Pictured above L to R: Museum of Nebraska Art; Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary will be this year’s tours.
AGENDA
7:00 am – 8:00 am | Exhibitor Setup
8:00 am – 9:00 am | Registration | Exhibitor Interaction | Breakfast
8:55 am | Welcome
9:00 am – 10:00 am | Artificial Intelligence in Architecture: Replacement, Responsibility & Opportunity
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering architectural workflows, raising urgent questions about automation, liability, and professional relevance. This course examines what current AI systems can and cannot do, and how architects can retain authority in an AI-augmented environment.
We will explore the distinction between explicit and tacit knowledge, the hierarchy of professional work from routine production to high-judgment creative decision-making, and which layers are most susceptible to automation. Particular attention will be given to where human creativity, contextual judgment, and embodied experience remain irreplaceable.
Delivered as a strategic lecture with structured discussion, this session is designed for architects, firm leaders, and emerging professionals seeking clarity on ethics, risk, and long-term positioning. No prior technical knowledge of AI is required.
Greg Simon is the CEO of Star Stream Labs, a Nebraska-based company pioneering immersive cinematic streaming and AI-powered learning systems. He holds an MBA from Columbia University and brings over 20 years of experience in international finance and emerging technologies, including 14 years in global banking and the past decade leading innovation in AI, blockchain, and immersive media. A Nebraska native, he recently returned home after years overseas and in California, committed to strengthening the state’s tech ecosystem and expanding opportunities for rural communities. Greg Simon, CEO, Star Stream Labs | 1 LU Ethics 04.23.2026.1
10:00 am – 10:30 am | Exhibitor Interaction
10:30 am – 12:00 pm | Programming for Rural Futures: Strategic Analysis and Community Visioning in Nebraska Through the ASSIST Engaged Learning Model
This program examines a structured architectural programming method for evaluating project values, requirements, constraints, and opportunities in rural communities experiencing economic and demographic change. Using the ASSIST engaged learning model as a case study framework, the course introduces the VINS approach (Values-Intentions-Needs-Strategies as a structured alignment tool for translating stakeholder values into measurable spatial criteria. Through interdisciplinary and participatory engagement methods, attendees explore how disciplined predesign analysis and structured pre-design testing shape site planning and facility development in ways that influence environmental quality , strengthen social interaction, and support long-term community well-being. Emphasis is placed on how intentional alignment of community values with health, safety, and welfare priorities in early programming enhances quality of life and elevates the human experience of buildings and sites beyond individual program requirements.
Steven Hardy, Assoc. Professor, UNL College of Architecture; Nate Bicak, Assoc. Professor, UNL College of Architecture | 1.5 HSW 04.23.2026.2
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Lunch + Prize Drawing
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm | TOUR: Museum of Nebraska Art
The recently completed expansion and renovation of the Museum of Nebraska Art repositions a historic 1911 post office as a transparent, community-centered cultural anchor. The tour will explore how a 23,000-square-foot mass timber addition and a 43,000-square-foot prairie garden transform the museum’s civic presence while preserving the original landmark. Participants will experience the CLT and glulam structural system, visible art storage, a universally accessible plinth, and new galleries designed for flexibility, daylight, and environmental performance. The project demonstrates how adaptive reuse, biogenic materials, and landscape integration can expand access, strengthen regional identity, and create a more open and generous model for the 21st-century museum.
Tour led by Mark Bacon, AIA, BVH Architecture; Andrew Dunehoo, Executive Director, MONA | 1 HSW 04.23.2026.3
2:45 pm – 4:15 pm | TOUR: Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary
In 2024, the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center underwent a significant renovation and expansion to improve accessibility, energy performance, program capacity, and long-term environmental stewardship. Designed to support both habitat preservation and increased public use, the project required careful integration of sustainable design strategies, sensitive site planning, and construction protocols tailored to an ecologically fragile environment.
We will take you on a guided tour of the renovated facility, examining how the design team addressed accessibility upgrades, adaptive reuse of sustainable systems such as strawbale wall construction, building envelope performance, and construction sequencing within endangered species protection requirements. Participants will explore how architectural decisions balance public safety, occupant comfort, environmental responsibility, and the operation demands of hosting international visitors in a protected natural setting.
Tour led by Patrick Moore, AIA, Goodlife Architecture; Marcos Stoltzfus, Rowe Sanctuary | 1 HSW 04.23.2026.4
4:30 pm | Social: Lucky Duck Bar & Lounge, 718 US-30, Suite B. Gibbon, NE 68840
Registration: Deadline for registration is April 16, 2026. Prices will increase on April 17, 2026. Registration fees are non-refundable after April 23, 2026.
Prize Giveaway: Exhibitors will be collecting business cards from attendees for visiting their booths. Make sure you bring enough to share and register to win various prizes.
Questions: Contact Tyler Patterson, Marketing & Programming Coordinator at tyler@aiane.org or (402) 858-1929.
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