Michael Eliason: Low Carbon Living with Climate Adaptive Ecodistricts & Buildings
2024-02-22 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Title: Low Carbon Living with Climate Adaptive Ecodistricts & Buildings
Session type: Presentation on topic for approximately 1-hour followed by discussion and questions. This session will focus on various threats posed by changing climate – and options available to mitigate them. Topics will include policy recommendations, blind spots in the building industry based on global experience and network, and areas of needed research to adapt to effects climate change will have on built environment. Discussion centered around a call to action from the audience.
Presenter: Michael Eliason: Founder, Larch Lab. Architect, author, Passivhaus specialist
Michael Eliason is the founder of Larch Lab – part architecture and urbanism studio, part ‘think and do’ tank – focusing on research and policy; decarbonized low-energy buildings; and climate adaptive urbanism. Michael is also a writer, and an award-winning architect specializing in mass timber, social housing, baugruppen (urban cohousing), and ecodistricts. His career has been dedicated to advancing innovation and broadening the discourse on sustainable development, passivhaus, non-market housing, and decarbonized construction. He serves on the board of Seattle’s new Passivhaus Social Housing Developer PDA. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech and became a Passivhaus consultant in 2010. His professional experience includes work in both the Pacific Northwest, and Germany.
Learning objectives:

Articulate the difference between climate mitigation, and adaptation
Explain the extreme impacts climate change will have on buildings and communities
Understand design strategies that can be employed to adapt to extremes
Understand the risk and potential liabilities of ignoring climate change and building science.

Problem statement: Our buildings were designed for a climate that no longer exists.
The weather data for building envelopes and mechanical systems is based on historic averages that have been superseded by the last decade of Climate Change. These averages do not take into account wildly divergent peaks/extremes or the climate zone migration that is occurring with Climate Change. We are just beginning to see the extremes related to wildfires, flooding, and heat – and the impacts will be far reaching.
In 2014, the Supreme Court of California found that architects owe a duty of care to occupants and residents of buildings. The rapidly deteriorating weather due to climate change are affecting buildings in ways out-of-date energy models could never have predicted. Extended wildfire smoke events. Deluges dropping more water than roofs and drains can handle. Overheating due to poor design, which can become deadly during heat events on building configuration at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Attendees will learn about building threats from climate change extremes, ways to mitigate them, and possibilities for reducing risks and liability as planners
Are your buildings and housing designed to adapt to climate change, or will it facilitate dangerous and potentially deadly outcomes for residents? Architects, developers, and owners will need to rapidly pivot to adapting to these new changes. This session will cover some of the threats involved with Climate Change, what strategies design teams and owners should be employing to adapt, and what the ethical liability and implications may be in a rapidly devolving climate.
Topic area: Building planning for extreme climate events: How building design today is not designed to mitigate and adapt to a wildly changing climate. Mitigating liability for practitioners by understanding how our buildings will perform in heat domes, cold snaps, wildfire smoke events, deluges – and migrating climate zones.
3518 Fremont Ave N #372, Seattle, WA 98103 T +1.206.806.3605
M info@larchlab.com W larchlab.com

NCARB & You: AXP, ARE, & Certification - AIA Japan: Online Session on Path to U.S. Licensure
2024-09-30 19:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Tokyo)
NCARB & You: AIA Japan
Join NCARB Assistant Vice President, International Relations, Patricia Ramallo, AIA, NCARB, MBA, CAE, LEED AP BD+C & Homes, for a presentation on a range of licensure topics relevant to students, aspiring architects, supervisors, architects, and people in the architecture profession. The presentation will review the steps necessary to achieve licensure to become an architect and other programs to get the most out of your career in architecture.
Topics will include:
• Background of NCARB
• The entities involved in the licensure process
• How to establish an NCARB Record
• How to progress successfully through the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®)
• What to expect with the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®)
• Recent changes to NCARB programs • Value of the NCARB Certificate • International Pathways

Join our online session with NCARB to discuss and answer your questions on how to become licensed in the U.S. while based in Japan.
NCARB is the National Council of Architectural Registration Board headquartered in Washington D.C.
This session is free and all are welcome.
Registration here

