Q&A: AIA National President Evelyn Lee

This is an interview with Evelyn Lee, the new national president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), about her priorities for the profession. There's no news here about specific programs, rebates, or technical standards that would change what a homeowner can do to their house.

Lee talks about a set of values she calls "Thrive" — transparency, humanity, resilience, boldness, vision, and empowering members — and how she wants architects to think more broadly about their role in society, from housing shortages to climate resilience to the use of artificial intelligence in design. She touches on the difference between "proactive" architecture (buildings designed to lead on sustainability or push new ideas) and "reactive" architecture, which responds to an immediate need, such as retrofitting older buildings to be more energy efficient after a disaster or new climate rules.

She also names three buildings she finds notable: an energy-positive office building in Norway that generates more power than it uses, a low-carbon modular office building in London, and a mass-timber high rise in Milwaukee built largely from wood instead of steel and concrete. These are large commercial projects, not homes, and the piece doesn't mention any rebate programs, deadlines, or cost figures that would apply to a house. For a homeowner, this is background on where architecture as a profession says it's headed, not a change that affects your own upgrade plans right now.