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Designing Within the Limits: Water Innovation & the Future of Resilient Development in Colorado
Join us examining how water scarcity is shaping the future of development in Colorado and explores strategies for creating more resilient, water-conscious communities. Participants will learn about innovative water management approaches, emerging technologies, and integrated planning solutions that support public health, safety, and welfare through sustainable resource stewardship and resilient infrastructure design.
Pursuing Net Zero Water in Colorado: Navigating Water Law, Permitting & Infrastructure Constraints
Join us exploring the challenges and opportunities of pursuing Net Zero Water development in Colorado through a discussion of water rights, permitting requirements, and infrastructure constraints. Participants will gain insights from industry experts on lessons learned and practical strategies for advancing resilient, water-conscious projects that support public health, safety, and welfare.
Committee Members
Chairs:
Tom Hootman, AIA, Co-Chair
Renee Azerbegi, AIA, Co-Chair
Committee Members
Andrea Anderson, AIA
Andrea Arias, Assoc. AIA
Tiffany Beffel, AIA
Bradford Bull, AIA
Alexis Campion, AIA
Christy Collins, AIA
Dillon Jones, AIA
Jerico Enriquez, AIA
James Erickson, AIA
Jonathan Fertig, AIA
Marisol Foreman, AIA
Brian Golden, AIA
Steve Gross
Kristen Heitfeld, AIA
Jessica Hunter, AIA
Paul Hutton, FAIA
Deborah Lucking, FAIA
Francis Mougne, AIA
Mark Rothman, AIA
Lauren Shadid, AIA
Rebecca Silva, AIA
Tobias Strohe, AIA
Anthony Thornton, AIA
Bunny Tucker, AIA
Bill Turner, AIA
Rebekah Wagoner, AIA
Staff Liaison:
Nikolaus Remus, AIA
Articles, Recorded Events, and Event Recaps
- 2026 Resiliency Fair Recap
May 15, 2026Alliance Center, Denver As Colorado continues to face growing challenges tied to drought, wildfire, water scarcity, and climate uncertainty, architects and landscape architects are increasingly being called upon to design resilient communities together. The AIA Colorado and ASLA Colorado/Wyoming 2026 Resiliency Fair brought together professionals from across disciplines to explore collaborative approaches to… Read more: 2026 Resiliency Fair Recap - West Virtual Connect: Disaster Preparedness
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… Read more: West Virtual Connect: Disaster Preparedness - Cancel Culture in Climate
Join AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment for a discussion with author Jenny Morgan about her book Cancel Culture in Climate. We all want the same thing: a livable, sustainable future. For architects and design professionals, the path forward lies in collaboration, not division. Together, we can transform climate action by embedding authentic, meaningful sustainability strategies… Read more: Cancel Culture in Climate - Beyond the Surface
Beyond the Surface: Vetting Materials for Health, Carbon, & Impact The 2025 AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment “Beyond the Surface: Vetting Materials for Health, Carbon, & Impact” AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment invites you to an educational session on sustainable design and construction, featuring Green Badgers Founder & CEO Tommy Linstroth. Additionally, we’ll… Read more: Beyond the Surface - Embodied Carbon: Regulations, LEED v5, and Contractor’s Role
Embodied Carbon: Regulations, LEED v5, and Contractor’s Role The 2025 AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment presents “Embodied Carbon: Regulations, LEED v5, and Contractor’s Role” This presentation covers different regulatory and voluntary programs to reduce embodied carbon and how different approaches will result in different outcomes. It will also explain the LEED v5 requirements related… Read more: Embodied Carbon: Regulations, LEED v5, and Contractor’s Role - Empowering Architecture with Passive House
The 2025 AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment presents “Empowering Architecture with Passive House”. Empowering Architecture with Passive House methodology, combining architectural design and building science to solve climate, energy, and comfort with the architecture. Passive House is a well-established approach and building standard leading to significantly better-performing buildings that are cost-effective to build and… Read more: Empowering Architecture with Passive House - People, Planet, Design
Join the 2025 AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment for the session “People, Planet, Design: A Practical Guide for Realizing Architecture’s Potential” with Corey Squire, AIA. Why do some firms consistently create healthy, high-performing buildings, while for others sustainability remains a struggle? Do they have the right clients? The ones with big budgets and ambitions?… Read more: People, Planet, Design - AIA 2030 Commitment: Breaking Boundaries with Embodied Carbon
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: A Q+A session followed the presentation. - AIA 2030 Commitment: Implementation & Case StudiesSeptember 11th, AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) led a session unpacking 2030 Commitment implementation & case studies. Hear from COTE and AIA members as they present multiple aspects to the 2030 Commitment. A few of the topics discussed include: A brief Q+A session followed the presentation.
