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AIA Middle Tennessee 2026 Speaker Series: Sarah Weidner Astheimer, PLA
The AIA Middle Tennessee Speaker Series is our chapter’s signature lecture program, held at the Frist Art Museum. Each session features a distinguished architect or design professional — sometimes from Nashville, sometimes from across the country or around the world — who brings fresh perspectives and expertise to our community.
These events serve as our local chapter meetings, offering members the chance to connect with one another, hear thought-provoking talks, and engage in conversations about the future of architecture and design in Middle Tennessee.
About the Speaker: Sarah Weidner Astheimer, PLA
Sarah believes in the power of nature-based design and the potential of an extraordinary public realm to transform the health and well-being of our cities and communities.
From innovative stakeholder workshops to design and construction administration, Sarah successfully leads complex urban projects with compassion, empathy, powerful listening, and a collaborative spirit.
With over 20 years at Field Operations, Sarah is the Partner-in-Charge of the Philadelphia studio and is actively leading transformative work in Nashville, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.
Formative projects include the award-winning equity and resilience plan for Reimagine Middle Branch in Baltimore, the 1400-acre master plan for the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, the Amazon HQ2 public campus in Arlington, Comcast NBCUniversal’s creative campus in Burbank, the public space plan for the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, the 2012–16 renovation of Chicago’s Navy Pier, and the 2010–13 transformation of Santa Monica’s civic campus including Tongva Park.
These projects give rise to memorable places, which are rooted in their site and context as they foster interaction, civic discourse, play, beauty, and environmental resilience.