Architecture for Everyone at AIA 26

Yes, the puppies returned to the AIA conference, held last week in San Diego. A good thing, that: The events, keynotes and show floor were at moments depleting in their depth, information and energy, and calm respites such as these allowed visitors to recharge and carry on. The mood was optimistic, with a return to a focus on architecture for people who need it most, collaboration, mentorship and resilience.

After a string quartet from the San Diego Symphony warmed up the audience on Day 1 of the conference (another moment to just listen, be still and breathe), San Diego mayor Todd Gloria welcomed attendees and highlighted the role architects and designers play in helping cities solve problems, proudly emphasizing the fact that San Diego is building more multifamily housing per capita than anywhere in U.S.

Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA, then took the stage to accept his award as the 2026 AIA Gold Medal recipient. In his short acceptance speech, he focused on his life’s work of creating post-disaster temporary housing, mostly using his Paper Log House system, with more permanent buildings made from shipping containers, like the Altadena community center (featured in ‘But First, Community,’ in the current Climate Justice issue of BuildingGreen), remarking about his work, “This is what I’d like to continue for my whole life.”

The show floor was lively and crowded but navigable, and BuildingGreen focused on natural and resilient surfaces and coverings. Standouts included porcelain tiles from Mbrico, stunning tiles from Spanish maker Santa Fe Tile / La Escandella, and American Bird Conservancy–endorsed Solar Gard bird frit, a protective film that helps prevent bird–glass collisions (see the BuildingGreen CEU “Save the Birds” for more on this important approach to conservation).

Karen L. Braitmayer, FAIA, whose energy is unmatched, hosted the CEU “Accessibility As an Act of Empowerment”—her third session of the day, which began with a 7:30 a.m. talk on accessibility in education. Braitmayer’s firm, Studio Pacifica, is made up of architects and accessibility consultants whose work is based on a guiding tenet: “We believe that everyone deserves to live their best, barrier-free life.” Her recommended lessons to incorporate into practice included: Don’t underestimate the power of the small stuff, Look for opportunities to go beyond the code, and Talk to people with disabilities. She presented a space planning pyramid, at the bottom of which is Simple Code Compliance (bare minimum, not good enough), Beyond Code (rising above minimum) and Design for All, which encompasses the principal of “designing with, not for.”

More than 2,000 attendees (!) piled into the ballroom for Shigeru Ban’s afternoon Architalk, in which he scrolled through his designs at an incredible clip. Yes, he told the Sugar Bear story—iykyk. It was refreshing to hear his approach to his entire breadth of work beyond his emergency shelter designs, his insights into and explorations of his global influences, and a nod to his favorite architect, Alvar Aalto.

AIA is known for their holistic approach to its conference via architectural love letters to its host cities. San Diego has no shortage of cool architecture, with outside AIA-led tours to the Victorian-era Hotel del Coronado (maybe probably haunted), the Brutalist upside-down William Pereira–designed Geisel Library at UC San Diego, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, arguably among the most revered works of architecture and hardscaping that embraces its natural surroundings.