- Getting Started with the AIA 2030 CommitmentJune 20, 2024, AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) led a session unpacking the 2030 Commitment. Hear from COTE and AIA members as they present multiple aspects to the 2030 Commitment. A few of the topics discussed include: A brief Q+A session followed the presentation.
- My Personal Observations from COP28
From November 29th to December 12th, 2023, I had the remarkable opportunity to participate in the 28th Conference of the Parties UAE (COP28), held at the Expo City, Dubai. COP28 marked a significant milestone as it concluded the first-ever ‘global stocktake’ of worldwide efforts to combat climate change under the Paris Agreement. The Conference was extended due… Read more: My Personal Observations from COP28 - AIA Colorado Member Reflects On The 2023 COTE Top Ten
AIA has recently announced the 2023 COTE Top Ten. AIA Colorado member Kyleen Rockwell, AIA, reflects on her involvement helping to propel the UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood project, a place designed to promote physical and mental well-being, support the school’s environmental commitments, and foster community connections. I was ecstatic when the AIA announced the… Read more: AIA Colorado Member Reflects On The 2023 COTE Top Ten - An Update on the Marshall Fire Recovery Efforts
Signs announcing “We’re Rebuilding” are posted in front of rows of empty lots, indicating that the bustling construction activity is a result of the 2021 Marshall Fire Disaster rather than typical subdivision construction. Some sites have handmade numbers proclaiming the address of the house that once stood there, while one lot had park benches and… Read more: An Update on the Marshall Fire Recovery Efforts - Colorado Climate Policy with Senator Chris Hansen
To most, a room full of architects carrying on about climate policy on a cold Monday in January hardly feels like a great evening. It’s hard enough to get a few architects together after work for happy hour, let alone to talk state politics. But the crowd turned out to hear Senator Chris Hansen (District… Read more: Colorado Climate Policy with Senator Chris Hansen - AIA Colorado board members tour the Headwaters Center in Winter Park, CO
By Anna Friedrich, Assoc. AIA When you are invited to drive up to Grand Lake on a late summer Friday, it’s hard to say no. In mid-August, I was fortunate enough to tag along on the AIA Colorado board retreat and water conservancy tour organized by Scott Munn, director of AIA Colorado West. Scott grew… Read more: AIA Colorado board members tour the Headwaters Center in Winter Park, CO - Statewide Energy Code Update Bill Passed
AIA Colorado was proud to recently support HB22-1362: Building Greenhouse Gas Emissions, an energy code modernization bill that will result in more use statewide of the 2021 and 2024 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC) as the new baseline for energy performance for every new building in Colorado. Representative Tracey Bernett of Longmont introduced the bill… Read more: Statewide Energy Code Update Bill Passed - Meet the Co-Chair: Committee on the Environment
What drew you to this group? I was drawn to COTE, because my career is centered on the idea of furthering sustainability in the built environment and the idea of being able to discuss these topics with a group of architects seemed like a great opportunity. How has this committee grown or changed since you… Read more: Meet the Co-Chair: Committee on the Environment - Decarbonization—An Open Invitation
- Virtual Connect: Designing Zero Net Energy and Resilient Buildings
- Zero-Energy Schools
- Civic Activism and the Greater Good
- The Business Case for Sustainability
- Decarbonizing the Built Environment Town Hall with West Metro Legislators
- Decarbonizing the Built Environment Town Hall with Durango Legislators
- Decarbonizing the Built Environment Town Hall with Ft. Collins Area Legislators
- Zero Energy Districts—Designing a Climate Positive Future
- Virtual Connect: Zero Energy Districts – Designing a Climate Positive Future
- Sustainable Design Using Precast Concrete
- Virtual Connect: Hear from Colorado firms who have taken the AIA 2030 Challenge
- Virtual Connect: Bridging and Thermal Continuity of the Building Skin
- Virtual Connect: The Restorative Impact of Perceived Open Space
- Virtual Connect: AIA 2030 Commitment – Are you up for the Challenge?