enforcement, and proposals for disaster mitigation funding mechanisms. While progress is underway, Nick emphasized that capacity gaps remain, particularly at the local government level, and that coordination between jurisdictions, agencies, and practitioners is still uneven.

Paola Capo, AIA National, expanded the conversation into firm preparedness, focusing on business continuity planning as an underutilized but critical tool for architecture firms. She emphasized that continuity planning is not just about emergency response, it is about protecting operations, maintaining client trust, and preserving firm stability during disruption.

She also highlighted the AIA’s Safety Assessment Program (SAP), which trains architects to assess building safety after disasters in coordination with emergency management agencies. These trained professionals play a key role in re-entry decisions, helping communities safely return to buildings while accelerating recovery timelines.

A central takeaway from this segment was that preparedness is not only technical, it’s relational. Firms that are embedded in local emergency management networks before disaster strikes are significantly better positioned to respond effectively.

Scott Rodwin, AIA, provided a grounded account of what disaster response looks like from a practicing firm’s perspective, drawing on his experience following the Marshall Fire. His firm received an overwhelming surge of inquiries, far exceeding their normal project capacity, and was forced to make deliberate decisions about how many clients they could realistically take on without compromising quality or ethics.

He described this as the “lifeboat problem”: the challenge of balancing urgency, compassion, and professional capacity in a moment when demand spikes dramatically and expectations are often unclear or unrealistic.

Rodwin emphasized that post-disaster clients are fundamentally different from typical clients. They are often in emotional crisis, displaced, and overwhelmed. In this context, architects become not just designers, but listeners, counselors, and stabilizers, helping people move from shock toward a sense of direction and possibility.

He also stressed the importance of setting realistic expectations early, particularly around cost, timelines, and construction capacity. One of the most common sources of conflict post-disaster, he noted, is misinformation about rebuild costs and timelines that cannot be met given real-world constraints in labor and materials.

The session highlighted how recovery is shaped as much by systems as by individual effort. Scott shared insights from Boulder County’s Article 19 disaster permitting framework, which enabled expedited review processes and temporarily reallocated permitting staff to prioritize rebuilding efforts after the Marshall Fire.

Key innovations included:

• Accelerated permitting timelines (weeks instead of months)
• Simplified review pathways for rebuilding in place
• Temporary suspension of certain discretionary review steps
• Centralized guidance for homeowners through “rebuilding better” resources

These systemic adjustments demonstrated that recovery speed is often determined not by the absence of rules, but by the ability to adapt them temporarily in response to crisis.

Insurance challenges were another major theme. Scott described widespread underinsurance among homeowners and the critical role architects played in developing “as-was” documentation, detailed cost and scope analyses aligned with insurance frameworks. In many cases, these documents became essential tools in negotiations, significantly affecting settlement outcomes and recovery capacity for homeowners.

Across all presentations and discussion, several themes emerged:

• Preparedness is operational, not theoretical — Firms must define how they function under disruption, not just how buildings perform.
• Relationships are infrastructure — Trust between architects, agencies, and communities is foundational to effective response.
• Capacity is a constraint, not willingness — Ethical limits and system bottlenecks shape what firms can realistically do in crisis.
• Recovery is systemic — Speed and equity in rebuilding depend on permitting systems, funding mechanisms, and coordinated governance.
• Architects play expanded roles in disaster contexts — From designers to translators, advocates, assessors, and stabilizers.

The session underscored a growing reality for the profession: disaster preparedness is no longer a specialized topic, it is becoming a core competency of architectural practice in the western United States.

As climate-driven events become more frequent and more complex, the ability of firms and communities to prepare, respond, and recover will depend less on any single solution and more on the strength of their systems, relationships, and readiness to operate under pressure.

The conversation closed with a shared recognition that preparedness begins long before disaster strikes, and that architects have a critical role to play in shaping not just resilient buildings, but resilient communities.

Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code

Architects’ Guide to Business Continuity

Disaster Assistance Handbook

Post-disaster assessment training:

• Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator Training 2026 | May 20-21
• Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator Training 2026 | November 18-19

Marshall Fire Recovery Dashboard for Destroyed Residential Properties

Rebuilding Better, a toolkit for those households faced with rebuilding after the 2021 Marshall Fire.

Members west of the Front Range convene quarterly in a virtual setting to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping practice in the region.

In 2026, the West Section Advisors are hosting a series of open roundtables, welcoming all members in the West to join and contribute.

RSVP for events at AIA Colorado’s event page.

Monday evening, October 28th, AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) led a session exploring embodied carbon within the context of building design and construction. A few of the topics discussed included:

• Understanding operational carbon and embodied carbon within the context of building design and construction.
• Identify key tools, benchmarks, and metrics for measuring and tracking embodied carbon in buildings.
• Understanding how to engage your project team in the discussion of carbon reduction strategies.
• Gain insight to the benefits and impacts of reducing embodied, operational, and refrigerant carbon through case study projects.
• Illustrate the benefits of participation in the AIA 2030 Commitment and supporting the effort to reduce emissions and change the practice of architecture.

A Q+A session followed the presentation.