Susan Maxman, FAIA, served as AIA’s first female president in 1993 and made sustainable design her focus. A quarter century later, Jane Frederick, FAIA, is president as the AIA is making big moves on climate action and driving toward a practice transformation.
On the diversity front, things have evolved since the early 1990s. Frederick is the AIA’s fifth female president and this year the AIA board is more than 50 percent female for the first time. AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design research has spotlighted “missing 32%” of women architects and the persistent pay gap. Further, advances in racial and ethnic diversity have been even slower than gender diversity, both for the Institute leadership and for firms. It’s interesting to pair the arc of progress on equity, diversity, and inclusion with that of design as a more holistic endeavor.
I interviewed Maxman in 2006 during research for the book Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design, co-authored with Lance Hosey. At the time, she said, “I hope there comes a time when we don’t have to talk about sustainable design and we can just call it good design.”
COTE has been working toward that goal for 30 years and it is now starting to become codified within the AIA for the first time: The Institute adopted the COTE Top Ten Measures as the Framework for Design Excellence, and these measures and associated metrics are being integrated in the Honor Awards. The Blueprint for Better campaign advances that “AIA and its members are dedicated to designing a healthy, sustainable, and equitable world, together.”
As we reflect on the growth of the sustainable design movement during COTE’s first decade and the progress on this topic that AIA has been making recently, we felt inspired to speak to Maxman and Frederick together.
GOULD: In the early 1990s, sustainable design was considered a “side topic” in architecture. Susan, you saw a leadership opportunity for architects. What was going on at the time and why did you take that stance?
MAXMAN: I had been to the Earth Summit and I was convinced that we needed to focus on sustainability. Everyone thought that the sustainability focus was a little crazy. But the early 1990s was a tough time for architects, if you recall. I believed that environmental responsibility was an excellent way to elevate the profession. I thought that this could galvanize us. I made it the focus of the convention that year, and Amory Lovins spoke. There were many people who said that if we focused on that topic, no one would come to the convention, but it was very well attended.
GOULD: Flash forward to today, and we have the Institute’s fifth female president, Jane Frederick, quoting Rebecca Solnit from conference stages: “Don’t ask what will happen. Be what happens.” Frederick runs a small firm in South Carolina, and likes to remind audiences that if her firm can be a signatory to the 2030 Commitment -- and report project information annually as the program encourages -- than any firm can. Why is that important, Jane?
FREDERICK: In 2018, about 250 firms were reporting. There are about 20,000 firms in the US. That’s one percent, and that’s not going to do the trick. If we are not measuring our efforts, we can’t track our progress. We’ve been reporting in my firm for the last four years: Everyone gets excited about this. It’s a real culture driver and a motivator for our team.
GOULD: Do you think the membership is ready for the practice transformation that the Climate Action Plan, now in draft, lays out?
FREDERICK: We are at an international tipping point. I think people realize that it’s now or never. I’m thrilled that we are focused and moving forward. One of the things we think about is how you can talk about this. Framing the conversation around resilience is helpful with many clients. We are also investing in research on the ROI of sustainable design measures.
We’re doing a significant public outreach campaign. The public does not understand that 40 percent of carbon comes from buildings. We need to build awareness, and then we need to get the Zero Code [a standard for zero net carbon buildings] adopted so that it’s required.
GOULD: Susan, it seems that AIA is at the cusp of a reinvention that, in fact, has its roots in your own leadership era. What do you think is important to remember as this reinvention and practice transformation get under way?
MAXMAN: It comes back, quite simply, to design. This has always been, I think, about solving problems for people, not creating monuments. That was what my practice was about. I always saw this as part of responsible practice. We serve our clients.
For the Institute, awards are an important element. They are a signal of what’s valued. It would be hypocritical if the AIA were celebrating work that is not addressing these issues. It would be great to see the Committee on Design embracing this definition of design excellence, too.
And collaborations are important. I’m involved with the National Institute of Building Science, which can be a nucleus of exchange between industries, something greatly needed for accelerated innovation towards climate response. I hope we’ll have more collaboration between groups -- the AIA cannot go it alone. We need to be with APA, ASLA, ULI, UGBC, the structural, mechanical, and civil engineers.