Historic Resources Committee Holiday Get-together
The mission of the AIA Cleveland’s Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to promote, advance and advocate for the preservation of Northeast.
RSVP to:
Katie Lester, hbmarchitects.com
Marie-Rose Andriadi, mrandriadi@gmail.com
AIA Ohio 2026 Conference
Join AIA Cleveland, Ohio-based architects and design for the 2026 AIA Ohio Annual Conference, November 12–13 in downtown Columbus. Earn continuing education credits, hear from inspiring keynote speakers, explore innovative projects through offsite tours, celebrate excellence at the AIA Ohio Design Awards, and build meaningful connections with colleagues from across the state. Get started and register here.
ACE Fall Celebration 2026
ACE is preparing high school students for careers in architecture, engineering, and construction. Through mentoring by industry professionals, our mission to engage and enlighten high school students is achieved, and supports their continued advancement in the industry.
Body of Work: Ground Truth// How Place Makes Form with Christopher Maurer
Ground Truth: How Place Makes Form
Every place has its own economy of materials, labor, and light, and every design is an answer to it. This talk gathers what disparate places have taught one architect about working with what is at hand, and how local resources shape intention long before form arrives. It asks what we owe those conditions, and what becomes possible when we treat them as the beginning of design rather than a limit on it.
Bio
Christopher Maurer is Principal Architect and founder of redhouse studio in Cleveland. He spent a number of years in Africa leading offices for MASS Design Group and StudioMDA. He has developed biofabrication technologies for MIT and NASA and is currently developing alternative material projects in Northeast Ohio and around the world.
Directions Note:
For Maps or Waze use this address: Ohio Aerospace Institute, 22800 Cedar Point Rd., Cleveland, OH 44142
If you use the city of Brook Park, you will be misdirected to Glenn Research Center. No entrance there.
Lunch & Learn: Leveraging Prefab w/ Valley Interior Systems
In this Lunch & Learn, we will discuss the growing possibilities with prefabrication of interior and exterior components, like panelized wallsystems and drywall shapes, and the impact you can leverage for your designs and clients.
FROM OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW: STRATEGIES FOR STRONGER PROPOSALS
FROM OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW: STRATEGIES FOR STRONGER PROPOSALS
Winning a project starts before the proposal is written. How does a firm decide which opportunities are
worth pursuing? What makes a team credible to a client? And when a firm reaches the interview stage,
what helps it stand out?
This Business of Architecture session brings together AEC pursuit professionals and client perspectives to
examine how firms compete for private, public, and federal work. Panelists will discuss how firms need
to assess an opportunity, develop “GO/NO-GO” strategies, assemble a team around the project’s needs,
and turn their experience into a clear response that speaks to the client’s priorities and selection
criteria. We will also explore the time and resources firms invest in pursuing work, and how thoughtful
decisions can protect firm’s financial resources.
The conversation will follow from early positioning through proposal and interview. Attendees will hear
what selection teams look for, where proposals commonly fall short, and how interview teams can
demonstrate that they understand the client and are ready to deliver. A small group discussion will give
participants a chance to compare approaches and identify one change to bring back to their firms.
EVENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Assess project opportunities based on project and client fit, capacity, pursuit cost to inform a go
or no go decision.
2. Identify the experience and partners needed to assemble a team that responds to the project’s
requirements.
3. Connect your team’s qualifications to the client’s priorities and selection criteria in a proposal.
4. Prepare an interview approach that demonstrates the team’s understanding of the project and
ability to deliver.
