AIA Trust Launches New Climate Risk Factsheet to Help Architects Design Responsibly—and Protect Their Practice
New tool provides site-specific, climate projections for hazards such as wildfire, flooding, windstorm, and extreme heat—allowing architects to better inform resilient design strategies and document their professional standard of care.
WASHINGTON – June 2, 2025 - The American Institute of Architects (AIA), in collaboration with AIA Trust is proud to announce the launch of a powerful new resource for architects facing increasing climate-related design and liability challenges. The Climate Risk Factsheet, available exclusively to AIA members, provides site-specific, climate projections for hazards such as wildfire, flooding, windstorm, and extreme heat—allowing architects to better inform resilient design strategies and document their professional standard of care.
Developed and in conjunction with a leading insurance and risk adviser the concise two-page PDF uses geographic coordinates to generate a forward-looking risk profile, including easy-to-understand hazard scores and time-based projections. This tool helps architects communicate long-term risks to clients and align project decisions with foreseeable climate impacts—even when building codes fall short.
“The Factsheet fills a critical gap in project planning, supporting architects’ duty to protect public health and safety in the face of climate volatility,” said Elizabeth Wolverton, Executive Director of AIA Trust. “It’s a practical, defensible way to discuss future risk with clients and collaborators—backed by robust modeling.”
The launch comes at a pivotal moment: the forthcoming LEED v5 rating system will require climate resilience assessments for most project types, and courts are increasingly scrutinizing whether architects considered foreseeable hazards, not just those defined by outdated code.
Transparent Pricing for Members
AIA members can access the Climate Risk Factsheet for a competitive flat rate of $400—transparent pricing with no hidden fees or subscriptions. This offers all members, from sole practitioners to large firms, an affordable way to integrate trusted climate risk data into their projects and better support resilient decision-making.
Live Session at AIA25
Architects attending the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2025 in Washington, D.C., can learn more during the session “Designing for the Future: Climate Risk, Legal Exposure, and a New Tool to Help Architects Lead” on June 6. Climate resilience specialists will walk through sample reports and discuss how the tool helps architects meet evolving client, legal, and sustainability expectations.
Order Now
The Climate Risk Factsheet is available through the AIA Trust.
About AIA Trust
The AIA Trust offers a portfolio of risk management solutions and resources designed to help AIA members grow and prosper. Established in 1952, the AIA Trust works with independent consultants to evaluate, select, and monitor insurance and benefit programs for AIA members and components, and that meet the institute’s high standards of quality, value, financial stability, service, and coverage, adhering to strict criteria.
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