AIA Iowa publishes second edition of Bee an Architect.
Story By Tracy Dickinson | May 2026
The Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Iowa) has always had a mission to be “the voice of the profession of architecture, promoting the value of good design, and advocating for the health and safety of the public.”
The AIA Iowa has always included schools and libraries in its educational programs. A few years ago the organization introduced a new resource that has extended that mission even more.
“The original edition of our Bee an Architect book was launched in May of 2022,” says Jessica Reinert, Executive Director of AIA Iowa. “Because of its incredible success, we introduced a bilingual version a year later.”
The group’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee published a second edition of the book recently with a number of updates and changes.
“We wanted to dial in to age-appropriate activities with this new version, especially for the preschool- and kindergarten-age readers,” Reinert says.
The new edition also introduced a brand-new character—Spec the ant.
“Ants are nature’s designers and embody the spirit of cooperation and teamwork, skills that are important to develop as an architect,” says Reinert.
AIA Iowa member architects use the activity books during educational presentations, and thousands of copies are distributed through libraries, schools, art museums, and other nonprofit organizations.
“We distributed more than 20,000 copies of the first edition over the past three years,” Reinert says, “and with increasing interest in the 2026 edition, we were prepared to distribute 10,000 copies right from the start.”
A bilingual version of the original edition was released in May 2023, which allowed AIA Iowa to broaden its reach through such events as the Latino Film Festival and various Cinco de Mayo celebrations and activities.
“Our AIA Iowa volunteers really wanted to take a proactive approach to continually improve this wonderful resource and inspire an even broader, more diverse group of youth to explore architecture,” says Reinert.
With the overwhelming popularity of that first bilingual edition, the EDI Committee knew the updated version should be bilingual as well.
“The goal for the second edition was to keep the content fresh, engaging, and growing alongside its audience,” Reinert says. “The EDI Committee spent months assembling a rough draft of the content it wanted to include in the new version, and those ideas were then brought to life by a core team of designers.”
Reinert says the group felt it was important to provide equal access to this resource. With the Spanish-speaking population making up the state’s largest minority group, providing side-by-side text makes Bee an Architect accessible to a wider range of readers.
“The side-by-side format maximizes accessibility,” she says, “making it highly versatile for dual-language households, ESL students, and diverse classrooms.”
The books are used by educators to introduce concepts such as shapes, color theory, and basic problem-solving, all topics foundational to STEM (science technology engineering math) and STEAM (science technology engineering arts math) curricula.
“The activities in the book make it easy for educators to bridge art, math, and career discovery,” says Reinert.
With the first edition of Bee an Architect, AIA Iowa sought to inspire the next generation of architects, and that remains the same with the second edition.
“By breaking down language barriers to ensure the message reaches a wider, more diverse demographic of children, we hope to introduce the profession to an audience who might not otherwise be exposed to a career in architecture,” Reinert says.
The overwhelmingly positive response to the book indicates that goal has been achieved. More than 70 libraries requested copies of the new edition. Reinert says the book is so popular at public awareness and outreach events that copies disappear quickly.
“This incredible demand is exactly what proved the concept’s value and justified expanding the initiative into a second edition with the introduction to our new character, Spec,” she says.
Through AIA Iowa’s outreach events, architects use the books as a tangible, interactive tool to engage their audience in a fun, kid-friendly way during classroom visits, community events, and architecture camps.
Although Bee an Architect is designed for elementary-age children, Reinert says it outlines next steps for young people ages 11 to 18 who are curious about the field of architecture. And AIA Iowa is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to share this resource with young people.
Bee an Architect is one more resource the AIA Iowa provides to the public. Others include Hiring an Architect Playbook, Guidebook to Architecture and Construction for Schools, and Guidebook for Cities and Counties. Each of these publications along with online directories of architecture firms, architects, and allied professionals furthers the AIA Iowa mission to be a voice for the profession and to promote the value of good design.
Team Effort
The second edition Bee an Architect book was brought to life by a team of designers, as well as the AIA Iowa EDI Committee. These individuals played key roles in its production:
- Amy Pope
Iowa State University student
illustrator - Azusa Allard
AIA, illustrator - Chris Huling
editor - Melissa Beltran
Assoc. AIA, translator
Learn More.
To get a digital copy of Bee an Architect, to check out other resources the AIA Iowa provides, or to learn more about award-winning architecture in Iowa, visit the following websites:
AIAIowa.org/BeeAnArchitect | AIAIowa.org/FutureArchitects | IowaArchitecture.org