Design Excellence Conference

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AIA Austin Design Excellence Conference x BEC Symposium

Two full days of educational sessions, keynotes, and the Design Expo. This year the BEC Symposium will be featured as a building science track on Friday!  And up to 8+ hours of On-Demand Courses will be accessible online during the conference through the end of the year. Tickets will be available for the full conference or the BEC Symposium track only.

Conference Theme: Fluid
In an era defined by uncertainty, building design is evolving beyond static forms toward flexible, dynamic systems capable of responding to rapid change. By emphasizing resilience, human-centered design, and meaningful connection in the age of AI, architects today are challenged to create environments that are both adaptable and deeply human; environments that are Fluid.

BEC Symposium Track: Beauty and the Building Science
“Form versus function” has long shaped the discourse of architecture. With Beauty & the Building Science, our guest speakers from across the country will seek to explore what “high performance” means in architecture today — not only as a measure of technical achievement, but as a synthesis of practical, social, and global responsibility with beauty, human experience, and the enduring soul of place. Great works of architecture don’t merely find “balance”; they emerge when “the practical” — bound by constraint — informs creativity and innovation, generating meaningful architecture with depth.

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Call for Sponsors and Exhibitors
Put your brand and products in front of Austin’s largest conference dedicated to AEC professionals. Learn about being an exhibitor or sponsor here: AIA Austin Design Excellence Conference Sponsorship Kit 2026. Contact Erika with questions or to sign up!

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The AIA Austin Design Excellence Conference delivers dynamic content through renowned keynote speakers and inspiring breakout sessions focused on sustainability, resiliency, and inclusive design through the lens of AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. Conference attendees can earn 18 LUs over the two-day conference, fulfilling HSW and ADA annual requirements for TBAE licensure and AIA membership.

On-demand courses Of the LUs offered at the conference, up to 18 will be offered in person, with 8+ LUs offered online in AIA Austin’s on-demand course library.

Students Attend Free! If you are a student interested in attending the conference, please email julia@aiaaustin.org (from your school email address) with your first and last name, school name, student ID, and a brief statement describing your interest in attending.

Call for volunteers Volunteer at the conference and receive discounted registration! Sign up form coming soon.

Discounted pricing Email julia@aiaaustin.org to inquire about pricing for financial hardship or if you are an AIA Emeritus member.

Registration opens in early July. Full Conference ticket prices are below.
For BEC Track only tickets – more info to come.

Ticket Type	Base Price	Early Bird
AIA Member / Allied Member	445	395
AIA Associate Member	220	195
Non-member	600	550
Student	0	0