COTE-versations

Date: September 26, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm- 1:00 pm
Format: Zoom (1 hour)
Cost: AIA/Associate AIA/Students Free, Non member $10
Registration Required to receive Zoom link
AIA Credit: 1 AIA HSW PDF

Today’s architects are reimagining not just what we build - but what we unbuild too. As embodied carbon becomes a central design concern, circular strategies like material salvage, deconstruction, and innovative reuse are becoming vital to sustainable practice. This session explores how both interiors and exteriors can become sources of carbon savings through careful disassembly, creative reuse, and next-generation building materials. Featuring real project examples and technical innovations, join us for an open conversation on how to shift the industry from extractive to circular thinking - one project at a time.

Learning Objectives

Identify circular design strategies—such as deconstruction, material salvage, and reuse- that reduce embodied carbon.

Evaluate the performance and sustainability impact of emerging low-carbon and recycled-content materials.

Explore how circularity can be applied across both interiors and exteriors to enhance project outcomes.

Discuss how policy, procurement, and collaboration can support and scale material reuse and deconstruction in practice.