Cero 9 : Cristina Díaz Moreno & Efrén García Grinda Lecture
2024-10-10 19:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Tokyo)
Cero 9 Founder and Principals, Cristina Díaz Moreno & Efrén García Grinda
Description
Worlding is the term used to review the architectural work and trajectory of Cristina Díaz Moreno and Efrén García Grinda, founders of the Madrid-based architecture studio amid.cero9. As an intellectual design method, worlding implies a particular way of being in the world. It considers a range of complexities, difficulties and challenges, while celebrating richness and diversity. Worlding also implies the activity of worldmaking as the definition of alternative, as well as real, concrete and physical micro-worlds. The definition of these parallel yet plausible worlds, understood as small-scale and autonomous material environments, offers an alternative to the exploitation, constant transformation and exhaustion of our physical one.
About Cero 9
Cristina Díaz Moreno & Efrén García Grinda are principals and founders of the internationally recognized architectural practice amid.cer09. Founded back in 1997 as a collaborative platform to investigate the intersections between architecture, culture and nature, the practice has evolved into a research-based design practice focused on contemporary urban, technological and cultural challenges. Intensely committed to the development of methodological disciplinary processes, amid.cero’s projects combine constructive precision with conceptual clarity and uncover the specific opportunities and special nature of each context, cultivating an approach to the contemporary notion of space that enlists sociology, technology, media and politics.
With a vast academic experience, they have been recently appointed Professors and directors of the Studio 1 in the Institute of Architecture at the Angewandte, Vienna, succeeding Zaha Hadid (2000-2015) and Kazuyo Sejima (2015-2019). They have been Visiting Lecturers at SOA, Princeton University (2017-), Diploma Unit Masters at the Architectural Association (2009-18), Visiting Professors at the Institut für Kunst und Architektur at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna (2013-14, 2018-19), Design Critics in Architecture and co-directors of an Option Studio at the GSD, Harvard University (2015-2017) and Visiting Professors and Unit co-directors in the SAC StädSchule Architectural Class, Frankfürt (2016-2017).
REGISTER HERE

AIA Japan Board Meeting
2024-10-31 19:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Tokyo)
All members welcome.

AIA Japan AGM/Board Meeting
2025-01-30 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Join Zoom Meeting from this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82731332957?pwd=[REDACTED]

2025 AIA International Spring Conference
2025-03-20 15:30 - 2025-03-22 22:30 (Asia/Tokyo)
Join us for a 3-day virtual conference on how architects around the world are innovating to shape the future of the built environment!
Register Today!

About this event

Dates: Thursday 20 March – Saturday 22 March 2025
Cost: FREE (for AIA members and Non-members)
Total CES: Estimated 15 LUs for AIA Members (tbc)
See our Spring Conference Program page to learn more about the individual events on offer!
Event Description
Architecture continues to push boundaries, redefine expectations, and inspire through innovation. Trailblazing Architecture highlights the groundbreaking ideas, transformative technologies, and pioneering approaches shaping the future of our built environment.
From sustainable design solutions to adaptive reuse, and from advanced technologies to equity-driven practices, architects are leading the way in addressing complex global challenges. This conference aims to spotlight the diverse ways professionals worldwide are reshaping our industry, imagining new possibilities, and influencing a brighter future for all.
Join us for a global discussion on how architects are embracing bold strategies to redefine the limits of design and construction!
This 3-day virtual conference will bring you lectures, panel discussions, building tours and more from around the world. Conference sessions will be hosted by the 7 International Chapters in Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, the Middle East, Shanghai, and the United Kingdom, the International Sections in Latin America, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Taipei and more of our members worldwide!
Attendance is free and open to all, whether you are an AIA member or not. This year, registrants can choose to add a donation to support our work. As a non-profit organization, all funds raised will go directly towards ongoing AIA International initiatives, including the delivery of the Spring Conference.
Sessions will be available on demand following the conference day. AIA members can receive CES credits for participating live, or for watching on demand.
We are thrilled to bring you an array of speakers who in are helping to move the profession forward. They include Chris Lepine, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, Heath May FAIA, Partner and Executive Vice President at HKS, James Richärd, FAIA of Richard Kennedy Architects and Sir David Adjaye.

