Series 1: Future-Proof Your Practice, March 2026
Explore the forces shaping the next era of architectural practice. This session examines emerging workplace trends, the structures that empower next-generation leaders, and strategies to position firms for long-term resilience in a changing industry.
Series 1 is part of the broader Designing Forward leadership program. While cohort participants engage in the full-year experience, this opening virtual session is available to all AIA North Carolina members. Two additional virtual sessions will be available to AIANC members later this year.
March 06, 12:00-1:30 pm ET: Context Framing Virtual, 90 minutes (1.5 LU)
We begin each series by addressing the big questions and emerging challenges shaping the profession, joined by firm leaders and business experts from across the country.
In this session, we will begin to explore themes on:
Emerging workplace trends
Invisible forces shaping the profession
Adaptive strategies for firm leadership
Ethical considerations and risk
Strategic thinking and negotiation skills
Registration:
Speakers:
Gregg Garmisa is Principal and General Counsel at Studio Gang, the architecture and urban design firm founded and led by architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Int. FRIBA, which has offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Paris. Gregg interacts with clients, consultants and Studio Gang design teams on all projects to establish and maintain productive and collegial professional relationships. Immediately prior to joining Studio Gang, Gregg was Vice President and General Counsel at a national engineering and sustainability consulting firm. Before that, he practiced law and provided public policy guidance to clients in Washington, DC, and Chicago, and served as a legislative advisor to a US senator on Capitol Hill.
In 2019, Gregg accepted an academic appointment at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and since then has co-taught “Foundations of Practice”, a required course for all M. Arch I degree candidates which examines models and issues that define the modern architectural profession. Gregg is an invited member of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys, a former board member of the American Institute of Architects Chicago, and a former trustee of the Chicago Architecture Center.
Jeffry Burchard, AIA is an architect and urban designer. As a Partner and Design Principal at Machado Silvetti, he leads teams in the design, management, and implementation of architecture and urban design projects throughout the world. Jeffry is an Associate Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he offers instruction in architectural design and practice. He holds master’s degrees in architecture from both the University of Idaho and the Harvard GSD, he is a licensed architect in multiple states, and in 2020 Jeffry was awarded the AIA Young Architects Award for his demonstrated commitment to excellence in design, professional practice, and education.