Blogs

AIA Policy Update: A Step Forward in Environmental Responsibility

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted yesterday
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AIA Policy Update: A Step Forward in Environmental Responsibility By AIA Committee on the Environment Leadership Group The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recently made significant updates to its policy statements , underscoring the evolving role of architects in addressing climate change and environmental justice. These updates, approved by the AIA Board of Directors, emphasize the association's commitment to making a positive impact on our planet through responsible design practices. Background of the Update The AIA's policy statements serve as a public declaration of the values and beliefs held by the association. These statements ...
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Building Reuse for Climate Action: A New AIA Guide

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 2 days ago
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Building Reuse for Climate Action: A New AIA Practice Guide By Kelsey Wotila, AIA AIA has recently released a new practice guide: Today's Buildings for Tomorrow: Guide to Building Reuse for Climate Action . It is designed to be an essential and practical resource tailored for architects engaged in the renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Its core objective is to equip architects with practical insights to make informed decisions that maximize positive outcomes. This guide serves as a compass for navigating the complexities of building renovation projects, highlighting the logic in approaching a project (what questions should a designer ...
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COTE Book Review: The Story of Upfront Carbon by Lloyd Alter

By Lisa Richmond Hon. AIA posted 3 days ago
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NOTE: COTE will host an interview with Lloyd Alter on June 11. Registration coming soon. As a fan of Lloyd Alter 's writing, I knew his new book would be provocative. Like Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle and his excellent Substack , I expected The Story of Upfront Carbon to help me see the world in new ways. What I didn’t expect: it would be such a delight to read. The book is honest and practical, making complicated subjects accessible using simple, everyday examples. It’s not written for architects, but nonetheless offers rich systems-level thinking about decarbonizing the built environment. This is a sophisticated ...
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COTE Network Update

By Bunny Tucker AIA posted 3 days ago
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COTE Network Update By Bunny Tucker, AIA, CPHD The COTE Network will host its second quarterly call of the year on Tuesday May 7, 2024 at 2:00 pm ET. The discussion, titled “New Chapters, Old Chapters, and Everything In Between” will focus on the work taking place in various regions. Join us for case studies from AIA South Carolina COTE ( Mason Malsegna ), AIA Indiana COTE ( Daniel Overbey, Joe Yount, Reva Derhammer ), AIA San Antonio COTE ( Benjamin Rosas, Sandra Montalbo) , and AIA Philly COTE ( Roshni Krishnan, Katherine Urbaniak, Danielle Fleischmann). Group discussions will focus on big questions that COTE Chapters are facing: How to increase ...
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2024 AIA Hill Day

By Robin Leigh Ziegenbalg Puttock AIA posted 3 days ago
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I lived in the Washington, DC region for 25 years. I am humbled to admit that during all those years, I never visited any of my elected federal officials in person…and they all worked less than 6 miles from my home. It took a move to Atlanta, GA, and my new incoming chair role on the National AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Leadership Group to get me to Capitol Hill to advocate for what I care about. AIA’s Hill Day is part of the National AIA’s Annual Leadership Summit, formerly known as Grassroots. It is an opportunity for architects and allied professionals in leadership roles within the AIA to come together, network and, most importantly, learn ...
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Climate Justice and Disaster Recovery

By Nikolaus T. Remus AIA posted 3 days ago
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When architects engage in disaster recovery efforts, technical expertise gets the most attention for how we can contribute to the process. This is no accident; AIA's Safety Assessment Program (SAP) prepares architects to participate in rapid building assessment in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. These efforts are vital to helping local governments understand the magnitude of a disaster, where to prioritize their efforts, and determine if residents can return to their homes. I don't think it's a stretch to say that every architect participating in disaster recovery immediately thinks ...
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JOIN COTE: Apply this spring for the national Leadership Group

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 4 days ago
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JOIN COTE: Apply this spring for the national Leadership Group If you have been in the COTE community for a while, or are new to our tent, perhaps it’s time to think about applying to the national Leadership Group of COTE, an AIA Knowledge Community (since 1990). What does the COTE Leadership Group do? This group of 12 people shape and shepherd tend to COTE’s flagship programs, the COTE Top Ten Awards (since 1997) and the AIA/ACSA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition … as well as guiding knowledge development, collaborating with other climate groups at AIA (2030 Working Group, materials groups, the Resilience and Adaptation Group, and ...
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Designed for Beauty and Performance: Celebrate the 2023 AIA / ACSA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition Recipients