2025 AIAJ Design Awards Submission Deadline
2025-11-14 17:00 (Asia/Tokyo)
The AIA Japan Chapter invites AIA members assigned to the Japan Chapter, as well as AIA members working on projects in Japan, to submit their projects for the 2025 AIA Japan Design Award Program by November 14, 2025. The 2025 AIA Japan Design Award Ceremony is scheduled for December 13, 2025.
The mission of the AIA Japan Design Awards Program is to encourage excellence in architectural design and planning, and to provide a platform through which architects can gain recognition from both their peers and the public. The goal is to elevate the standards of architectural design excellence for the benefit of the architectural community and society at large.
With five distinct categories—Architecture (large-scale project), Architecture (small-scale project, single detached house), Interior Architecture, Urban Planning, and a Special Entry Category welcoming architects who have not yet joined the AIA—the AIA Japan Design Awards provide a comprehensive platform for architects to showcase their creativity and technical prowess.

JURORS
We are also honored to introduce this year’s distinguished jury:

Michel van Ackere, AIA, Professor-in-Practice, Meiji University I-AUD; Former Associate, Maki and Associates; Founding President, AIA Japan

Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, Managing Director and founding partner of ATELIER BRÜCKNER

Rita Topa, Partner, Kengo Kuma & Associates; Portuguese Architect/Urban Planner based in Tokyo

Together, they bring an exceptional range of expertise across architecture, interiors, and urban design. We look forward to recognizing outstanding design achievements that reflect innovation, craft, and cultural dialogue.
AWARDS: AIA Japan Award (優秀賞)、Honorable Mention (佳作賞)
The jury will determine the number of awards in each category. They may also decide not to award any submitted projects in a category. Awards are based on quality, not competition, and there is no limit on the number of awards.

ENTRY CATEGORIES

ARCHITECTURE SMALL PROJECT
(single-family detached home or less than 500 m² gross floor area)
Eligible entries may be either new construction or renovation/restoration.

ARCHITECTURE LARGE PROJECT
(more than 500 m² gross floor area)
Eligible entries may be either new construction or renovation/restoration.

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
Eligible entries may be large or small in scope and may involve new construction, renovation, or preservation/restoration.

URBAN PLANNING
Eligible entries may include urban design projects, planning projects, civic amenity improvements, campus plans, environmental programs, or redevelopment projects. Projects
should not be individual buildings.

SPECIAL ENTRY
Includes one-year AIA membership with free entry; follows the same rules as the four categories above and entrants must register with AIA Japan. Entrants are required to complete a membership application and purchase one membership for the current year via the AIA website.
Membership Application: https://www.aia.org/membership

For multiple-building projects, the submitting Architect (or portion thereof) must provide detailed evidence of authorship for the relevant portion.
Projects for architecture large project, small project, and interiors must be built work completed between January 1, 2020, and October 31, 2025. For the Urban Planning Category, incomplete or ongoing projects may be recognized if a significant portion has been completed or implemented by a local authority since January 1, 2015.
For “Special Entry” Category, you will be required to produce evidence that you have applied for AIA membership as part of the submission review process. If submitting multiple projects, only one accompanying membership application is required.

FEES AND ELIGIBILITY

APPLICANT CATEGORY
FEE

AIA Japan Chapter
10,000 JPY per entry

Other Chapters
100 USD per entry, includes international transaction and currency conversion charges.

Non-Member
Free with proof of membership application

Multiple entries by the same individual are allowed.
Entrants must be AIA members assigned to the Japan Chapter or AIA members with a project in Japan, in good standing, including Architect members, International Associate AIA (Int. Assoc. AIA) members, and AIA Honorary members. Membership must be valid and active as of November 15, 2025.
Entrants must also be able to claim authorship or significant authorship of the project being submitted.

APPLICATION
Accepting submissions until Friday, November 14, 2025 at 5:00pm Japan Standard Time (JST), UTC+9. Download application materials now for further detailed instructions on how to submit.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORMS

FOR INQUIRY

Please contact the Award Program Coordinator or a Committee Member for further information.
Email: aiaj.design.awards@gmail.com

AWARDS CEREMONY
Awards will be presented during the Year-End Event on Saturday, December 13, 2025. AIA Japan Chapter encourages all entrants to attend the AIA Japan Design Award Ceremony. Award winners are required to present their project for 5–10 minutes at the ceremony.
SAVE THE DATE MORE DETAILS TO COME!

