AIBD members often tell me, “I had no idea AIBD offered that.”

Even though we send several messages each week highlighting programs and benefits, it’s clear there’s still more I can do as your Communications Director to connect you with everything that’s available.

So this email is a bigger‑picture overview of the webinars, events, and educational resources you have access to—what’s coming up live, what’s available on‑demand, and how you can tap into it when you need it.

(If this email looks too long...jump down to the P.S.)

Some of these opportunities are complimentary for everyone, and all of them are complimentary for AIBD Professional Members.

Plug into the entire AIBD learning ecosystem in just one click—live, on‑demand, technical, business, and everything in between.

Coffee With Bernie: Blending Indoor & Outdoor Spaces (Tomorrow)

Clients are asking for seamless indoor–outdoor living, but the structural spans, weatherproofing details, and material choices can get risky fast—especially across different climates and budgets.

One misstep in a large opening, a poorly coordinated threshold, or a material that fails in your climate can turn a beautiful design into callbacks, liability, and lost referrals.

Join “Coffee With Bernie: Blending Indoor & Outdoor Spaces for Lifestyle and Climate” tomorrow at 10:00 am EDT for a peer‑to‑peer virtual roundtable (1.0 P3 CE) focused on large openings, climate‑ready materials, and client expectations for integrated outdoor living. You’ll dig into client motivations after the post‑pandemic wellness shift, how to support big spans and keep water out, and how to balance high‑end aesthetics with long‑term performance.

​➡️ Register for Coffee With Bernie (Tomorrow, 10:00 am EDT, 1.0 P3 CE)

High-Performance Homes Team – Steel Framing Follow‑Up

You’re hearing more about steel in residential work, but cost, detailing, and climate performance questions are piling up faster than you can get clear answers.

Without real‑world comparisons, you risk over‑ or under‑specifying systems, missing high‑performance opportunities, or getting blindsided by budget and constructability issues once the project hits the field.

Join “High-Performance Homes Team – The Steel Framing Discussion Continues” on April 21, 2026 at 2:00 pm EDT (1.0 P4 CE) for a working roundtable that moves beyond theory into deep‑dive Q&A, case study comparisons across climates, and live peer review of attendee projects.

​➡️ Register for the Steel Framing Follow‑Up (April 21, 2:00 pm EDT)

CE Watch Party – Structural Engineer vs Architect (Outpost Project)

Many residential teams still treat structural engineering as a checkbox instead of a strategic design partner, which can lead to over‑designed systems, missed efficiencies, and frustration in the field.

If your only feedback loop is “this is over‑engineered,” you miss out on the lessons from dozens of other projects, failure modes, and practical field experience that can sharpen your design instincts.

Join the CE Watch Party “Structural Engineer vs Architect – Design Meeting” on April 28, 2026 at 2:00 pm EDT (1.0 P3 CE) and sit in on the Outpost project kickoff meeting—see how foundations, framing, and lateral load paths are developed collaboratively, and how engineers’ broader project exposure can elevate your design practice. Note: this is a watch party only; no live Q&A.

​➡️ Register for the CE Watch Party (April 28, 2:00 pm EDT)

AIBD Office Hour – First Friday Drop‑In

You run into questions that don’t fit neatly into a course or webinar—project snags, business challenges, and “how are other firms handling this?” issues.

Without a safe place to ask peers, you can overthink decisions, repeat avoidable mistakes, or feel like you’re solving every problem alone.

AIBD Office Hour is a free, members‑only virtual meetup once a month where you can drop in, ask questions, share solutions, or just listen.

There are no slides or scripts—just members helping members in real time, with elective CEs awarded.

It runs at 11:00 am ET every First Friday.

AIBD On‑Demand Courses – Learn Anytime

Your schedule doesn’t always line up with live sessions, but you still need targeted CE, technical content, and business skills tailored to residential design.

Generic content wastes your time, and chasing CE credits at the last minute adds stress on top of project deadlines.

Browse the on‑demand course catalog at AIBD.org/Courses for technical design, business, and technology content curated specifically for building designers and residential design professionals.

AIBD Professional Members enjoy complimentary access to most courses; check each listing for CE information.

