AIAO Fire Resilience Series

Wildfire has long been endemic to our wild lands, especially in western states. Climate change, development patterns and other factors are increasing the threats from wildfire and wildfire smoke to our health, safety, and lives, and to our buildings and communities. This series will provide architects and other building professionals with a comprehensive overview of wildfire risks to our built environment and the design solutions to make our communities, neighborhoods, and buildings more fire resilient.

The courses will be presented weekly on Fridays at noon, starting September 26. There are a total of five main sessions, each worth 1 AIA LU|HSW apiece.

Click on the session links below for more details

9/26/25 Session 1: Fire Resilience Challenges
1 AIA LU|HSW
Wildfires present a growing threat to buildings and communities across the country, with impacts that extend from individual structures to regional infrastructure and ecosystems. This opening session will provide an introduction to wildfire risk and set the context for the entire series. Participants will gain an understanding of the drivers of wildfire hazards, the challenges posed by policy, planning, design, and construction, and the critical role of ongoing management in maintaining resilience. The session will also review methodologies for fire resilience planning and implementation, establishing a foundation for the strategies and case studies explored in subsequent sessions. Speaker: Nate Wittasek

10/3/25 Session 2: Lessons Learned from Lahaina and LA
1 AIA LU|HSW
The 2023 Lahaina fire and the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires shocked the nation with their intensity and devastation. This session will examine the key factors that made these events so destructive, including environmental conditions, community patterns, and building vulnerabilities. Participants will learn about the commonalities and differences between the two fires, how fire pathways penetrated the built environment, and what these events reveal about resilience planning. The session will highlight strategies architects and planners can apply to reduce conflagration risks and strengthen the interface between communities and adjacent wildlands. Speaker: Evan Sluter

10/10/25 Class 3 - Session 3: Living with Wildfire Smoke
1 AIA LU|HSW
The smoke from wildfires can impact air quality thousands of miles from their source. In addition to elevated particulate matter, wildfire smoke contains volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and other substances that are hazardous to our health and have been shown to exacerbate numerous chronic and acute medical conditions. Poor ambient air quality can quickly translate to unhealthy indoor air quality (IAQ). This session will discuss building and mechanical system design and operational strategies for new and existing buildings to protect IAQ during outdoor air quality hazard events and will introduce new standards and publicly available information to guide these solutions. Speaker: Kameron Beeks, PE

10/17/25 Session 4: Fire Resistive Design for Commercial and Multi-family Structures
1 AIA LU|HSW
While defensible space and WUI guidelines are well established for homes, recent wildfires in Oregon, California, and beyond have revealed critical vulnerabilities in commercial and multi-family buildings. This session will explore fire-resistive construction approaches tailored to larger structures, addressing common design configurations, vented rainscreen vulnerabilities, and code-driven solutions. Both new construction and retrofit strategies will be considered. The session will also highlight the often-overlooked risk of flooding after fire, where vegetation loss and terrain changes significantly increase runoff and debris flow. Participants will gain insight into how design, codes, and planning can work together to reduce both primary and secondary hazards and improve long-term community resilience. Speaker: Jacob Kwiatkowski

10/24/25 Session 5: Summary Panel
1 AIA LU|HSW
The wildfire resilience series concludes with an interactive panel discussion featuring all session presenters. This culminating session will synthesize the major insights from the case studies, technical strategies, and design approaches explored throughout the series. Panelists will highlight cross-cutting themes such as the role of codes and standards, lessons learned from recent wildfire events, and the importance of aligning resilience strategies with broader goals for sustainability, health, and community safety. Guided by a facilitator, the discussion will emphasize practical applications for architects and provide an opportunity for participants to pose questions, share experiences, and consider how wildfire resilience can be integrated into their own projects and practices.