AIA International Spring Conference 2026: Shaping Place
2026-03-26 - 2026-03-28
The AIA International Spring Conference returns for its 6th year!
When: Thursday 26 March – Saturday 28 March 2026
Where: ONLINE
Total CES Credits – TBC
Event Description
Shaping Place is a virtual architecture conference looking at how architects translate global insights into locally grounded, culturally responsive, and environmentally responsible design. For instance, as climate pressures grow and communities face increasing demands for healthcare, housing, and civic infrastructure, architects are increasingly called to integrate nature-based solutions—such as passive design strategies, landscape-driven systems, material stewardship, and regenerative approaches—into the everyday practice of architecture.
Through built case studies, applied research, and leadership perspectives, the conference examines how architects shape places that support human wellbeing, respect cultural context, and work in alignment with natural systems. Sessions will emphasize measurable outcomes, user experience, and long-term performance, positioning sustainability and culture not as abstract ideals, but as core responsibilities of architectural practice.
REGISTER HERE

James Scott Brew - The Chicken Hero Always Wins: Storytelling for Architects
2026-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Tokyo)
Friday, March 27, 2026
1900 JST
The event is an online event that is part of AIA International Spring Conference. More information and registration here.

Event Description
You may have noticed that many business, conference and even some of our client presentations lack a coherent structure, meaningful content, and a memorable delivery.As architects we know we must translate our clients’ needs from insight to impact. But it does not begin with a slideshow of our design solutions; it starts with a story.
Storytelling for architects is a design process—not unlike a building or urban design solution. Our stories must be true, are best experienced live, but they must always strive to resonate.
This session will focus on how architects can translate their insights into locally grounded, culturally responsive, and environmentally responsible stories using a story structuring framework – including strategies from neuroscience, and proven techniques that win competitions, awards, and project interviews.
Real world examples of storytelling applied in architecture today will be shared, including ‘The Chicken Hero’ story.
Speaker
James Scott Brew, FCSI, AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, Senior Sustainability & Wellness Architect, NIKKEN SEKKEI
Speaker Bio

James Scott Brew is a senior resilience and wellness architect with NIKKEN SEKKEI (Tokyo, Japan) where he specializes in helping to create healthy, sustainable, and energy efficient buildings that achieve greater resiliency for clients, campuses, and cities. He has over 35 years of design, management, and construction experience and has completed hundreds of projects—at many scales, focused on historic preservation, retrofits, healthy, high-performance, LEED/WELL certified, and Passive House buildings. His work extends from the U.S. to Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Before joining NIKKEN, Mr. Brew co-led the buildings practice at Rocky Mountain Institute and was a principal owner, vice-president and pioneer of sustainable design helping to grow his own Minnesota-based architecture and engineering firm from a small firm to nearly 200 people on 7 client focused teams.

Save the Date: Lecture by Balazs Bognar
2026-04-09 18:30 - 20:30 (Asia/Tokyo) | Cosentino Showroom, イノックス青山 6 Chome-4-14 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo, 107-0062, Japan
Wednesday, April 9
6:30 PM
Cosentino Showroom

Please save the date for a special evening with Balazs Bognar, Partner and Executive Vice President at Kengo Kuma & Associates and 2025 AIA President. More details and registration information will be shared soon.

AIA International Mentorship Program 2026 - Kick-Off Session
2026-04-24
The AIA International Global Mentorship Program invites everyone to join our 2026 Kickoff Session on April 24.
When: Friday 24 April 2026 – Time to be confirmed
Where: Online

Description
Join the AIA International Global Mentorship Program’s first group session!
The theme of the 2026 AIA International Mentorship Program is Design by Discovery.
To design is to experiment. By questioning norms and continuously testing ideas, we unlock new forms, materials, and spatial experiences. This series highlights the power of experimentation—from re-use to radical rethinking—to expand the limits of what architecture and design can be. Participants are invited to share and discover processes that challenge, refine, and ultimately elevate our practice.
The mentorship program includes regular digital group events which are open to all, as well as digital one-to-one mentoring.
To participate in the 2026 program, please fill out the form and REGISTER HERE >>>.
You can register to participate as a mentor / mentee, or affiliate and receive regular email updates. To participate as a mentor / mentee, please complete the registration by June 1st.
This program is open to all to participate.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Bryant at emergingprofessionals@aiainternational.org
For more information on future sessions, please see our Upcoming Events page.