• You want to design homes that actually perform the way you intend, but translating building science into everyday details can feel overwhelming. Guessing at wall assemblies, air barriers, and systems coordination can lead to callbacks, underperforming homes, and missed opportunities to differentiate your work. “Designing For High Performance” walks you through the fundamentals of high‑performance residential design in one concise lesson so you can make smarter decisions on your next project.
• Your sketches don’t always communicate the ideas in your head—especially when you’re moving between paper, tablet, and CAD. If clients and collaborators can’t “see” what you’re thinking, you lose time in revisions and risk great ideas dying in your notebook. “Sketching: From Traditional Techniques to Digital Mastery” helps you bridge hand sketching and digital workflows so you can capture concepts quickly and present them clearly.
• Smart home expectations are evolving faster than many residential standards, and it’s hard to know which trends actually matter for your clients. Over‑ or under‑specifying technology can frustrate homeowners, strain budgets, and create support issues down the road. “2025 Smart Home Insights” gives you an up‑to‑date snapshot of smart home trends that are actually sticking, so you can integrate the right level of tech into your designs with confidence.
• You know awards can raise your profile, but turning a good project into a winning entry feels like a separate skill set. Submitting rushed or unfocused entries can waste time and entry fees without moving the needle for your reputation. “How To Create Winning ARDA Entries (2025 Update)” shows you exactly how jurors review, what they respond to, and how to present your work so it has the best chance of standing out.
• You’re curious about AI, but most resources are generic and not aimed at residential building design. Without practical guidance, it’s easy to either ignore AI entirely or experiment in ways that don’t actually help your workflow. “Harnessing AI for Building Design” introduces AI tools and use cases tailored to building designers, helping you streamline tasks while staying firmly in control of design decisions.
• And more!

​➡️ Explore On‑Demand Courses​

Complimentary Replays – Coffee With Bernie (Recent Episodes)

You miss live “Coffee With Bernie” sessions, or you want to revisit a topic like burnout, downsizing footprints, or planning for retirement in this profession.

Without easy access to replays, it’s hard to catch up on ideas your peers are already applying—creative strategies, business insights, and design approaches that could help you right now.

Watch complimentary replays of “Coffee With Bernie” on GoToStage, including:

• Creative Burnout: Staying Inspired When Projects Feel Repetitive (about 58 minutes)
• Compact & Efficient Floor Plans: Designing for a Smaller Footprint (about 1 hour 6 minutes)
• Navigating Retirement: Planning for Your Future in Residential Design (about 1 hour)
• Plus episodes on stepped ceilings, dirty kitchens, QR codes on drawings, and more.

​➡️ Watch Coffee With Bernie Replays (Access via the Coffee With Bernie channel on GoToStage)

Complimentary Replays – High-Performance Homes Team

Staying ahead of building science, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation can feel like a moving target, especially as products and codes evolve.

If you’re not hearing how other high‑performance practitioners are detailing walls, choosing systems, or balancing cost and resilience, you risk re‑learning lessons others have already solved.

Catch up on High-Performance Homes Team replays on GoToStage, including:

• Exploring Steel Framing in High-Performance Home Design
• Cost, trade‑offs, and “how far to go” in high‑performance decisions
• Underlying principles of multi‑layered, ventilated walls
• Will mini‑splits work in all floor plans?

​➡️ Watch High-Performance Homes Team Replays (Access via the High-Performing Home Team channel on GoToStage)

Complimentary Replays – Corporate Partner Webinar Recordings

You want to see what tools, systems, and strategies leading manufacturers and partners are bringing to the residential design space—without sitting through sales pitches in isolation.

Missing these insights means you may not know about new approaches that can improve resilience, wellness, documentation, or your business operations.

Browse the “Webinar Recordings” channel on GoToStage for a sampling of partner content, including:

• Going from the field (nailing) to the desk (designing)
• How to Put Together Winning ARDA (or other competition) Entries
• The 2020 American Residential Design Awards Gala
• Building Resilient Residences: Rain Screens and Continuous Insulation
• QuickTie Products – High Wind and Seismic Tie-Down System
• Lighting the Way to Improved Wellness at Home
• Style Meets Function – Aging in Place and Universal Design
• Simpson Strong‑Tie Mass Timber Solutions
• One Thing You Need to Know About BIM
• 3D Scanning: The Future of As‑Built Documentation
• Designing for the Multicultural Community – Tuesday @2:00 Webinar
• How leading firms use AEC‑specific AI to streamline project work
• How to design buildings legally without being a licensed architect
• Managing leads with a CRM, protecting your business from cyber extortion, and more.

​➡️ Watch Partner Webinar Replays (Access via the Webinar Recordings channel on GoToStage)

Tomorrow, make one hour count.

1. Register now so you get your join link.
2. Add “Coffee With Bernie – Blending Indoor & Outdoor Spaces” to your calendar for 10:00 am EDT.
3. Bookmark the webinars page so you can return for Office Hour, on‑demand courses, and replays whenever you need them.

​➡️ Register for Coffee With Bernie (Tomorrow)

See you (and your coffee) online
-Garrett Mickley, BIM-R
Communications Director
American Institute of Building Design

P.S. Yes, this email is long… but only because AIBD is doing a lot on your behalf—live webinars, peer roundtables, office hours, on‑demand courses, and more.

If you’d rather not keep track of everything in multiple messages, just bookmark AIBD.org/MondayMinute—that’s your single, always‑up‑to‑date snapshot of what matters right now. You can also register to be sent each week's edition every Monday morning.

If it’s in the Monday Minute, it’s ready for you; if it’s not there yet, it’s still in the works behind the scenes.