If it’s not in ARDA, it’s invisible to the people who matter most to your future clients. Right now, your best projects may live in a folder on your server, on a few social posts, and in the memories of a handful of grateful clients. But outside your local circle, no one knows just how strong your work really is. ARDA is where residential building designers step out of the shadows and onto a national stage. Every year, designers just like you use the American Residential Design Awards to...
2 days ago • 2 min read
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. While researching historical architectural events on May 27th, I came across a few famous birthdays and landmarks (Mies van der Rohe, Chrysler Building, and the Golden Gate Bridge). However, it was a building that I'm sure very few of us have seen that...
3 days ago • 6 min read
We have some great opportunities coming up for you to learn, connect, and earn continuing education credits. We don't want you to miss them! 📅 TODAY — CE Watch Party: Rewriting the Fee FormulaTuesday, May 26 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour | 1.0 P1-CE Join us this afternoon for a CE Watch Party as we dive into one of the most important, and often most uncomfortable, topics in residential design: your fees. This session is your chance to rethink how you price your services and walk away with strategies...
4 days ago • 1 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...
5 days ago • 4 min read
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...
8 days ago • 1 min read
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,...
9 days ago • 2 min read
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...
10 days ago • 7 min read
Smooth, Quiet, and Dependable Summit Automation is dedicated to bringing convenience, elegance, and luxury to living spaces. We are the makers of the world’s best, smart, and AI-based window and door automation systems that open your windows and doors effortlessly, backed by exceptional Customer care. Our goal is to make automation adaptable to the architectural and structural realities of the opening while keeping the system discreet and easy to integrate. Flexible motor placement to...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Over the next few weeks, you can earn CEUs, solve real‑world project challenges, and connect with peers through AIBD’s live webinars, roundtables, and on‑demand courses—all designed specifically for residential design professionals. Below is a quick snapshot of what’s coming up and how to plug in. All these events can be registered at AIBD.org/webinars. Upcoming live webinars & roundtables These live sessions are designed to be highly practical and immediately applicable to your work....
11 days ago • 3 min read
