The Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Brooklyn) is an organization founded in 1894. With over 900 members, the Chapter is the second largest chapter in New York State. AIA Brooklyn has represented the professional interests of architects for over a century and is just one way AIA members, emerging professionals, and allied partners in the design industry can express their commitment to excellence and livability in our City’s buildings, communities and environment. Members adhere to a code of ethics, continuing education, and professional conduct that assures the client, the public, and colleagues of an AIA member are dedicated to the highest standards in professional practice.
OUR MISSION: AIA Brooklyn is dedicated to the advancement of the architectural profession through education, outreach, and mutual support.
Featured Events
- Apr 24, 2025 • AIA BrooklynDesigning Against Deflection6:30 pm–8:30 pmLocation: Floor & Decor Showroom
850 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11232Attention: Principals, project architects and designers! Come-one-come-all for this important presentation and live demonstration hosted by AIA Brooklyn sponsor Floor & Decor.
We all know that structures are designed with a degree of deflection in mind. If you have been working with venerable Brooklyn brownstones or other vintage structures, you know that these beloved buildings are sturdy but often too flexible to support tile floors, especially during this moment when large format porcelain floors are so popular. The “old school” mud-bed-and-cleavage-membrane detail that many of us grew up with is often too thick and cumbersome and too time-consuming for contemporary aesthetics, budgets and schedules.
Floor & Decor is hosting this presentation with Schluter-Systems to educate us about structural deflection and the wide array of thin, contemporary systems that allow us to deliver the finishes our clients want hassle-free and crack-free.
At 31st Street and Third Avenue near Industry City, Floor & Decor is closer than you think — only an 8-minute walk from the 36th Street D-N-R Station. There is also a big free parking lot. Light fare will be served and you’ll earn one HSW learning unit.
- May 8, 2025 • AIA BrooklynOwners vs. Architects: Key Strategies for Contract Negotiation6:00 pm–8:30 pmFX Collaborative
8th Floor
235 Duffield Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201Attention principals, partners, and those of you who would like to be…
Running a firm? Think you might like to someday? Then this presentation is for you.A solid agreement between owner and architect resides at the center of every successful project.
Our work with owners constitutes the ultimate merger in physical form: we all want to see the building or project to get built, but owners and architects typically have different agendas. In order to secure financing and investors, owners need a firm understanding of costs upfront with an obvious goal to hold those numbers to a minimum, whereas architects want to ensure that their contract allows for a degree of artistic freedom and innovation alongside the requisite technical precision and municipal approvals.
This presentation by Robert Herman and Hope Plasha, both veteran attorneys in this field, will provide you with strategies for these critical negotiations. Topics for discussion will include fee structures and schedules, owner’s and architect’s obligations, staffing and consultants, responsibilities and liabilities, intellectual property and construction administration.
The presentation will be followed by a lively Q & A, so bring your questions.
Hope Plasha has a broad-based national law practice covering all aspects of real estate law, including acquisitions and sales, construction and design contracts, development and leasing, and all manners of complex real estate financing. She also serves as an outside general council for real estate for a large multinational corporation, and she has supported the real estate goals of numerous not-for-profit institutions in the cultural, educational and medical sectors. She has received numerous awards within the legal and real estate fields. Hope is an alumna of Columbia University, she earned her j.d. from Yale, and she also holds a degree from the University of Oxford.
Robert Herrmann Chairs Offit Kurman’s New York Construction Law Practice. He represents design professionals, and other construction-related firms and privately held businesses. He acts as general counsel to a number of architects, landscape architects, interior designers, lighting designers, engineers, owners, developers, and contractors, advising them on general business matters and representing them in litigation, arbitration and mediation. Bob is a graduate of Yale College and Columbia University School of Law. Bob teaches at the Architecture schools of both Columbia University and the Pratt Institute. Bob is also the lead author of Law for Architects: What You Need to Know published by W.W. Norton.
1.5 Learning Units. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP early – registration will close on May 7th at noon.
