September 27 - 28, 2023
The AIA Nebraska Annual Conference brings architects, designers, community leaders, suppliers, manufacturers, and other design professionals together to explore the industry's best practices and emerging technologies, techniques and materials.
EXHIBITS: The exhibit area is designed for networking, collaboration, and discovery while learning about business services, innovative products, software, technology.
CONTINUING EDUCATION: The 2023 AIA Nebraska Annual Conference offers 13 hours of AIA Learning Units while fulling HSW and Ethic requirements. Continuing education credits and designations (LU or HSW) are pending per approval AIA National Continuing Education.
REGISTRATION: Prices will increase (extended to September 15). Registration fees are non-refundable after September 13, 2023.
Complimentary Registration for the following: AIAS Nebraska Members AIA ASSOCIATES - Must be enrolled in the Intern Development Program (IDP) and working toward licensure AIAS NEBRASKA MEMBERS: Registration fees will apply for building tours.
PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Exhibitors will be collecting business cards from attendees for visiting their booths. Make sure you bring enough to share and register to win various prizes. Winners will be announced between 2:30 - 3:30 pm.
QUESTIONS: Contact Sara Kay, at [email protected], or (402) 858-1929.
Preregistration Required: Wednesday, September 27
SOLD OUT: Building Tours in Omaha
9:00am - 10:00am | TOUR 1
Sold Out: Applied Underwriters New Corporate Headquarters | 1500 Applied Parkway, Omaha, 68154 | 1.0 HSW 09.27.23_1
The new corporate headquarters for Applied Underwriters, located in the Heartwood Preserve Development, includes 275,000 square feet of office space. The design consists of glass on all sides of the building to illuminate interior design, bring outdoor elements in, and provide ample amounts of natural sunlight. The building includes three floors of office space connected with a five-story atrium. To maximize the views of nature while providing ample parking, two levels of parking sit underground at the base of the structure.
PPE requirements: Hard hat, vest, safety glasses, closed toe shoes.
Meet in the parking garage (front area) - see map
Tour led by Bart Emanuel, Director of Development and Construction, Applied Underwriters; Zac Fredrickson, AIA, Project Manager, Holland Basham Architects
10:30am - 12:00pm | TOUR 2
Sold Out: Walking tour of UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Western Campus Growth, Emile and 45th 1.5 LU 09.27.23_2
Wear your walking shoes for this tour of the Western half of the combined UNMC and Nebraska Medicine campus showing recent development, development in progress, and discussing the master planning efforts to prepare for future growth. Highlights include the Durham Research Towers, The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, the site for Project NExT, and a fantastic overview of the work underway on the Saddle Creek campus expansion. Dress for the weather as this is an outdoor event.
Park in the garage (Campus Lot 2) on the corner of Emile and 45th (Durham Research Drive) and exit to the west and the greens pace in front of the Durham Research Towers.
Tour led by Brian Spencer, AIA, Executive Director, Campus Development & Real Estate Campus Architect, UNMC
Omaha Downtown Restaurants
1:30pm - 2:30pm | TOUR 3
Sold Out: Omaha Public Library Downtown Branch 1401 Jones St., Omaha, 68102 | 1.0 HSW 09.27.23_3
Omaha Downtown Library - Preserving the Past While Envisioning the Future The project was a tenant fit-out of a historic structure in downtown Omaha and the work was part of Historic Tax Credits for the building owner. The structure was in good shape but the interior was damaged, poorly maintained, and incredibly soiled from past building use as a dairy processing facility and as an automotive shop. HDR had a short design schedule for this project, due to the Omaha Public Library’s need to move out of the W. Dale Clark Library on the Gene Leahy Mall in time for its scheduled demolition in early October of 2022. The design team worked with a consultant during preliminary design to conduct community engagement meetings on what the people wanted to be included in their new downtown branch. The most common themes were that they wanted a lot of space for children and families, flexible spaces that could grow and change with the community, and a design that really connected to the building and the feel of downtown and the historic structure of this branch.
