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AIA KnowledgeNet Roundup: January 25, 2013

By Ann Novakowski posted 01-22-2013 10:57 AM

  
AIA Knowledge Communities sustainability and green design initiatives: Committee on the Environment's Top Ten Green Project Awards, Energy Modeling Guide, Accessibility Stanards, and more

Meet the Knowledge Communities who create resources for practicing professionals around green design, sustainability, accessibilty, and high performance buildings. Below is a brief list of the initiatives, awards, webinars, and resource of the AIA Knowledge Communities.

2013 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects

The 2013 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects Awards are now accepting submissions! Please review the Call for Entries for complete information regarding registration fees, eligibility and submission requirements.

Submission Deadline: 8 p.m. ET, January 25, 2013
The AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects Awards program recognizes exemplary and innovative built projects that establish a standard of excellence in sustainable design, demonstrate its benefits, and educate both the profession and the public. Submit your project. View past award winners.

Top Ten Plus

Submission Deadline: 8 p.m. ET, January 25, 2013
Past winners can now submit for the new Top Ten Plus award by providing details on how the project is performing in terms of actual operations and occupant satisfaction. The Top Ten Plus award uses the same submission forms as Top Ten, with adjustments as indicated in the instructions on the forms and in this planning document.

AIA/COTE Top Ten Project Case Studies:
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

AIA/COTE Top Ten Project Boards:
2009 | 2008

View the 2012 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects »

AIA Committee on the Environment

The Committee on the Environment (COTE) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate—to the profession, the building industry, the academy, and the public—design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. COTE serves as the community and voice on behalf of AIA architects regarding sustainable design.

Meet the Advisory Group »

Get Engaged with Your State and Local Committees on the Environment

When renewing their annual membership, 7,000 AIA members check "sustainable design" as a strong interest. When a few, or many of them, are in the same place, a local COTE chapter is possible. Find out more about starting an AIA COTE chapter in your area.

Download the AIA COTE Local Chapter Guide »
View the State and Regional Chapter Directory »

A new version of the AIA 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool is available! The latest version of the tool features additional code equivalent options, the optional ability to track water and carbon emissions, and a new tab to make exporting data easier. 

Download the 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool Now »

Check out all the firms that have adopted the AIA 2030 Commitment and actions they have undertaken to reduce the energy consumption in the built environment by 2030.

Podcast: The AIA 2030 Commitment

In this podcast, Greg Mella, AIA LEED AP talks about the AIA 2030 Commitment. The AIA 2030 Commitment is a voluntary national program for AIA member firms and other entities working in the built environment. It asks these organizations to make a pledge, develop action plans, and implement steps to achieve the goal of carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030.

Listen to the Podcast Now »

Sustainable Justice 2030: Green Guide to Justice

Green Guide to Justice cover This white paper is a proposition for the role of the justice system in contributing to the continuing viability of our society. Intended to complement other public initiatives with the year 2030 as the planning horizon, we aim to articulate a vision for how green justice buildings can serve a green and sustainable justice system as a foundational element of a sustainable society. As architects, our planning and design efforts are framed by the vision of our clients; this paper is intended to illustrate a vision for the year 2030 that is holistic and elevated in aspiration to create a more just and sustainable society.

AIA Continuing Education SystemEarn 1 HSW/SD CEH hour for reading the Sustainable Justice 2030: Green Guide to Justice and successfully completing the quiz.

Excellence in Universal Design

This webinar is the third in a three part series sponsored by the Universal Design member-created community on AIA KnowledgeNet. Some of the most persistent misconceptions about Universal Design are that it is "handicapped looking", ungraceful and too expensive. These mistaken ideas often keep owners from accepting new modalities and leads to perpetuating bad practices. Miguel Rivera, AIA; Reggie Stump; E.B. Min will dispel those myths and show that incorporating Universal Design features provides greater accessibility, increase property value and adds safety. Each architect will present a project that has won the AIA Small Project Award for Universal Design. These architects will discuss their design philosophies and explore their firm's production process.

Click to watch the video.


Beyond the ADA: How to Incorporate Universal Design Principles in Commercial Facilities

This webinar is the first in a three part series sponsored by the Universal Design member-create community on AIA KnowledgeNet. The ADA Design guidelines have been mandatory for commercial facilities and public buildings since 1991. But those guidelines are only the minimum requirements for persons with disabilities. The 7 Principles of Universal Design are more inclusive and could easily be incorporated as well. Marcela Abadi Rhoads, AIA delves into the differences between the ADA and Universal Design and how a commercial facility can incorporate both into their spaces.