Upcoming Events
- May
- May 6, 2025He, She, They, Architect: A Gender and Identity Open Mic Forum (Hybrid)6:00 pm–8:00 pmHybrid - Zoom / AIANY Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Pl, New York, NY 10012
In this third segment of The Howl series, designers are invited to share personal perspectives on gender and identity. Gender and identity have always played a role in the way the most seminal designers and their careers came into being. To set the stage for an evening of storytelling, The Howl 3 will be launched with clips of filmed interviews and readings of personal stories shared by Sheila Bridges, Zaha Hadid, Philip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
As the evening progresses, moderators Abriannah Aiken and Matthew Bremer, AIA, will draw audience members into the conversation, inviting people to share their views and experiences. As both a live and virtual forum, the event allows for spontaneous participation at the Center for Architecture, at work, or at home.
Attendees will earn 2 LU.
- May 8, 2025 • AIA BrooklynOn the Menu: How Does That Sound? Creative Freedom Through Targeted Acoustics12:00 pm–1:00 pmZoom
As architects, we are always concerned with how our projects look, but how do they sound? Controlling the character and level of sound within our spaces is critical to their utility and enjoyment.
Join the experts at CertainTeed as they inform us about industry standards for acoustical measurements, appropriate sound levels and frequencies in a range of program types and the many ways to shape sound in a space.
Grab lunch at your desk and pick up 1 HSW learning unit at the same time.
- May 8, 2025 • AIA BrooklynOwners vs. Architects: Key Strategies for Contract Negotiation6:00 pm–8:30 pmFX Collaborative
8th Floor
235 Duffield Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201Attention principals, partners, and those of you who would like to be…
Running a firm? Think you might like to someday? Then this presentation is for you.A solid agreement between owner and architect resides at the center of every successful project.
Our work with owners constitutes the ultimate merger in physical form: we all want to see the building or project to get built, but owners and architects typically have different agendas. In order to secure financing and investors, owners need a firm understanding of costs upfront with an obvious goal to hold those numbers to a minimum, whereas architects want to ensure that their contract allows for a degree of artistic freedom and innovation alongside the requisite technical precision and municipal approvals.
This presentation by Robert Herman and Hope Plasha, both veteran attorneys in this field, will provide you with strategies for these critical negotiations. Topics for discussion will include fee structures and schedules, owner’s and architect’s obligations, staffing and consultants, responsibilities and liabilities, intellectual property and construction administration.
The presentation will be followed by a lively Q & A, so bring your questions.
Hope Plasha has a broad-based national law practice covering all aspects of real estate law, including acquisitions and sales, construction and design contracts, development and leasing, and all manners of complex real estate financing. She also serves as an outside general council for real estate for a large multinational corporation, and she has supported the real estate goals of numerous not-for-profit institutions in the cultural, educational and medical sectors. She has received numerous awards within the legal and real estate fields. Hope is an alumna of Columbia University, she earned her j.d. from Yale, and she also holds a degree from the University of Oxford.
Robert Herrmann Chairs Offit Kurman’s New York Construction Law Practice. He represents design professionals, and other construction-related firms and privately held businesses. He acts as general counsel to a number of architects, landscape architects, interior designers, lighting designers, engineers, owners, developers, and contractors, advising them on general business matters and representing them in litigation, arbitration and mediation. Bob is a graduate of Yale College and Columbia University School of Law. Bob teaches at the Architecture schools of both Columbia University and the Pratt Institute. Bob is also the lead author of Law for Architects: What You Need to Know published by W.W. Norton.
1.5 Learning Units. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP early – registration will close on May 7th at noon.
- May 15, 2025 • AIA BrooklynAIA Brooklyn “Ask Me Anything”: Leadership6:30 pm–8:30 pmFXCollaborative, 235 Duffield Street Brooklyn, NY 11201The AIA Brooklyn AMA series connects experienced architects from diverse backgrounds with aspiring professionals to share insights on mentorship, career development, and navigating the architecture industry.
Join us for the upcoming session at FXCollaborative to explore what it takes to become an inspiring leader. This engaging event features accomplished architects ready to answer your questions and share their unique journeys.
Arrive early to enjoy light refreshments and snacks before diving into an enriching discussion on leadership and professional growth.
Panelists:AIA Brooklyn’s Emerging Professionals Committee (BKEP)
The BKEP Committee supports architects in the early stages of their careers through educational programs, networking events, and professional resources.**All tickets are first come first served. Registration ends at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, May 14.**