AIA Cincinnati Members’ 2026 AIA National Conference Recap
The AIA Conference on Architecture and Design (AIA26) took place June 10-13 in San Diego, CA. AIA26 offered educational sessions, architect-led tours, keynote speakers, a massive industry expo, opportunities for connection, and a chance to explore a wonderful city.
Did you know that over 13,000 architects and design professionals attended AIA26? AIA Cincinnati was well represented, sending 16 members! Four delegates represented you at the AIA Annual Meeting: Rob Busch, Lucas De Brito, Johannes Kolshorn, and Jake Thamann. The delegates elected three new members to the AIA Board of Directors and got updates on the AI and Governance task forces during the Business Meeting.
We offered the attendees a few prompts so they could share some of their experiences with you:
The convention was wonderful, but my favorite part is always exploring a new city. Within the walls of the convention, I found comfort knowing that I’m not the only architect who doesn’t know how to do everything. It helps remind me that we’re all just people doing the best we can. We’re all learning and evolving; not a finished product.
-Rob Busch, FAIA, drawing dept
The conference was a valuable opportunity to learn from national conversations happening across the profession, connect with other emerging and young architect leaders,and bring back ideas that can directly strengthen our local Early Professionals programming.
-Lucas De Brito, AIA, Burgess & Niple
I learned a great deal about urbanism by experiencing the city firsthand. I also discovered several new AI tools that I can quickly implement in my office.
-Manuel Granja, AIA, MT Studio
My favorite part was the Roar and Snore. We went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and spent the night with the animals. A lion roared right in my face.
-Sarah Kleiner, AIA, Envisage Architecture LLC
By chance, we connected with an architect that does federal work and is going through the CMMC certification process, which we were thinking about doing. She was able to connect us with her colleagues and they were very helpful in giving insights to help us make informed decisions on if this would be a good fit for our firm. Turns out, we determined this wasn't necessary for the potential project we were looking at, which saved us a huge investment in the CMMC process.
-Wendy Klepcyk, AIA, Envisage Architecture
A highlight was the architectural boat cruise (including CEUs!) is always a standout and San Diego did not disappoint! My favorite was meeting Padma Lakshmi and the tradeshow booth that had all of the puppies!
-Jeffrey A. Sackenheim, AIA, SHP
My favorite part, beyond the weather...was getting to hear Shigeru Ban speak about his work, and the myriad of lectures and presentations on topics such as research-based multifamily design trends and the expo floor were well worth the trek. Seeing how the AIA is promoting good business practices when it comes to fees, liability, and AI usage was encouraging.
-Jake Thamann, AIA, KZF Design
Next year the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design will take place in Philadelphia, PA, from May 19 – 22, 2027. Plan ahead and consider giving yourself the opportunity to attend! Return to Cincinnati reenergized and passionate about what you do. Help make our profession and architectural community the best it can be, all while making new relationships and having a lot of fun.