Click to watch the video.


Is lean the New Green?
By Cliff Moser, MSQA, AIA, LEED AP - Featured in the Practice Management Digest

The business philosophy and processes known as Lean has evolved since being described in Jim Womack and Dan Jones' books of the 1990s –The Machine the Changed the World, and Lean Thinking. For one thing, the mythic Lean originator and Goliath, Toyota (who built Lean into a global business paradigm shift through its Toyota Production System (TPS)), has stumbled. Beyond the schadenfreude that that has accompanied the world's judgment of the great Lean leader's misfortune, global business communities have demonstrated that they have already integrated lean processes into their business operations. As Lean now moves into its "Beyond Toyota" phase, it is becoming more mainstream. Within the Construction Industry, the Lean movement has created over 20 regional Lean Construction Chapters (supported by UC Berkley's Lean Construction Institute) through the US as well as Canada and Internationally.

Read the entire article online now »

The Use of Green Materials in the Construction of Buildings' Structure
By Bradford Russell, AIA, P.E., S.E., BR Architects, Inc. - Featured in the Practice Management Digest

'Green' materials include those which are renewable and/or cause the least impact on the environment. In design, it is the creative initial layout (both of the spaces and the structure) and building design that takes full advantage of building 'green'. With this, 'Green' materials can be considered waste products, which hold no harmful effects, are considered at the end of their useful life, and can be used in conjunction with other construction materials for a building's construction. We will explore the use of fly ash in concrete, biodegradable materials in concrete, and the use of natural faster renewable materials as a new means of construction. In addition, we will look into what impact these materials can have on the building's performance in extreme conditions.

Read the entire article online now »

Collaborative BIM for Eco-Effective Project Delivery
By Zigmund Rubel, AIA - Featured in the Practice Management Digest

Collaborative BIM for Eco-Effective project delivery will discuss and demonstrate that harnessing the collaborative power of technology for sustainable design requires an integrated team. Collaboration is a fundamental requirement of integration. Harvesting technology for the design and construction process requires teamwork because it is still evolving. Collaborative projects have fewer claims, shorter schedules and more job satisfaction than those projects that do not demonstrated by research from the Construction Industry Institute, University Texas, Austin. Building Information Modeling (BIM) enhances the team through digital collaboration and integration of models. Anyone considering putting a team together should consider how collaboration and digital integration can further enhance the team's performance and outcome when delivering their project for eco responsive design.

Read the entire article online now »

Sustainability + BIM + Integration, a Symbiotic Relationship
By Kelly Cone - Featured in the Practice Management Digest

This presentation looks at the changes affecting our industry today from a holistic frame of mind rather than attempting to divide and conquer the forces that are driving these changes. Sustainability, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Integration are each such significant changes to our practice that many firms are attempting to focus on adopting just one or two into their practice. This "take it one at a time" strategy is by far the most common one being used today to adapt to our changing markets, but we believe this just isn't good enough if you want to remain truly competitive. The premise of this presentation is that these changes are complimentary, or even perhaps symbiotic, rather than just three separate influences on our processes. The implication behind such a statement is that we cannot capitalize on the full potential of any of these forces without simultaneously taking advantage of the others as well. Or, inversely, by only focusing our attention on any one we will fail to maximize the benefit to either us or our clients. Bear with us as we explore the complex relationship between these three changes and piece together a delivery strategy that incorporates them all. At the end, we hope you'll walk away with a few ideas to take home.

Read the entire article online now »

Experiences: Sharing Technical Knowledge with Peers Inspires the Formation of a New Knowledge Community
By David Altenhofen, AIA - Featured in the Technical Design for Building Performance newsletter

In this interview, David Altenhofen discusses what inspired the formation of TDBP and the steps being taken to develop this new professional interest group. Mr. Altenhofen is a building enclosure consultant and manager at the The Facade Group East.  His project types range from residential to high-tech, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical and applied research facilities. Rounding out his experience, Mr. Altenhofen has been a developer and a licensed general contractor. He is active in the architectural community at several levels, focusing primarily on reinforcing the architect's role in building science and integrated design.

Read the entire article online now »


Do you think you could use these resources to inform your firm's sustainability initiatives? Leave a comment below!



#RegionalandUrbanDesignCommittee #TechnicalDesignforBuildingPerformance #CommitteeontheEnvironment
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