Colorado Architecture News | 03.05.25

In this Newsletter:

• AIA Leadership Summit recap
• Advocacy Update
• More projects requested for ByDesign: Architecture show
• DBIA and AIA event at HDR
• North Section happy hour
• March 5 Business of Architecture roundtable discussion
• March 6 Designing for Extreme Environments: Antarctica event
• March 11 West Virtual Connect: Prefabrication
• March 12 COTE webinar: People, Planet, Design
• March 13 Architect’s Ski Day and happy hour
• March 24 AWARDED: Denver Water tour
• Partner news
• National news
• Premier Partner spotlight: AISC

AIA Leadership Summit 2025 is the premier advocacy and leadership training event for AIA chapter leaders. Held annually in Washington D.C., the event is always one of AIA’s best attended leadership events—offering attendees a unique platform to engage in critical policy discussions with lawmakers while enhancing their leadership skills.

One component of the Leadership Summit experience is Hill Day, providing architect members with a platform to directly advocate for legislation impacting the profession before Members of Congress and Congressional staff. AIA Colorado leaders met with congressional staff from several offices, including representatives from the offices of Sen. Bennet, Sen. Hickenlooper, Rep. Hurd, Rep. DeGette, and Rep. Negus, sharing on the issues affecting the industry today.

Read about the experiences from several of AIA Colorado’s members here.

AIA Colorado Advocacy Update

It’s been a busy year at the capitol as we approach the halfway point of the 2025 legislative session. AIA Colorado has already taken support or amend positions on bills for accessibility code adoption, grants for schoolyard improvements, codes for factory-built structures, and new funding sources for state construction projects. We’re now focusing our attention and evaluating positions for bills that will update building energy performance standards for large buildings, reducing liability exposure for multifamily residential projects, evaluating the impact on bills intending to protect homeowners, and allow taller single-stair residential buildings statewide. More updates to come as these bills get further through the legislative process and if you have any questions, please reach out to AIA Colorado’s advocacy engagement director Nikolaus Remus, AIA.

More projects to be filmed in Colorado for upcoming seasons of ByDesign: Architecture 

Our list of projects in pre-production keeps growing and the producers of the hit series ByDesign: Architecture are thrilled with the projects AIA Colorado members are bringing forward. If you’ve been thinking about this and are interested in taking that first step – now’s the time! The production team will be in Colorado soon and would love to add your project to their upcoming production schedules. See the newly updated list of projects in production and learn more here.

On February 20th, Design-Build Institute of American (DBIA) led a great session titled “Putting Design Back into Design-Build: Successful Tactics for the Design Team” unpacking how successful projects happen when there is a respectful and collaborative partnership rather than defending individual disciplines. Many thanks to presenters Greg Gidez, FAIA, Virginia McAllister, AIA, and Tim Barr for leading the session and to HDR for hosting the event at their Denver offices!

AIA Colorado North Section members enjoying connecting at the happy hour in Fort Collins last week. We have several events coming up this Spring and are looking forward to these opportunities for members to connect!

March 5 • Business of Architecture roundtable discussion: Financial & Fractional CFOs

Wednesday, March 5th, join AIA Colorado’s Business of Architecture Committee for a roundtable discussion discussing topics such as: 

• How to read and interpret balance sheets and profit & loss statements 
• Best financial practices for architecture firms 
• How to achieve more profit

This is a hybrid event, taking place in person at Neoera’s office in Denver and via Teams. More information and RSVP here.

View all four of the Business of Architecture’s 2025 roundtable discussion sessions here.

March 6 • Designing for Extreme Environments: Antarctica

Thursday, March 6th, OZ Architecture will lead a presentation and discussion of the firm’s work over the past decade supporting climate change research in Antarctica, the world’s coldest, windiest, driest and most remote continent. The session will include the Director of University of Colorado’s design-build program, the Colorado Building Workshop, and general contractor Bespoke Project Solutions. The program will address topics of Project Acquisition, Teaming Strategies, Design for Equity and Wellness, Off-grid High-performance Design, Prefabrication and Design for Logistics optimization. Submitted for 1 LU|HSW. More information and RSVP here.

March 11 • West Virtual Connect: Prefabrication

Tuesday, March 11th, 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 prefabrication use in the mountains and rural areas. There will be a brief presentation by John Riley, COO of Peak3, to get the conversation started, following by Q+A and discussion. RSVP here.

March 12 • People, Planet, Design webinar

Wednesday, March 12th, join AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment for an informative webinar presentation titled “People, Planet, Design: A Practical Guide for Realizing Architecture’s Potential” by Corey Squire, AIA. This session will explore how a practice can meaningfully address climate, health, and equity on every project. This has been approved for 1 LU. More information and RSVP here.

March 13 • Architects’ Ski Day and Après Happy Hour

Thursday, March 13th, join AIA members for a day on the slopes of Snowmass, informally touring a variety of projects located mountainside and in Snowmass Village, followed by après happy hour at the base of the mountain. More information and RSVP here.

March 27 • AWARDED: Denver Water tour

Step inside excellence with AWARDED, a new 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. 