Meet inside the lobby in front of the reception desk.
Tour led by HDR Team: Dana Blaschko, Senior Project Architect; Kevin Augustyn, AIA, Senior Design Architect; Corie Dechant, Interior Designer
3:00pm - 4:00 pm | TOUR 4
Sold Out: Builders District, 1501 Mike Fahey Mass Timber Construction and Building Systems Integration | 1501 Mike Fahey Street, Omaha, 68102 | 1.0 HSW 09.27.23_4
The new 1501 Mike Fahey Building is an approximately 115,000 GSF, 4-story speculative office building being constructed in Omaha's downtown Builder's District. A hybrid mass timber and traditional steel framed building, the project will be among Omaha's first constructed buildings featuring portions of the project fully constructed with CLT structural decking and glulam columns and beams. Slated for completion in 2024, the building's current state of construction will allow visitors on the construction tour to understand some of the unique detailing involved with the mass timber design, including how it interfaces with various building systems, strategies for using mass timber in exterior locations, and detailing against traditional steel framing. The building design process will be discussed as part of the tour as well, and will share information about designing for mass timber in this project type under currently-adopted and soon-to-be adopted building codes in Omaha.
PPE Requirements: Hard Hat, Safety Glasses, Gloves, Closed Toe Shoes
Meet at the Kiewit construction field office at the Wareham Building, 1624 Mike Fahey Street, Omaha, 68102
Tour led by William DeRoin, AIA, HDR; Lisa Miller, AIA, Noddle Companies
Thursday, September 28
AIA Nebraska Annual Conference
Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine Street, Omaha, 68106
7:00am - 4:00pm | Registration
8:00am - 9:00am | Exhibitor Interaction | Breakfast
9:00am - 10:00am | Keynote Presentation: Thinking Outside the Box: Using Design Thinking to Transform Architecture Practice Operations 1 LU 09.28.23_1
Evelyn M. Lee, FAIA Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation, Slack Technologies; Founder, Practice of Architecture; elected to serve as the 101st President of AIA National in 2025.
Discover the transformative potential of design thinking in reshaping architecture practice operations. This keynote will look at how empathetic problem-solving, user-centered design, and rapid prototyping techniques can be utilized to create an agile practice model that helps architecture firms remain adaptable to the changing economics. Embrace the power of design thinking and drive positive change within your practice.
10:00am - 10:30am | Exhibitor Interaction
10:30am - 11:30am | Educational Session 1 (Two options)
AI in Architecture: Contemporary Authorship and Intellectual Property
This session will present a survey of the issues relative to recent developments in artificial intelligence as it relates to contemporary authorship and copyright law. This ambiguous space is both a place for digital innovation and a debate on the ethics of content usage. 1 HSW|Ethics (1 of 2 ethics offered) 09.28.23_2
Brian M. Kelly, AIA, NCARB, Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2022 COTE Top Ten: Iowa City Public Works
Neumann Monson Architects presents a review of the Iowa City Public Works project and the submission details for the AIA COTE Top Ten Award. 09.28.23_2 1 HSW
Neumann Monson Architects Team: Jesse Bulman, AIA, Architect and Associate Principle; Brandon Fettes | LEED Green Associate, Intern Architect
11:30am - 12:30pm | Educational Session 2 (Two options)
Ethics and the Practice of Architecture
Ethics and the professional code of conduct in Architecture—or any field—has been a concern and a debatable topic. Professionalism, integrity, and competence are qualities expected. 1 LU | Ethics (1 of 2 ethics offered) 09.28.23_4
David C. Levy, Attorney at Law, Baird Holm, LLP
An overview of architecture | construction industry economic trends in Nebraska
The presentation will examine the outlook for the Nebraska economy, including the implications of the twin issues of inflation and rising interest rates. Emphasis will include implications for employment in the state given incentives for employers to retain workers (labor hoarding). The presentation will also examine how current macroeconomic conditions favor states like Nebraska which focus on commodity production. Another focus will be the influence of Federal Reserve policy on interest rates and property values and activity in the construction sector and supporting industries such as architecture. More broadly, the presentation will examine the outlook for different industry sectors in Nebraska and prospects for regions of the state. 1 LU 09.28.23_5
Dr. Eric Thompson, K.H. Nelson Professor of Economics & Director, Bureau of Business Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
12:30pm - 1:30pm | Lunch and AIA Nebraska Membership Meeting
1:30pm - 2:30pm | Educational Session 3 (Two options)
Making Homes Affordable by Design
The AFFORDABLE BY DESIGN HOUSING PLAYBOOK is designed to apply innovation in the accelerated production of affordable housing solutions. Together with its partners, Omaha by Design is proud to introduce this series of open-source affordable housing prototypes, collaboratively designed to assist prospective homeowners and developers in their efforts to address the “affordability gap” in new-construction infill housing. 1 HSW 09.28.23_6
Scott Dobbe, AIA, Executive Director, Omaha by Design and Abram Lueders, Director of Urban Design / Affordable by Design, Omaha by Design.
