Call For Proposals - Shaping the Future Now: Progress Rooted in Perspective

Architecture has always stood at the intersection of vision and responsibility. We imagine what could be—but we build within real constraints: communities, regulations, budgets, histories, and lived experience. The future does not arrive fully formed. It is shaped—incrementally, deliberately—by the decisions architects make today.

Shaping the Future Now: Progress Rooted in Perspective reflects a belief that meaningful progress does not abandon what came before, nor does it cling to it uncritically. Perspective gives us context: lessons learned, patterns recognized, consequences understood. Progress demands action: innovation, leadership, and the willingness to engage with complex challenges head-on.

This Tri-State Conference brings together architects from New York State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to explore how informed perspective—professional, civic, cultural, technical—can drive forward-thinking solutions in a rapidly changing world. We invite proposals that speak to architecture’s evolving role in shaping communities, advancing the profession, and responding responsibly to the urgent issues of our time.

We are seeking sessions that move beyond surface-level commentary to offer insight, rigor, and relevance—programming that is thoughtful, grounded in practice, and applicable across regional and professional contexts.

What We’re Looking For

We encourage proposals that align with one or more of the following priority topic areas. These are not formal “tracks,” but areas of emphasis that reflect the planning group’s vision for a balanced, forward-looking program.

Design, Leadership, and the Profession

• Design excellence: process, outcomes, and the value of architectural thinking
• Architect activism and civic engagement: the Citizen Architect in action
• Promoting the profession: advocacy, public perception, and influence
• Communicating with elected officials: effective engagement at the local, regional, and state levels
• Board service and nonprofit leadership: architects contributing beyond the studio

Housing, Education, and Social Impact

• Housing innovation: addressing urgent housing needs through design, policy, and collaboration
• Housing and education integration: intersections between learning environments, communities, and housing systems

Technology, Sustainability, and the Built Environment

• Artificial Intelligence: rigorous, practice-based exploration beyond introductory or superficial coverage
• Sustainability and climate response, including:
  • Energy and carbon reduction strategies applicable across jurisdictions
  • Adaptive reuse and retrofitting of existing buildings
  • Passive design strategies and high-performance building envelopes
  • Decarbonization pathways and net-zero approaches

Because this is a Tri-State conference, proposals should be broadly relevant across New York State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Sessions narrowly focused on a single state’s regulations or code requirements should frame those specifics within a larger, transferable context.

A Note on Perspective

We welcome a wide range of voices—emerging professionals and seasoned practitioners, small firms and large, architects working in traditional practice as well as those applying architectural training in non-traditional roles. Strong proposals will demonstrate not only what was done, but why it matters, what was learned, and how that knowledge can inform future work.

Presentation Format

Seminars will be 90 minutes in duration. We will be holding this event exclusively in person. Each speaker and/or panel member must be listed separately with all contact information provided.

Continuing Education Submittal

Once selected, AIANYS will submit your program to the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Services to ensure that the appropriate LUs and HSW credits within AIA and New York mandatory education guidelines are applied and to avoid any possible confusion of credit. At times, the submitted learning objectives and/or presentation description need to be edited slightly to best position the presentation for CE credit approval.