2026 AIA Arizona State Conference

Individual tickets are now on sale for the 2026 AIA Arizona State Conference, to be held Friday, October 23, 2026, at The Clayton House in Scottsdale! Special early bird ticket rates are available now through September 30 only!

Chaired by 2026 AIA Arizona President-elect Dan Maher, AIA, a Regional Executive with Kitchell, the conference is a full day of speakers, camaraderie, insight, inspiration, and connection with more than 425 architecture professionals.

A liminal place or moment is a transition—a threshold or an intermediate state, phase, or condition—often with extraordinary potential. At a time between familiar paradigms and an uncertain future, the 2026 AIA Arizona State Conference will explore the liminal nature of this moment in which technological, environmental, and cultural forces are reshaping the discipline. As established boundaries are dissolving and new possibilities are emerging, architects can redefine the boundaries of practice, expanding our role as designers, advocates, and stewards of the built environment.

Confirmed featured speakers joining us from across the country are Germane Barnes,  Winka Dubbeldam, Jing Liu, Alan Ricks, and Julia Watson. The emcee will be John Cary, the Founding President and CEO of the Eames Institute.

Conference Agenda:

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: Light Breakfast and Coffee

8:00 AM: Program Begins

Introductory remarks by AIA Arizona Executive Director John Czarnecki, President Elizabeth McLean, AIA, Conference Chair Dan Maher, AIA, and emcee John Cary.

Exact speaker timeslots subject to change

MORNING FEATURED SPEAKER: Julia Watson

Designer, activist, academic, and author Julia Watson is a leading expert on indigenous nature-based technologies. She is the co-lead of Lo–TEK Office of Intercultural Urbanism, and has authored “Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism” and “Lo―TEK. Water. A Field Guide for TEKnology (Varia).”

MORNING FEATURED SPEAKER: Winka Dubbeldam

Winka Dubbeldam is the founding partner of Archi-Tectonics NYC, a design studio in New York City, Amsterdam, and Hangzhou. Since September 2025, Dubbeldam is Director and CEO of SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. She is Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, where she chaired the Department of Architecture (2013-23).

Presentation About the Eames Institute: John Cary

John Cary is the Founding President & CEO of the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, a 501c3 public charity dedicated to advancing the legacy of Ray and Charles Eames and their approach to creative problem-solving positively shaping our world.

Lunch Hour

Lunch is included with all tickets. The lunch hour will include book signings with multiple featured speakers.

AFTERNOON FEATURED SPEAKER: Germane Barnes

Germane Barnes is an architect, designer, tenured professor, and Director of the Community Housing Identity Lab (CHIL) at the University of Miami School of Architecture. He is the director of the Miami-based design firm Studio Barnes.

AFTERNOON FEATURED SPEAKER: Jing Liu, AIA

Jing Liu s an architect, educator, and co-founder of the award-winning design firm Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO-IL) in New York City. Through building practice and interdisciplinary research projects, Liu has led SO–IL in the engagement with the socio-political issues of contemporary cities.

AFTERNOON FEATURED SPEAKER: Alan Ricks, AIA

Alan Ricks is Founding Principal and Co-Executive Director of Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS), and co-author of the new book “Seeking Abundance.” Rooted in leading research and deep local knowledge, MASS creates civic spaces that set new standards for design excellence. MASS was honored with the national AIA Architecture Firm Award in 2022.

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM: Closing Reception

Interested in sponsoring? Click here to become a sponsor of the 2026 State Conference.

Click here to see photos of the 2025 AIA Arizona State Conference.

What is the conference experience like? Click on the video below to see highlights (including people you likely know!) from last year’s AIA Arizona State Conference!

CONFERENCE SPONSORS [confirmed as of September 28]

Title Sponsor
Arcadia

Platinum Sponsor
Amrize / Arizona Architecture Foundation / ARKANCE / DWL Architects + Planners, Inc. / Kimley-Horn / McCarthy / Primak Construction Group / SWBR / Sherwin Williams / USA Shade

Conference Patron Sponsors
Arizona Restaurant Consulting / Ayers Saint Gross / Century Sign Builders / Clark Hill / coLAB Studio / Concord General Contracting / Corgan / DLR Group / Gensler / HDR / Inpro Architectural Products / Jones Studio / Kovach / Merge Architectural Group / Nelsen Partners / Optima / PK Associates / Rider Levett Bucknall / Salt River Project / SmithGroup / Sundt Construction / Terracon / triARC Architecture & Design / Varitec / Walter P Moore / Weddle Gilmore Architects / Western States Metal Roofing

Conference GOLD Sponsors
Airpark Signs / BWS Architects / GLHN Architects & Engineers, Inc. / Illumination Systems / Meyer Borgman Johnson / Professional Underwriters / Telgian Engineering & Consulting / Wendell Burnette Architects / YKK AP

Coffee Cart Sponsors
180 Degrees Design + Build / Bjerk Builders / Caliente Construction / Commercial Lighting Industries / Dibble Corp / Daltile / First Citizens Bank / Holly Street Studio / KCL Engineering / PENTA Building Group / Repp + McLain Design & Construction / Schaefer Structural Engineering / Shepley Bulfinch

Luncheon Sponsors
1GPA / AIA Phoenix Metro / Arizona Masonry Council / Dig Studio / Gammage & Burnham / Grace Design Studios / High Peak Advisors / Okland Construction / PHX Architecture / Schneider Structural Engineers / Swaim Associates

Student Champion Sponsors
ALINE Architecture Concepts / RLGA Technical Services / suoLL Architects

Student Advocate Sponsors
American Institute of Steel Construction / DeBartolo Architects / Michael Taylor Architects / Sazan Group / Shepley Bulfinch

Tucson Bus Sponsor
University of Arizona CAPLA