AIA International Mentorship Program 2026 - Design by Discovery: When Architecture Became My Medicine
The AIA International Global Mentorship Program invites everyone to join our latest online group session. This event is open to all.
When: Friday 9 October 2026 @ 09:00 (Eastern US time)
Where: Online
Speaker
Sara Jazayeri, FAIA, DPLG, CID, LEED AP; Principal, Studio 360; President, AIA Bronx
Description
Design is a form of experimentation—but what happens when we test our choices against human health?
This webinar invites architecture students and entry-level professionals into a practice of intentional discovery, where every material selection, lighting decision, and spatial arrangement becomes an opportunity to protect and nourish building occupants.
Through real-world case studies across residential, educational, and community spaces, you'll learn to evaluate how indoor air quality, acoustics, daylighting, accessibility, and connection to the outdoors directly shape physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Backed by practical strategies and evidence-informed frameworks, you'll gain tools to assess design alternatives through the lens of equity, safety, and indoor environmental quality—and apply them throughout your design process. Because better buildings don't just look good—they serve the people who inhabit them.
The theme of the 2026 AIA International Mentorship Program is Design by Discovery.
To design is to experiment. By questioning norms and continuously testing ideas, we unlock new forms, materials, and spatial experiences. This series highlights the power of experimentation—from re-use to radical rethinking—to expand the limits of what architecture and design can be. Participants are invited to share and discover processes that challenge, refine, and ultimately elevate our practice.
The mentorship program includes regular online group events which are open to all, as well as one-to-one mentoring.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Bryant at emergingprofessionals@aiainternational.org.