Business Architecture
The Business of Architecture Event Series: From Opportunity to Interview: Strategies for Stronger Proposals
Business of Architecture is intended to help AIA members and the greater Cleveland design community to enhance their business acumen through expert presentations or moderated panel discussion, interactive peer discussions, and the exchange of practical tools, all centered around topic-specific facets of the design practice. Winning a project starts before the proposal is written. How does a firm decide which opportunities are worth pursuing? What makes a team credible to a client? And when a firm reaches the interview stage, what helps it stand out? This Business of Architecture session brings together AEC pursuit professionals and client perspectives to examine how firms compete for private, public, and federal work. Panelists will discuss how firms need to assess an opportunity, develop “GO/NO-GO” strategies, assemble a team around the project’s needs, and turn their experience into a clear response that speaks to the client’s priorities and selection criteria. We will also explore the time and resources firms invest in pursuing work, and how thoughtful decisions can protect firm’s financial resources. The conversation will follow from early positioning through proposal and interview. Attendees will hear what selection teams look for, where proposals commonly fall short, and how interview teams can demonstrate that they understand the client and are ready to deliver. A small group discussion will give participants a chance to compare approaches and identify one change to bring back to their firms.
Learning Objectives
Assess project opportunities based on project and client fit, capacity, pursuit cost to inform a go or no go decision.
Identify the experience and partners needed to assemble a team that responds to the project’s requirements
Connect your team’s qualifications to the client’s priorities and selection criteria in a proposal.
Prepare an interview approach that demonstrates the team’s understanding of the project and ability to deliver.
AIA CEU: 1 LU (pending approval)
AIA Cleveland 2026 End of the Year Procrastinators AIA/CEU Education Blitz
Join AIA Cleveland’s End-of-Year Procrastinators CEU Education Blitz on Wednesday, December 9, from 12–3pm. This rapid-fire, three-hour session is designed and led by AIA Cleveland’s Co-Director of Programming, Scott Taylor, to help you wrap up the year and your credits in one productive afternoon.
AIA Cleveland Holiday Mentorship Mixer: Mentorship Kickoff Event
Event Details coming soon…
Women in Architecture x Cleveland Monsters
Save the date!
Women in Architecture (WIA) x Cleveland Monsters event details arriving soon…
Design Awards
AIA Cleveland is pleased to announce the details for the 2026 AIA Cleveland Design Awards, one of the region’s most anticipated annual celebrations of architectural excellence. This year’s event will take place on Friday, November 6, 2026, at the Tinkham Veale University Center on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.
Lunch & Learn: ARC BIM 300 to Closeout : Using Scan to Model with Linked Documentation and Digital Turnover Tools to Improve Construction Handover
AIA Cleveland's Lunch and Learn series continues with this free printing course led by ARC Document Solutions.
Parkitecture: Autumn Edition
Parkitecture: Fall Edition starts up at Cleveland Metroparks, North Chagrin Reservation.
Lunch & Learn: Mass Timber Design and Construction 101 presented by O'Donnell & Naccarato Structural Engineers
The Lunch and Learn series continues on Mass Timber Design and Construction 101 is an introductory course geared toward architects, engineers, construction professionals, and designers. Discussion will be led by Dennis Mordan, PE, SE, President of O’Donnell & Naccarato, a nationally recognized thought leader dedicated to promoting the significant sustainability and cost-efficiency benefits of mass timber.
Lunch & Learn: Don’t Accept Mental Health Differences at Your Firm… Embrace Them!
From ADHD to Bipolar Disorder and Depression, mental health affects thousands of the most creative, productive, and essential professionals. Research shows that embracing the mental health of your employees has a powerful positive influence on efficiency, productivity, and employee retention rate. Meyers will share his personal story of creating an environment where neurodivergent people thrive and how to use a cognitively diverse workforce as a competitive advantage.
Historic Resources Committee Meeting
The mission of the AIA Cleveland’s Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to promote, advance and advocate for the preservation of Northeast.
RSVP to:
Katie Lester, hbmarchitects.com
Marie-Rose Andriadi, mrandriadi@gmail.com
Lunch & Learn: Sustainable Forestry Initiative presented by Sierra Pacific Windows
Learning Objectives:
1. Explore developments in forestry practices, supply and demand of wood consumption, and impact of forest ownership on industry and trade.
2. Discuss the importance of forest certification for environmental sustainability, including protection of wildlife, aquatic animals, water quality and the conservation of biological diversity.
