AIA NEI Programs and Webinars

The One Pipe Material Course You Have to Take

Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Architects and engineers are faced with an expanding range of plumbing pipe materials—copper, cast iron, steel, PVC, CPVC, PEX, PE, and ABS—each claiming advantages in cost, durability, sustainability, and health.
This course cuts through marketing claims and examines the real-world performance of common piping materials. Participants will review how materials behave under typical building conditions including disinfectant exposure, stagnation, temperature changes, and fire risk.

Learning Objectives:

1. Lifecycle-Based Sustainability Evaluation: Participants will be able to evaluate the sustainability of plumbing pipe materials across their full lifecycle by correctly identifying key differences in embodied impacts and end-of-life outcomes.
2. Analysis of Water Quality Impacts: Participants will be able to analyze how plumbing system design and material selection influence water quality when presented with scenarios involving stagnation, disinfectant decay, and material interactions in plumbing systems by accurately predicting impacts such as increased leaching, amplified microbial growth, and degradation of health/aesthetic factors.
3. Risk Identification in Material Selection: Participants will be able to identify potential health and safety issues associated with different pipe materials when reviewing plumbing system design scenarios by correctly linking material properties to risks such as incompatibility with construction materials and maintenance chemicals, structural failure from physical and thermal changes, and the effects of permeation.

4. Fire Behavior: Participants will be able to assess the fire performance of plumbing pipe materials when reviewing building fire scenarios and code requirements by distinguishing between combustible and non-combustible materials and identifying associated risks such as flame spread, smoke toxicity, and system failure.

CE: 1 LU | HSW

179D Today and Tomorrow: The Future of Greenbuilding Tax Initiatives

Thursday, September 10, 2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Join us for a discussion of the section 179D Deduction and how it can benefit Architectural firms. We will be discussing the background of this powerful green building deduction as well as the recent changes created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

This webinar will include details about both the expansion and the increased impact of 179D in future years. We will also discuss the alternative qualification path known as the Retrofit Program and what this new path means for Architects, building owners, and other designers of buildings. Attendees will also learn who is eligible to receive these benefits, what is required as part of the qualification calculations, and which green energy strategies are eligible. We hope you join us for this exciting discussion on the future of the 179D green energy tax incentive!

Learning Objectives

1. Overview of the 179D Deduction.
2. The expansion and the increased impact of 179D in future years. 
3. Overview of the Retrofit Program for 179D. 
4. What the Inflation Reduction Act means for building owners and designers of buildings. 
5. How to qualify for the bonus rate (up to $5.00 per square foot) vs. the base rate (up to $1.00 per square foot). 

 CE: 1 LU 

Maximizing Envelope Performance with IMPs & Integrated Components

Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

This webinar explores an advanced insulated metal composite panel building envelope system, components that have been engineered to integrate with the system – including windows, daylighting panels, sunshades, and louvers – and how the IMP system and integrated components combine to create a high-performance building envelope.

CE: 1 LU | HSW