2025 AIA LA 1.5’ Symposium: 55 Years of Earth Day: Where Do We Stand?
On Friday April 18th, 2025, we are excited to host the 8th annual 1.5°C Symposium on Climate Change in Los Angeles, CA. This year’s symposium, organized by the AIA Los Angeles’s Committee on the Environment, celebrates the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. This important milestone presents a unique opportunity for reflection, allowing us to evaluate the tangible outcomes that have emerged from the environmental movement, while simultaneously envisioning the future trajectory for our planet as we continue to develop creative solutions in the fight against climate change. This year’s symposium also serves as an opportunity for COTE to advance specific and proactive recommendations on ways to improve policies and regulations that positively impact the built environment.
We warmly invite architects, designers, engineers, urban planners, developers, contractors, policy-makers, researchers, authors, academics, and all stakeholders in the built environment to contribute to this pivotal event. We are seeking proposals for the following session formats:
- Individual Presentations - Engage and motivate industry leaders with creative ideas and unique insights supported by impactful case studies and real-life successes. Each presentation lasts 15 minutes, followed by a 5-minute Q&A.
- Panel Sessions - A discussion format with 3-5 experts guided by a moderator, presenting various viewpoints and insights on an industry subject. The discussion lasts 25 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes for Q&A.
At this symposium, we’re excited to explore not only the successes of the mainstream AEC industry, but also to highlight the innovative grassroot movements that are breaking away from traditional certification programs to define their own metrics. We are particularly interested in how these movements and practices measure their progress and outcomes. We want to understand not only the achievements but also the methods and tools used to assess and validate these results. Throughout the course or the symposium, it is our intent to delve into a diverse array of topics, ranging from detailed research papers, to large-scale construction projects, to the policies that shape our communities.
Possible topics for submission include:
- Success Stories in Sustaining and Accelerating Momentum (In Studio + with Clients)
- Tools for Measuring Progress and Impact
- Re-Shaping Tipping Points: Addressing the 1.5°C Threshold, Sea-Level Rise, Wildfire Defense Strategies, etc.
- Innovative Case Studies
- Exemplary Performance in the Built Environment
- Creativity in Carbon Sequestration
- Circularity, Supply Chain, and Sustainable Sourcing of Materials
- Achievements in Net-Zero and Regenerative Design
- Healthy Materials for People and the Planet
- Community Services, Architecture and Design
- Solutions + Practices to Overcome Regulatory Constraints to Achieve Higher Performance-Based Outcomes
- Policy Best-Practices from ‘Elsewhere’ that we should Champion here in Los Angeles
- And other relevant themes
All proposals to be submitted using the following Google Form link: https://forms.gle/uPGfZHGtH3Lb33E3A Submissions are due no later than September 20th, 2024. Supporting imagery and hyperlinks are highly encouraged.
For questions or information, please contact aia.cote.losangeles@gmail.com. If selected, speakers will be notified by October 18th, 2024, with next steps.
We look forward to reviewing your contributions and hope that you can join us for a day of insightful discussions that will help continue to inspire design practitioners and help to shape a sustainable future.