The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) has published a 65-page document containing a wealth of tools, tips, and resources aimed at architecture students. The “Digital Resources” tool was compiled by the AIAS Design and Technology Task Force, and is described as “a tool for optimizing your design workflow and software knowledge.”

The toolkit is divided into five sections: competitions, entourage, website resources, remote learning, and tutorials. The Competitions section gives descriptions, links, entry fees, and prize information for 16 competitions or competitions platforms accessible to students, with topics ranging from materiality to film. The Entourage section offers links to 13 resources for scale figures for use in collages, montages, and renderings, while the Website Resources section offers 12 online resources where students can access apps, objects, blocks, icons, and textures for a variety of popular programs including Revit, AutoCAD, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

In the Remote Learning section, users are introduced to a collection of popular video and collaboration software to aid online learning and teaching, while the Tutorials section offers useful links for students seeking to develop their skills in dozens of programs and packages.  

The toolkit is the culmination of two years of research by the AIAS, through the medium of their Learning and Technology Task Force. In addition to leveraging the resources already accumulated by the organization through previous initiatives and workshops, the task force sought to provide AIAS chapters and members with a toolkit to further their career development, responding to the major rise of remote working and online learning during COVID-19.

Publication of the toolkit comes on the same week that new resource guides were published to assist K-12 students and their teachers explore careers in architecture; guides which saw the AIAS collaborate with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA).