Year in Review 2025
In 2025, AIA focused on making membership more valuable in the ways that show up in your day-to-day work: stronger advocacy, better tools and learning, and deeper local support—so you can run a healthier practice, deliver better work, and grow your impact.
“In 2025, AIA focused on what matters most to members: protecting your ability to practice, strengthening your business and career, and helping you lead on climate action and equity. Together, we turned member engagement into real results—policy wins that defend design freedom, practical tools you can use in your firm, and more ways to connect, learn, and lead. As a community of 101,000+ members, we’re building a stronger profession and a more resilient, equitable, climate-ready built environment.”
—Evelyn Lee, FAIA, 2025 AIA President
AIA by the numbers
2021-2025 Strategic Plan
Over the last five years, AIA and its members have led the charge in confronting two of the world’s most critical challenges: climate change and systemic inequity.
Your voice protected design freedom—and delivered policy wins
Members showed up—and AIA converted that engagement into outcomes that protect how you design, specify, and deliver projects. These wins support firmer business footing, stronger housing tools, and a profession that can lead with integrity.
Policy highlights:
- R&D Expensing restored
- Small business relief with expanded pass-through deduction
- Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) strengthened with permanent increases in state housing credit ceiling and bond flexibility
- 179D federal tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial properties protected
- Led the profession in defending design freedom and local control in federal architecture following a White House memorandum directing GSA to consider revisions to the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture
- Led formal opposition to EPA’s new position on greenhouse gas deregulation
- Led formal opposition to the destruction of the White House East Wing by issuing a formal recommendation advocating for preservation and transparency
AIA’s programs and guidance were designed to be usable in day-to-day practice—from materials and energy performance to equitable firm culture and responsible AI adoption. The result is a stronger toolkit for delivering high-performing work and building resilient teams.
Tools of note:
- AIA launched the newly designed AIA Salary Calculator making it easier to navigate with added visual aids and a benchmarking tool
- Guides for Equitable Practice Activation Kit (member-only benefit) launched
- Guides for Equitable Practices Discussion Deck (available in the AIA Design Shop) launched
Connection and education are core member benefits—and in 2025 we expanded options across in-person convenings, online learning, and high-impact programs. Whether you came for CE, leadership growth, or community, participation shows a network that’s active and growing.
Community highlights:
- The first 14-person cohort of AIA’s new Business Academy completed the high-impact, four-part intensive program
- New for AIA25: Navigating the economy CE track was designed to help architects understand and steer through changes in construction spending, interest rates, tariffs, material costs, supply chains, and labor trends
- Women’s Leadership Summit included new Executive roundtable, storytelling stage, and dedicated networking for Women in Design/Women in Architecture component committees
Member value is delivered closest to home—through chapters, components, and easier ways to join and renew. In 2025, AIA invested in local delivery and reduced friction so more architects can participate.
Local focus:
- 40+ chapters highlighted by America ByDesign how, including regional series to promote local architecture
- A new International Membership Task Force is developing comprehensive strategies for expanding AIA’s global presence and membership base, building on 2024’s membership category initiative
- New membership dues payment plan launched which enables new and renewing members to divide their annual dues into six monthly payments
AIA’s awards elevate the work of architects and firms, strengthening public understanding and professional pride. In 2025, top honors recognized leaders advancing design quality, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Featured awards news:
- Gold Medal Award winner: Deborah Berke, FAIA
- Architecture Firm Award winner: LPA Design Studios
- Whitney M. Young Jr. Award winner: Bryan C. Lee, Jr., FAIA, NOMA
- The 2025 award cycle had 880+ applications, surpassing the last five-year submission rates by more than 200 applications.
Community + place
AIA’s physical spaces help convene the profession and demonstrate what’s possible in the built environment. In 2025, we welcomed visitors and the AIA community to the renewed Global Campus for Architecture & Design®, an international hub for design innovation and excellence. This carbon-neutral design is a powerful example of how buildings can be transformed to reduce their impact on the climate.
We produced timely research and practical reports that members can use to make better decisions—benchmarking compensation, tracking market conditions, and understanding emerging trends like AI adoption. These publications strengthen your practice with credible data you can share with clients, teams, and partners.
In 2025, AIA helped elevate architecture in the public conversation—amplifying member priorities on housing, climate resilience, and the future of practice. This visibility expanded reach for key initiatives and reinforced architects’ role in shaping policy and public understanding.
Articles of note:
- AIA/US Conference of Mayors Housing Study in Axios
- AI adoption by architects AIA survey in Fast Company
- AIA Home Design Trends Survey in Forbes
- AIA’s Global Campus for Architecture & Design in Washington Business Journal
- AIA Conference on Architecture & Design in Bloomberg
- Resilient and regenerative architecture on CBS News
AIA fosters collaboration to address critical challenges in housing and the AEC industries.
Key events:
- National Housing Survey in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors highlighting concerns: escalating costs, insufficient federal funding; onerous regulations
- First AIA Housing Summit brought together 20+ national housing organizations to identify best practices and policies to reduce barriers to production
- AIA hosted inaugural AEC Summit: Maximizing Impact Across the AEC, bringing together leading architecture, engineering, and construction organizations on shared challenges and opportunities
AIA received multiple awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), recognition that strengthens the visibility of the profession and helps ensure members benefit from high-quality communications, digital experiences, and branding.
2025 achievements:
- International Business Awards®: A Gold Stevie Award for its membership marketing campaign and a Silver Stevie Award for the 2024 AIA Conference on Architecture & Design®
- Trade Show Executive: 2025 Fastest Growing Trade Shows award, ranked by the number of exhibiting companies at the Conference on Architecture & Design
- Info-Tech Research Group: 2025 Innovator of the Year award winner by Info-Tech Research Group, a global leader in IT research and advisory
- Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals: Three Platinum Awards recognizing the AIA24 Conference website, the 2024 Membership Marketing Campaign branding refresh, and the campaign’s promotional and marketing materials. AIA also received a Gold Award for the AIA24 marketing campaign