3. Review the SFI Standards, Principles, and Objectives, and the benefits to our wellness and health of our forests.
4. Investigate the benefits of using certified wood and the relevancy to LEED and other green building programs.
ICAA CLE
Join the Ohio & Lake Erie Chapter for an evening lecture with Virginia Burt, FASLA, FCSLA, founder of Virginia Burt Designs. Through selected built work, Burt will explore classical principles in a number of Cleveland landscapes that demonstrate humane, enduring gardens that are deeply responsive to place. The presentation will consider projects across private and public healing settings, highlighting design strategies that connect beauty, local history stewardship, and human well-being.
Sketch-n-Sip: Mediterranean Plants + Design
Architecture, art, sketching, and conversation come together for our next AIA Cleveland Sketch-n-Sip at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Where: Cleveland Museum of Art
Date: Wednesday, September 23
Time: 6:00 PM
Free and open to everyone, register here…
Lunch & Learn: Lunch & Learn: AI in Your Firm: Practical Tools for the Tasks That Eat Your Day
AIA Approved: 1 LU | Elective
Every week, architects lose hours to tasks that have nothing to do with design: writing proposals from scratch, summarizing meeting notes, trying to keep up with social media. These aren't complex tasks; they're just relentless. And they're exactly what AI was built to handle.
In this practical, demo-driven session, Bryon McCartney, CEO of Archmark and business growth coach to more than 5,000 architecture firms, shows you how to put AI to work on three of the biggest time drains in your practice: meeting notes and follow-ups, proposals writing, and social media content creation.
Using AI tools like Claude and Gemini, Bryon walks through real examples of how AI can take a task from two hours to twenty minutes, without sacrificing quality or your firm's voice.
Whether you've never opened an AI tool or you've been experimenting without a real system, you'll leave with specific tools, practical examples, and a first step you can take before your next project meeting.
Understanding Window and Door Performance Terms
Join us for a continuing education presentation and happy hour at Pella Westlake’s Showroom in Crocker Park.
Lunch & Learn: Designing the Future of your Business | Succession Planning for Design Professionals
Lunch & Learn: Designing the Future
Join AIA Cleveland for a free, AIA approved continuing education online course with a focused discussion on how to curate your business and workplace for the future.
Historic Resources Committee Meeting
The mission of the AIA Cleveland’s Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to promote, advance and advocate for the preservation of Northeast.
RSVP to:
Katie Lester, hbmarchitects.com
Marie-Rose Andriadi, mrandriadi@gmail.com
Lunch & Learn: Stick With It! Elevating Greater Cleveland through Design Excellence
The Lunch & Learn series continues with OHM for a panel discussion about how local advocates can support Cleveland’s current momentum through collaboration, context, and ‘making Cleveland stickier.
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.
Parkitecture: Summer Edition – From Private Estate to Public Park at Huntington Reservation
2 AIA LU | HSW
Parkitecture: Summer Edition is an interdisciplinary, in-person evening program co-presented by AIA Cleveland, the Cleveland Section of the Ohio APA, and the Cleveland practitioners of ASLA Ohio. The program is held on-site at Huntington Reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Bay Village, OH), and is structured as two sequential, complementary segments.
PART 1 — DESIGN CASE STUDY PRESENTATION (~60 minutes, with Q&A session held before the tour):
PART 2 — INTERPRETIVE PARK WALK (~45 minutes, immediately following the presentation):
PART 3 - COOKOUT & SUNSET OVER LAKE ERIE (~ The walking tour ends along the beach with a discussion of the seasonal rhythms of the lake's ecology)
Huntington Beach address: 28492 Lake Rd, Bay Village, OH 44140
Parking: Use the main parking lot off of Lake Road, or across the street near Bay Arts.
Meeting Location: Lake Picnic Area, located in Huntington Reservation, north of Lake Road between Columbia and Bradley Roads in Bay Village.
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.
