ICYMI: Architectural Community Responds to Trump’s Executive Order on Federal Design

Carrie Meadows discusses the implications of the recent executive order on federal architecture, contrasting it with past principles, and explores the responses from groups like AIA and ASLA regarding design diversity and sustainability.
Oct. 20, 2025

In this ICYMI article-read, i+s Editor-in-Chief Carrie Meadows unpacks the renewed federal design directive from her article, “Architectural Community Responds to Trump's Executive Order on Federal Design,” originally published on Sept. 3, 2025, and why it’s drawing pushback across the A&D community. You’ll hear a concise overview of the order’s call for classical styles, a quick history lesson on the 1962 “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture,” and how groups like AIA, ASLA, the BSA, and the Society of Architectural Historians are responding. The episode explores what’s at stake for community input, design innovation, and sustainability in federal projects—grounded with examples like the U.S. Tax Court and the rebuilt Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building—and closes with an editorial perspective on keeping civic architecture democratic, evidence-based, and future-forward.

About the Author

Carrie Meadows

Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief, i+s
Phone: 603-891-9382
 

Carrie Meadows is Editor-in-Chief of interiors+sources (i+s), where she leads editorial strategy, content development, and brand storytelling focused on the people, projects, and innovations shaping the design industry. With more than two decades of experience in B2B media, she has built a career connecting technical expertise with creative insight—translating complex topics into meaningful stories for professional audiences. Before joining i+s in 2024, Carrie served as Editor-in-Chief of LEDs Magazine within Endeavor Business Media’s Digital Infrastructure & Lighting Group, guiding coverage of emerging lighting technologies, sustainability, and human-centric design. Her earlier editorial experience spans across Laser Focus World, Vision Systems Design, Lightwave, and CleanRooms, where she managed print and digital publications serving the optics, photonics, and semiconductor sectors.

An advocate for clear communication and thoughtful storytelling, Carrie combines her editorial management, SEO, and content strategy expertise to help brands and readers stay informed in a rapidly evolving media landscape. When she’s not crafting content, Carrie can be found volunteering at a local animal shelter, diving into a good crime novel, or spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her favorite four-legged friends.

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