Dear COTE Community,
As the 2022 season of COTE’s Subcommittee work comes to a close, our priority for outreach, dialogue, and coordination persist … and promises to shape the work of our subcommittees in 2023:
Talking with Lakisha Ann Woods
Where are the barriers in COTE’s work? How is the COTE Network responding to the need for climate action and equity literacy? Through these questions, we framed our conversation with Lakisha Ann Woods, the AIA Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer. As a continuation of her listening tour, Lakisha provided insight into COTE’s programs and most pressing issues, affirming the COTE Network’s high level of engagement and willingness to serve. In addition, she expressed gratitude for COTE’s longstanding commitment to AIA members through the COTE Top Ten Awards. Our conversation on these critical topics will continue when COTE LG members meet with Ryan Gann and Vincent Martinez, Chairs of the AIA Equity and Future of Architecture (EQFA) Committee and AIA Committee on Climate Action and Design Excellence (CCADE), respectively. With EQFA and CCADE, COTE looks forward to coordinating the work of our Climate Action and Climate Justice Subcommittee, ensuring alignment with the AIA’s Strategic Goals.
Evolving the Framework for Design Excellence
The future of the Framework for Design Excellence prioritizes increased access and comprehension for all AIA Members. Allison Anderson, FAIA, Chair of the newly formed board-initiated Framework for Design Excellence Working Group, met with the COTE LG to discuss the Working Group’s current sprint. A high-level review of the Framework is underway, as well as a gap analysis to assess its alignment with the AIA Strategic Plan’s outcomes: resilient, equitable, healthy, and zero-carbon. In her presentation, Allison emphasized the need to embrace the Framework as a living document, acknowledging the rapid pace of architectural knowledge transformation.
How can the COTE Community support the evolution of the Framework? The Working Group will invite AIA Knowledge Communities to review and comment on their recommendations. Watch for news of the review process on AIA COTE Knowledge Net. In addition, AIA COTE has and will continue to prioritize evolving and aligning measures and metrics across its Top Ten Awards, Top Ten for Students Competition, and member resources, including the Super Spreadsheet and COTE Common App for Design Excellence.
Looking Ahead to 2023
In 2022, AIA COTE coordinated our work through outreach to board-level committees and knowledge communities; strengthened our understanding of the intersection between design excellence, climate action and climate justice; and positioned COTE’s programs to increase in value and impact. We began a conversation on the state of the Framework, demonstrating the resources AIA members need to engage in design excellence now through the COTE Network’s guidance of the Common App.
Our 2022 accomplishments are due to the deep personal and firm-level commitments of COTE volunteers' time and resources. Thank you to all volunteers working through the COTE Network, COTE Subcommittees, and COTE LG. This year, two COTE Leadership Group members completed their terms of service: Thank you Kira Gould, Hon. AIA, and Betsy Del Monte, FAIA. Also, Mike Davis, FAIA, who has been the COTE Advocacy Ambassador and served on the AIA Government Affairs committee, is moving on from these roles – he will be missed. To all three: Your examples of climate action leadership will continue to shape the day-to-day dialogue of AIA COTE.
As our last newsletter of 2022, I also have the privilege of welcoming the next AIA COTE Chair, Lori Ferris, AIA, who is Director of Sustainability and Climate Action at Goody Clancy in Boston. Lori’s focus on building reuse as climate action helped shape COTE’s panel discussion with Nakita Reed, AIA, and Sijing Sanchez, AIA at Greenbuild 2022 (on 3 November).
With the deepest respect for the past, present, and future work of AIA COTE volunteers.
Billie Faircloth, FAIA