Thursday, March 27th, join members for an in-depth exploration of Denver’s cutting-edge Water System facility, where we’ll take a closer look at the innovative design features that make this building a model of sustainability and energy efficiency. This tour is an opportunity for attendees to witness firsthand how sustainable building practices are integrated to create a high-performance environment that promotes occupant health, safety, and long-term resilience. This tour has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. More information and RSVP here.

DAJ Design’s new residential project in Boulder is featured on the cover of the March issue of 5280 Magazine. See the home and read the accompanying “10 Tips for Connecting Interior Spaces to the Great Outdoors” here.

Congratulations to the many AIA member architects and firms who are listed in the Colorado Homes and Lifestyles 2025 Top Architects!

2025 Architectural Education Foundation scholarships are now open

The Architectural Education Foundation, in partnership with AIA Colorado, offers traveling and professional development scholarships to support your educational endeavors and gain more experience. Since 1961, they have awarded more than $800,000 to more than 250 students, architects, and teachers. Thanks to their support, we’re pleased to announce the availability of academic and travel scholarships for 2025. More info and apply here.

Upcoming CAP Spring lecture series

• Mariana Ordóñez Grajales and Jesica Amescua Carrera, Comunal: Taller de Arquitectura, Founders. Monday, March 10, 12:15pm
• Zeina Koreitem, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Faculty, MILLIØNS, Co-Founder. Monday, March 17, 12:15pm
• José Ibarra, CU Denver CAP, Assistant Professor, Monday, April 7, 12:15pm
• Amy Ford, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), City and County of Denver, Executive Director, April 14, 12:15pm

Lectures are held at the Second Floor Gallery, CU Denver. More info and RSVP here.

Denver’s Single Stair Housing Challenge Awards Event

Thursday, March 6, at 4:30pm, join for an evening celebrating the incredible designs submitted to this year’s challenge. These projects push the limits of mid-rise housing in Colorado, rethinking building codes to create more vibrant, walkable urban neighborhoods.

The event will showcase innovative housing designs and include the announcement of competition awards, testimonials from select jurors, and a keynote address by Darrell Watson, offering valuable insights into the future of housing policy and urban design. Join us for this inspiring celebration of creativity and progress! RSVP here.

Decoding Design: Activating Health & Wellbeing through Architecture & Interiors

Tuesday, March 11, at 4:30pm, join Denver Architecture Foundation and AIA Colorado members to hear from two thought leaders in the emerging field of neuroaesthetics who will each explain their research and findings, and describe the interactions of our “ancient” brain wiring, our neurotransmitters, our nervous systems, and the universal appeal of achieving homeostasis in our public and private spaces. AIA members canregister as members to receive a discount. This session has been approved for 1 LU|HSW. Learn more and RSVP here.

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:

• Healthcare Planner/Architect at Treanor
• Architectural Associate at Foothills Architects, Ltd.
• Project Designer/Coordinator at The Abo Group

Young Architects Forum February newsletter

A newsletter from the AIA Young Architects Forum (YAF). Look out for important news, AIA updates, and ways to engage, no biggie. Read here. 

Check your inboxes in the next few weeks for the launch of this year’s Future Forward Grant cycle. This $10k grant supports emerging and early career professionals in the testing of new ideas that disrupt the traditional conception of practice, process, and product in the field of architecture. Learn more here.

Architecture firm billings continue to tighten into 2025

While most architecture firms saw billings decline in January, the proportion experiencing a decrease was slightly lower than in December. Inquiries for new projects continued to rise at a steady, slow pace, but the value of newly signed design contracts dropped for the eleventh month in a row, as clients stayed cautious amid ongoing economic uncertainty. Read at AIA.

Architects are excited about the potential of AI, but concerns abound

In a profession where innovation meets responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare, artificial intelligence (AI) sits at that intersection—offering both opportunity and cause for hesitation. Findings in a new AIA research study, Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Architecture, underscore this dichotomy, revealing how AI is used in the profession today and the sentiment around its use in the future. This duality is clear throughout the research, but most notably in this finding: 78% of respondents want to learn more about the potential of AI in the industry, and the same percent noted they have concerns about AI. Read at AIA.

Leading by Example

Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA, 2025 AIA President, reflects on the success of last week’s Leadership Summit and her goals for the profession and unpacks the theme of “thrive” as she looks towards 2025 and beyond. Read her thoughts at AIA here.

AIA25 Book your hotel with AIA & save!

Get the guaranteed lowest hotel rates in Boston—plus the option to extend your stay at the same rate for up to three days before and after AIA25 (subject to availability). Rates start as low as $279/night—book your room in AIA’s official hotel block today! 

We’re proud to highlight one of AIA Colorado’s Premier Partners, The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and look forward to their ongoing support and involvement serving Colorado’s architecture community. 

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), headquartered in Chicago, is a non-partisan, not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural-steel-related technical and market-building activities, including specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, market development, and advocacy. AISC has a long tradition of service tothe steel construction industry providing timely and reliable information.

Learn More about The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

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:

• Contact AIA Colorado Staff
• AIA Colorado Calendar
• AIA Colorado News and Articles

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
  • November 12-14, 2025 at Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO.