Thursday, October 8

7:30 - 8:30 AM  |  Breakfast

8:00 AM - 5:30 PM  |  Trade Show Floor Open

8:30 - 9:00 AM  |  Welcome and Leadership Keynote

9:00 - 9:15 AM  |  Break

9:15 - 10:15 AM  |  Breakout Sessions 

+ A "Sneak Peek" at the 2027 Editions of AIA Documents A201 and B101

AIA will release its 2027 editions of its foundational contract documents next year, and the most popular of those being released are AIA Document A201, "General Conditions of the Contract for Construction," and AIA Document B101, "Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect." This session offers a preview of the planned changes that were incorporated into these documents in order to reflect the way projects are actually delivered. This "sneak peek" will prepare specifiers, design professionals, and contractors on what to expect when these documents are made publicly available to the AECO industry.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the contract document development process used to revise the A201 and B101.

• Compare and contrast the major conceptual changes between the 2027 A201 and previous editions.

• Compare and contrast the major conceptual changes between the 2027 B101 and previous editions.

• Describe the basic reasoning behind the significant changes in the A201 and B101 documents.

Speakers:

Ron Geren, FCSI, Distinguished Member, CCS, CCCA, CDT, Owner, RLGA Technical Services

Manaj Dalaya, CSI, CCS, CCCA, FAIA, Principal & Co-President, KGD Architecture

This session is approved for 1 AIA LU.

+ Materiality of Masonry

The enduring popularity of masonry in all its forms is largely attributed to the intrinsic properties offered by the materials of brick, block, stone, terra cotta, tile, and terrazzo. But in this era of rapid innovations in construction materials and techniques, does masonry continue to provide value, and how have these materials and assemblies evolved? This seminar takes a close look at the historic architectural significance held by traditional masonry materials, but it also challenges participants to use these materials in innovative ways, showing examples of contemporary design to balance their classic applications. The program then builds on the materials themselves, showing common wall and floor assembly details and emphasizing the importance of designing for performance and constructability. Finally, it addresses the topic of sustainability and how masonry and tile’s composition of natural and healthy ingredients and their inherent durability translate to buildings that are healthy, long-lasting, and able to be repurposed generations after their initial construction.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the design properties and applications of masonry materials, including brick, stone, terra cotta, and contemporary systems.

• Evaluate contemporary adaptations of traditional masonry details for both aesthetic impact and performance.

• Analyze innovative tile and terrazzo applications in terms of visual quality and building performance.

• Explain how masonry and tile materials contribute to healthy, durable, and adaptable buildings over time.

Speaker:

Scott Conwell, FCSI, CDT, FAIA, ALA, LEED AP, Licensed Architect and Director of Industry Development, International Masonry Institute

This session is approved for 1 AIA HSW LU.

+ Empowering the Generations and Why It Matters!

Each generation learned to work and grow in an environment with tools that have developed rapidly over time. The skills required to work in the AEC community 50 years ago are uniquely different from the skills of today yet still foundational and relevant. This presentation will discuss the different generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z), and how changes in technology have fueled that growth. Using the tools available in modern day design and construction, requires all of us working together to strengthen our teams. Finally, our discussion will include how this is important to build our CSI network and how our Chapters can connect with all members.

Learning Objectives:

• Investigate: Find each individual’s skillsets and play to their strengths.

• Network: You don’t have to know everything; you need to know where to find it or who to ask.

• Collaborate: Create partnerships between “tech wizards” and “information hubs."

• Value: There is no throw away generation; we all have something to bring to the table.

Speakers

Faith Brown, Specifications Writer, Integrated Spec Solutions

Janet Williams, Information Manager, Applied Building Information (ABI) LLC

This session is approved for 1 AIA LU.

+ Success in Specifications: Harnessing Teamwork for Clarity, Accuracy, and Efficiency

This session is an engaging and practical seminar aimed at architects, specification writers, contractors, and manufacturer representatives. The session explores how collaborative workflows, digital tools, and open communication can transform the specification process—resulting in more precise, technically accurate, and efficient construction documents. Through real-world examples, interactive exercises, and discussion, attendees will discover actionable strategies that leverage teamwork across disciplines. The emphasis is on collective responsibility and the shared benefits of clear, concise, and current specifications for successful project delivery and reduced risk.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how and where architects, spec writers, contractors, and manufacturers can most effectively interact throughout the specification lifecycle to ensure design intent, code compliance, and constructability is upheld and maintained.

• Distinguish between ambiguous/generic and clear/technically-accurate specifications, applying best practices and current industry standards to real project scenarios.

• Explore digital platforms and resources that foster seamless coordination, live updates, and shared access to specifications, reducing rework, RFIs, and change orders.

• Take away proven methods for team alignment, successful submittal management, and resolving specification challenges as a connected project team.

Speaker:

TJ Brennan, Digital Product Deployment - A&D Engagement, USG Corporation

Stacy Craig, National A&D and Global Specification Development, Ceilings Sales Management, USG Corporation

This session is approved for 1 AIA HSW LU

+ The Changing Economics of Specifications: AI, Data Silos, and Sustainability

The commercial construction industry is entering a pivotal moment where AI, product data, and sustainability pressures have the potential to change how products are evaluated, specified, and adopted. This session will examine why product and performance data remain fragmented across the industry, what new AI-supported efforts are emerging to break down these silos, and how sustainability benchmarking is driving alternative systems of product selection. Attendees will gain a practical framework for identifying which AI and construction technologies are safe bets from those with high failure rates.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to identify the root causes of why most AI initiatives will fail to deliver any measurable value to the firm that invests in them.

• Explain why product and performance data continue to remain siloed, and which new AI tools hold the most promise in finally breaking through.

• Understand how sustainability benchmarking is driving alternative methods of product selection.

• Using the Gartner Hype Cycle, the presentation will equip attendees with a clear, defensible way to explain technology investment risks and opportunities to firm leadership and other stakeholders.

Speakers

Matt Johnson, Director of Manufacturer Solutions, RIB

This session is approved for 1 AIA LU.

10:15 - 10:30 AM  |  Break

10:30 - 11:30 AM  |  Breakout Sessions

+ Specifying for the Worst Day: Architecture and Engineering for Emergency Operations

Elevate your expertise with this course on assembly testing, providing critical insights into achieving building integrity and performance.

Emergency management facilities must perform flawlessly under extreme, unpredictable conditions—often for extended periods of time. Standard code requirements are not always sufficient for peak operational effectiveness, resilience, and long-term value. This session examines strategies for moving beyond code compliance to align design intent, specifications, and owner priorities to create facilities capable of performing on their worst day.

Using the design of a nearly 50,000sf Level IV Essential Facility in Arizona as a case study, this presentation will demonstrate how decisions related to finishes, systems, and redundancies can either support – or unintentionally hinder – emergency operations.

This talk focuses on the intersection of specifications, operations, and engineering in mission-critical environments. Attendees will gain insight into how emergency response workflows inform design and systems planning, risk tolerance and funding realities shape specification strategies, and how specifications can close the gap of operational needs left by code minimums.

Learning Objectives:

• Translate emergency operations into architectural and systems decisions.
• Identify where code minimums fall short for public safety buildings.
• Apply specification strategies for durability, maintenance, and lifecycle value in public safety buildings.
• Evaluate strategies for aligning specifications with owner risk tolerance, funding constraints, and long-term performance goals.

Speaker:

Adrienne Lewis, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Principal/Public Safety Leader, Dekker Design, LLC

John Montano, PE, Principal Electrical Engineer, Bridgers & Paxton

This session is approved for 1 AIA HSW LU.

+ From Static Documents to Living Intelligence: How AI Will Transform Construction Specifications

Construction specifications have long served as the contractual and technical backbone of the built environment—precise, structured, and deliberately static. Artificial Intelligence is now changing that premise. This session explores how AI is reshaping the creation, coordination, validation, and lifecycle management of construction specifications, transforming them from static text documents into living, data‑driven systems that continuously learn from design intent, project performance, and real‑world outcomes.

Attendees will gain a practical understanding of how AI impacts specification authorship, risk allocation, compliance, sustainability, and integration with BIM, digital twins, and procurement platforms. The session will also address governance, liability, and professional responsibility—clarifying what changes, what remains human‑led, and how specifiers can lead this transformation rather than react to it.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how AI is being applied today to automate, augment, and validate construction specifications.
• Identify where human judgment remains essential and where AI delivers the most value
• Evaluate how AI changes risk, liability, and professional responsibility in specifications.
• Connect specifications to BIM, product data, and performance feedback using AI.
• Prepare their organizations and practices for AI‑enabled specification workflows.

Speaker: 

Paul Doherty, CSI, CDT, AIA, IFMA Fellow, DFC Senior Fellow, CEO and Founder, The Digit Group, Inc. (TDG)

This session is approved for 1 AIA LU.

+ Graphic Standards; A Framework for Exceptional Construction Documents

Graphic standards are the foundation of clear, consistent, and professional architectural communication. By standardizing line weights, symbology, text styles, annotations, sheet organization, and presentation techniques, firms can improve document clarity, streamline workflows, reduce errors, and strengthen collaboration across project teams, consultants, and clients.

This session explores how graphic standards support quality control, reinforce firm identity, and serve as an essential teaching tool for developing staff. Participants will also examine how graphic standards integrate with BIM standards and templates to create reliable, coordinated, and code-compliant deliverables that improve project outcomes and protect occupant safety.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate how graphic standards improve construction document clarity, reduce interpretation errors, and help minimize construction defects and safety risks.
• Explain how firm-wide graphic standards streamline workflows, support quality control, and improve the accurate translation of design intent into safe, code-compliant buildings.
• Distinguish between graphic standards and BIM standards, and describe how graphic standards support BIM templates, annotation systems, and sheet organization for coordinated deliverables.
• Apply strategies for developing and maintaining a graphic standards manual that supports staff training, consistency, and ongoing quality assurance for life safety, accessibility, and structural documentation.

Speaker: 

Joshua Guerra, Architectural Specifier, Sera Architects

This session is approved for 1 AIA LU.

+ How to Specify Engineered Wood

This program presents the properties and applications of engineered wood products, including wood structural panels, glulam, structural composite lumber (SCL) and cross-laminated timber (CLT). Participants will learn how to correctly specify engineered wood in accordance with the International Building Code (IBC). This session also covers new technologies, streamlined design options, sustainability concerns and the benefits of working with engineered wood.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the basic types of engineered wood products and their properties. ​
• Understand the material characteristics of various types of engineered wood products commonly available for use as panels and beams.
• Recognize the aspects of engineered wood products that contribute to constructability.
• Understand the proper design and specification of WSP, SCL, CLT, and glulam beams.

Speaker: 

Lindsey Kuster, PE, Engineered Wood Specialist for the Southwest Region for APA - The Engineered Wood Association.

This session is approved for 1 AIA HSW LU.

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM  |  Lunch and Keynote Session

+ TBA

Session details coming soon.

1:15 - 1:45 PM  |  Express Sessions 1

+ Sustainable Roofing Solutions: Unlocking the Power of Modern Asphalt Shingles

The primary goal of this presentation is to provide architects and designers with information to ensure they are designing buildings with smarter, more sustainable roofing systems. The session will unlock the secrets of asphalt shingles and show you how to elevate your specification with cutting-edge advancements.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the Differences Between an Oxidized and Polymer Modified Asphalt and How Polymer Modified Products Can Contribute to a Healthier Environment and Longer Lifecycle when Compared to Oxidized Products.
• Identify How Specialized Granules can make a difference in performance and to the environment. 

Speaker:

Linda McCandless, National Specification Manager, Malarkey Roofing Products

This session is approved for 0.5 AIA HSW LU.

+ The 5th C: Coordination in the Age of AI

Can you name the most common and costly issues affecting your spec workflow? This session highlights best practices for strengthening QA/QC by flagging the most common spec issues. Hear how a seasoned spec writer identifies these problems and how purpose-built AI can automate compliance checks to keep plans and specs aligned and compliant.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the five most common spec issues that lead to RFIs, rework, and project delays.
• Implement a modernized QA/QC workflow to identify high-risk gaps between plans and specs.
• Evaluate how AI tools can be utilized to cross-reference specifications against locally adopted regulations, and identify missing or empty sections, mismatched jurisdiction references, and more, in real time.

Speaker:

Nathalia Cardona, Head of Product, UpCodes

Sherry Harbaugh, FCSI, CCS, RA, Owner, TRC Inc.

This session is approved for 0.5 AIA LU.

+ Beyond First Cost: When Sustainability Meets Service Life

Sustainability discussions in the built environment often focus on upfront impacts while overlooking how maintenance, durability, weathering, and replacement cycles influence long-term material performance. This session explores how service life shapes the sustainability outcomes of building envelope and exterior material selections through real-world performance considerations and lifecycle thinking. Attendees will gain practical insight into balancing sustainability goals with resilience, longevity, and long-term performance during material evaluation and specification.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate how maintenance requirements, weathering, service life, and replacement cycles influence the long-term sustainability performance of building envelope and exterior material systems.
• Identify specification considerations that support durability, resilience, and long-term material performance while balancing sustainability goals across building envelope systems.

Speaker:

Kate Stewart, CDT, LEED Green Associate, Specifications & Data Analyst, Knotwood

This session is approved for 1 AIA HSW LU.

1:50 - 2:20 PM  |  Express Sessions 2

+ TBA

Details coming soon.

2:20 - 2:30 PM  |  Break

3:30 - 4:30 PM  |  College of Fellows Annual Meeting 

6:30 - 7:30 PM  |  CSI Celebrates Awards and Reception

+ Event Details

Raise a glass and toast the achievements of your fellow CSI members. This event will highlight the best and brightest of CSI at the chapter, region, and national level. The dress for CSI Celebrates is business casual to black tie - wear what makes you comfortable. Cocktail reception to follow.