Committee on the Environment

 View Only

ALBION DISTRICT LIBRARY BY PERKINS + WILL IS A 2018 COTE TOP TEN RECIPIENT. IMAGE: DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY

Quick Links

Who we are

The Committee on the Environment (COTE®) is an AIA Knowledge Community working for architects, allied professionals, and the public to achieve climate action and climate justice through design. We believe that design excellence is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. Our work promotes design strategies that empower all AIA members to realize the best social and environmental outcomes with the clients and the communities they serve.

Enjoy our latest on COTE news (and follow us on X and LinkedIn). 

To learn about the Framework for Design Excellence (formerly the COTE Top Ten Measures), click here.

Check out COTE's history and timeline. 

Starting a local COTE or sustainability group and need some guidance? Check out the AIA COTE Network Resources here.

A big thank you to our 2024 sponsors: 
Founding sponsors: Building Green
Premier sponsors: Sherwin-Williams
Sustaining sponsors: GAF Roofing, Milliken, Andersen Windows,
BlueScope Buildings
Green sponsors: EPIC Metals
Allied sponsors: TLC Engineering, Sierra Pacific Windows

RESET for Practice Transformation: Join the CarbonPositive Teach-In

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 08-12-2020 01:49 PM

  


RESET for Practice Transformation: Join the CarbonPositive Teach-In


The urgency of the climate crisis has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Architecture 2030 is stepping into the moment with CarbonPositive RESETa freeinterdisciplinary, practice-focused event for architects, planners, engineers, builders, developers and policymakers. They are calling it a Teach-In, lending it a touch of throwback, but this is all about preparing for a future in which our species can thrive. The event is a full day event for each region: North and South America on September 8; Europe, Middle East & Africa on September 17; and Asia, Asia Pacific & Oceania on September 22. 

The Architecture 2030 team, and many experts around the world, believe that we could still meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target and avert the most dangerous aspects of climate change by reducing annual CO2 emissions 50% to 65% in the built environment by 2030, and completely phasing-out of fossil fuel CO2 emissions by 2040.  

RESET’s organizers noteNow is the time to collectively accelerate our motivation and actions – designing buildings with no on-site fossil fuels; innovating and shifting to carbon positive buildings, materials, construction and infrastructure; creating building decarbonization and clean energy jobs; integrating passive design strategies and renewable energy in projects; and addressing the root causes of increasing and projected climate catastrophes and pandemics. 

Speakers include many leading AIA and COTE voices and others, including: Marsha Maytum, FAIA, of Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (longtime leaders and multiple Top Ten Award honors); Kirsten Ritchie, AIA, and Rives Taylor, AIA, of Gensler (which has committed to carbon neutral by 2030); and Keith Hempel of LPA Design Studios (and the largest firm to meet the 2030 Commitment target across their portfolio). Also speaking will be Carl Elefante, FAIA; AIA President Jane Frederick, FAIA; Peter Calthorpe, FAIA; Harrison Fraker, FA; Pablo La Roche of CallisonRTKL; Doug Kelbaugh, FAIA; Chris Magwood of Endeavour Center; Kelsey Wotila of EskewDumezRippleand others. Check out the speaker list and the agenda 

This kind of learning is fuel for the practice transformation that is under way throughout the profession, as firms of all scales in all regions embrace sustainability as part of design excellence and understand climate response as part of ethical client service. This is design leadership in the 21st century.  


0 comments
30 views