The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, Photo by Nick Merrick
Cultivating Community Presence, Sustainability, and Inclusivity in Arts Education
This session highlights innovative approaches in arts education through two case studies.
The new Stanley Museum of Art restores a dedicated art museum to the University of Iowa for the first time in 14 years, following historic flooding in 2008. With its renewed presence as an innovative library and laboratory for the arts, the museum successfully demonstrates the interweaving of cultural arts and academic programming to embrace the educational turn and the multifaceted role of academic art museums within our campuses and communities.
The upcoming Glenn Korff School of Music Building redefines performing arts education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by emphasizing cross-disciplinary collaboration, sustainability, and inclusivity. The building's design encourages innovative, multimedia performances, making it a hub for creative exploration and community engagement.
In this engaging session, attendees will learn key strategies for flexibility, sustainability, and human-centered spaces to support arts education, community presence, and inclusivity. 1 HSW 09.28.23_7
Joyce Raybuck, AIA LEED AP, Associate Principal, BNIM and Dana Sorensen, AIA, Associate, BNIM
2:30pm - 3:30 pm | Exhibitor Interaction | Prize Give Away
Bring your business cards to enter for your chance to win some great prizes from the exhibitors. Each exhibitor will have a container for you to drop off.
AIA Nebraska will provide cash prizes to attendees that secure a signature from each exhibitor. Attendees must be present to win. One submission per person.
Best Booth Award – Remember to vote for the Best Exhibit. The winner will be announced during the Prize Drawing.
Firm Roundtable - To be rescheduled.
3:30 pm | Exhibitors Dissemble
3:30 - 4:30 pm | Educational Session 4 (Two opetions)
Decoding Tax Credits, Landmarking, and the National Register
Panel will dispel the myths and discuss the facts of historic preservation. The discussion will include the basics of the National Register, Local Landmarking, historic preservation covenants/easements, and Historic Tax Credits. Be sure and bring your questions. 1 HSW 09.28.23_8
Ryan Reed, Rosin Preservation; Kelli Bacon, History Nebraska; Shelley McCafferty, City of Omaha Historic Preservation Planner; Moderator Sheila Ireland, AIA, Leo A Daly.
Resiliency in Buildings: Strategies for Application
This session will discuss the need and the available options to incorporate into the design of buildings to make the built environment more resilient and less energy dependent.
The presentation focuses on applying resiliency strategies and techniques in the built environment with a focus on designing for people (occupants). This will include resilient application of building systems to protect the health, safety and welfare (HSW) of occupants. 1 HSW 09.28.23_9
Timothy G. Wentz, P.E., HBDP, LEED®-AP, Construction Management Department, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE; Vishnu G. Reddi, P.E., HFDP, LEED®-AP, WELL AP, PMP, Construction Management Department, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
