The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) is a professional association that promotes the highest standards of excellence in residential building design.
AIBD offers a variety of resources to its members, including continuing education, networking opportunities, and marketing assistance.
AIBD is a valuable resource for anyone interested in a career in residential building design. If you want to improve your skills, network with other professionals, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends, AIBD is the perfect organization for you.
Share
ARDA Call for Entries Extended One Week [Monday MINUTE]
Published about 6 hours ago • 4 min read
May 25, 2026, Edition
#CreatingWherePeopleLive
This weekly newsletter
is created by and for those designing homes in North America.
Its editorial staff is the American Institute of Building Design, Inc., the premier association of residential design professionals.
Here's what you get:
Field Notes
Nuts & Bolts
Workshops & Gatherings
What We're Up To
Amazing sponsors who help keep this newsletter free for the industry.
Let's dive in.
Email servers may truncate this newsletter because it is too long. Read the complete Monday Minute at AIBD.org/mondayminute.
If you received this as a forward, become one of our many delighted subscribers. Get insider access by signing up!
Please support our sponsor:
Why it's great to partner with Provia:
Their philosophy, often referred to as The Professional Way, emphasizes accountability and integrity, ensuring that the products you specify are delivered with the same care you put into your drawings.
Field Notes
ARDA Call for Entries Extended One Week
Register now, then enter on or before June 16, 2026
All residential industry professionals are eligible to enter individual or collaborative projects. Entries previously submitted to ARDA are still eligible, provided they haven’t yet won recognition in the same category. Entries may be entered in multiple categories (e.g., Custom Homes and Green Design), and all completed projects are eligible regardless of completion date.
Is the single-family housing market taking a breather or just shifting gears? According to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest data for April 2026, the numbers show a fascinating tug-of-war between builder confidence and actual boots on the ground.
While multi-family projects are boosting overall construction numbers, single-family housing starts dropped by 9.0% from March. This suggests a temporary cooling or a supply bottleneck in the sector.
The American Institute of Building Design's central gathering for building designers, industry professionals, and partners, offering a platform for advocacy, certification, education, networking, and recognition within the field.
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) just dropped its 2025 Future Trends Report, and it is a wake-up call for anyone in residential design. The report tackles everything from regulatory shifts to how technology and climate volatility are rewriting the standard of care. If you want to keep your firm ahead of the curve—and the codes—this is a must-read.
Innovative Materials and Technologies in Architecture and Interior Design
True luxury is no longer just about aesthetics; it’s about performance, place, and resilience. From the world’s largest certified passive house in Utah to fire-resistant shou sugi ban cladding in California, high-end clients are prioritizing hyper-local craftsmanship and climate-resilient architecture over mass production.
A one-pager to help frame, articulate, and stress-test your value proposition
Tired of competing on price? It’s time to change the conversation. When we pitch our services based on the number of drawings or hours spent, we commoditize our expertise.
This report is designed to help you frame, articulate, and stress-test your value proposition so you can confidently command the fees you deserve.
Our smooth, quiet, and dependable door and window automation systems are preferred by leading architects, designers, builders, and installers globally.
Traditional Building Conference - June 16-17, 2026 - Cape May, NJ - Register now
What We're Up to
AIBD Chapter Meeting Replays: Capturing usable space beneath structural slabs
AIBD, Eastern Shore Chapter, May 20, 2026 Presentation
Drew Betz, director of sales and marketing, educates us on Nitterhouse Concrete's "NiCore" hollow-core concrete planks, which can be used in place of poured concrete floors. This allows maximum use of space beneath garage or porch slabs in an economical fashion, with long spans available to provide for large open spaces below. We'll also discuss other methods for creating usable space beneath slabs and the pros and cons of doing so.
The Backbone of Excellence: Join the Certification Council
July 29, 2026 Annual Meeting
Operating an industry-wide certification program is a massive undertaking. To align with international standards, it requires more than just an exam—it demands significant financial investment and specialized man-hours to manage, audit, and promote the integrity of our credentials.
The American Institute of Building Design relies on volunteers to power the committees that keep our certification engine running. We are now seeking leaders to step into the role of Council Members.
The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) is a professional association that promotes the highest standards of excellence in residential building design.
AIBD offers a variety of resources to its members, including continuing education, networking opportunities, and marketing assistance.
AIBD is a valuable resource for anyone interested in a career in residential building design. If you want to improve your skills, network with other professionals, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends, AIBD is the perfect organization for you.
Read more from American Institute of Building Design (AIBD)
Design+Build Cleveland is July 29 – August 1, and seats are going fast. This year’s conference at the Metropolitan at the 9 in downtown Cleveland is packed with sessions you won’t find anywhere else — because no one else is building this event for you. Here’s what’s on the schedule: Thursday, July 30 Business in a Box with Dennis Fletcher, CPBD — learn how to structure your firm as a complete, repeatable system so you stop reinventing the wheel on every project The Future of AIBD: Rising...
Turn this year’s work into years of proof, prestige, and clients with one ARDA entry you can start today. You’ve already done the hard part—designing homes your clients love and your peers respect. ARDA is simply how you turn your finished work into visible, undeniable proof of what you can do. Imagine this time next year: your project has been on a national stage, your name appears as an American Residential Design Awards honoree, and “award‑winning” sits comfortably in your bio, proposals,...
Hello Reader, Congrats on surviving Monday and crushing Tuesday. Now, Wednesday beckons you to take a break and step into a pattern of discovery. Welcome to the Midweek Meander. Did someone forward this to you? Please consider subscribing. There are some buildings that do far more than stand on a piece of land. They speak. Quietly. Powerfully. Permanently. And every time I visit the United States Capitol, I am reminded that great architecture is never simply about walls, domes, columns, or...