Historic Resources Committee Meeting
The mission of the AIA Cleveland’s Historic Resources Committee (HRC) is to promote, advance and advocate for the preservation of Northeast.
RSVP to:
Katie Lester, hbmarchitects.com
Marie-Rose Andriadi, mrandriadi@gmail.com
Body of Work: The Familiar and the Present: The Life and Work of David Ellison
Save the date | More details coming soon
Location: The D.H. ELLISON Co.
2002 W. 41st Street • Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Lunch & Learn: Single Family Attached Fire and Sound Rated Wall Assemblies
A 50-minute presentation topic: "Single Family Attached Fire and Sound Rated Wall Assemblies". This presentation is great for all architects who design townhouses and multi- family housing.
YAAM Dragon Boats Outing
Join AIA Cleveland’s Young Architects and Associate Members (YAAM) Committee for an evening out on the river with the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association. Attendees can expect a brief training, followed by a cruise up and down our industrial river.
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.
AIA IIDA Golf Outing
Join us for the 2026 AIA IIDA Golf Outing. Click the button below to sponsor or to register to golf.
Lunch and Learn: Architectural Powder Coatings
Provider: Sierra Pacific Windows
Credits: 1 AIA LU H/S/W
Description:
Powder coating is a dry finishing process known for durability, performance, and a smooth application process on many products from everyday appliances to tough machinery. This learning unit will take an in-depth look at powder coatings while outlining the history of their development.
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.
Sand Fest 2026
Our chapter’s signature event combines volleyball and sandcastle construction to present a unique opportunity for Cleveland architects and designers to engage with the public on one of Cleveland’s premier beaches (Edgewater Beach just west of Downtown Cleveland). Join us for a day of friendly competition for a great cause, as all proceeds support the ACE Mentor Program’s scholarship fund.
Participate
This year, Sand Fest is blasting into the future with our “Cleveland in the Year 3000” theme! Imagine what our city, and our world, might look like a thousand years from now. Will Cleveland have floating neighborhoods over Lake Erie? Gardens growing on skyscrapers? Stadiums powered by clean energy and transportation that moves through the air instead of the streets? As technology evolves, so will design. From futuristic landmarks and next-generation transportation to reimagined versions of Cleveland icons, the possibilities are endless.
Sponsor
Event sponsorships are available at multiple levels and include team registration benefits. For more information on sponsorship levels and what they include, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/AIA-Sandfest-Sponsor-Sheet
Early bird registration ends June 19, and registration closes July 10. Please be sure to carefully read the full competition rules for both the sandcastle and volleyball competitions by downloading the PDFs at aiacleveland.com/sandfest, as some rules may have changed.
Volunteer
Looking to get involved? Join our Community Outreach Committee!
We are looking for volunteers to strengthen the Community Outreach Committee’s impact on the Cleveland community! Sand Fest is a perfect opportunity to get involved. This sand sculpture and volleyball competition attracts hundreds of visitors and allows design professionals to connect with the community while showing off their creativity. We’re looking for volunteers to help plan and run the event—no sandcastle experience needed!
If you’re interested in joining the Community Outreach Committee or volunteering for Sand Fest, please email Chris Dewey at cdewey@dvaarchitecture.comand Emily Leu at emilymleu@outlook.com.
Sketch & Sip: Drawing the City
Location:
Richard L. Bowen & Associates, Inc.
2019 Center St, Suite 500
Cleveland, OH 44113
Young Architects and Associate Members (YAAM) Committee Meeting
We are a committee dedicated to bridging the gap between passion and practice in the built environment, embracing advocates, students & emerging professionals.
All AIA members welcome!
Location: Virtual
RSVP to :
Kiernan Weese, AIA: kweese@cplteam.com
Maura Flaherty, Assoc. AIA: mflaherty@perspectus.com
“Look Up” Take-a-Hike Architecture Tour
AIA Cleveland partners with Take a Hike Cleveland to provide tours of downtown Cleveland’s architecture.