By Karen Robichaud posted 6 days ago
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By Karen Robichaud , Strategic Communications Consultant Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 AIA / ASCA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition ! Last August, ACSA and AIA announced the 2023 entries from the student competition , selected from studio projects from architecture schools throughout the United States and Canada. Like in years past, this crop of awardees submitted a stellar array of projects, from a cancer support center aimed at addressing health disparities of Native American communities to a reef research and teaching facility and several others. What struck me about the entries and the jury comments, was that what makes ...
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Design the Future Podcast: Janice Barnes

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 7 days ago
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For our latest episode, we (Lindsay Baker and Kira Gould) had a conversation with Janice Barnes, Ph.D. She is founder of Climate Adaptation Partners. She uses her training in architecture and organizational behavior to help clients understand risks and evaluate adaptation pathways and link these to design and financing options. She works at the intersection of climate change, design, and public health and uses the inviting question “how might we?” to frame her work. We talked with Janice about her advocacy and education work, her current client and project work, and more. "Climate adaptation," she says, "is part of design. We have a professional obligation ...
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COTE's Guide to AIA24, the AIA Conference on Architecture

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 9 days ago
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COTE’s Guide to AIA24: June 5-8 in Washington, DC The AIA Conference on Architecture ( AIA24 ) is coming up soon! The COTE Leadership Group and many COTE volunteers and members of the COTE Network of chapters are looking forward to the conference as an opportunity to connect and learn with many of you in the COTE community who may be planning to attend. There are some changes this year, about which you may have heard. The 2024 chair of COTE, Michelle Amt, FAIA, mentioned in her chair letter in COTE news (March/April 2024) that, in addition to COTE Top Ten winners not being announced on Earth Day (as they have been since ...
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April Climate Action Events!

By Lisa M. Ferretto AIA posted 30 days ago
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Climate Action + Equity Events! A listing of events, webinars, deadlines, etc. that may be of interest to those working for Climate Action and Equity! To return to full monthly list, click here . AIAU An Introduction to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence (Free till end of 2024!) Propel your practice’s success with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence—the defining 10 principles of design excellence in the 21st century. In this introductory course, you will learn the origin, evolution, and significance of each of the framework’s principles and examine how they advance progress toward a zero-carbon, ...
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Climate Action Events!

By Lisa M. Ferretto AIA posted 30 days ago
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Climate Action + Equity Events! A listing of events, webinars, deadlines, etc. that may be of interest to those working for Climate Action and Equity! 2024 > April > March > February > January
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AIA Partner: Milliken’s Floor Covering Business

By Alison Karfeld posted 02-27-2024
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It’s estimated that built environments are responsible for roughly 42% of annual CO2 emissions. Let’s consider that number: Across both building operations and embodied carbon of four leading building and infrastructure materials, the emissions from the building industry can account for over a third of what is expected annually worldwide. And while that number is difficult to grapple with, it also presents an opportunity. What if we considered the good our industry could do in advancing carbon-emission reductions? What if we emphasized the collective impact material choices could have? At Milliken, we stand FOR HUMANKIND in every ...
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March Climate Action Events!

By Lisa M. Ferretto AIA posted 02-23-2024
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End of February: Feb 26- NIBS Building Innovation Deadline for Speaker Submission - Extension Feb 26, 12 pm ET, Cultural Expression Through Mass Timber—The Village SF Wellness Center Feb 27, 11 am ET, Informational Webinar - Building Envelope Innovation Prize Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2024 AIA Leadership Summit (DC) Feb 27, 11 am ET, DOE Buildings Webinar Series - Illuminating impact: integrated lighting campaign gives back to the community Feb 28, 12pm ET, AIASF COTE Book Talk: Experiential Design Strategies (Virtual) Feb 29, 3 pm ET; AIA 2030 Commitment reporting season - "Ask us anything" ...
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AIA 2030 Commitment: Signs of Hope & More to Do

By Jesse Walton AIA posted 02-15-2024
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By: Jesse Walton, AIA and David Arkin, AIA THE PROGRAM Kicking off the new year as Co-Chairs of the AIA 2030 Working Group , we are filled with hope by the progress made by signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment and how our collective work is redefining what good architecture can do for the planet. You may be thinking, “How is this possible? Aren’t these folks reading the news about climate change and how 2023 was the warmest year on record ?” Yes , of course we are. But we are also keenly aware of the progress architects are making and the specific measurable signs of hope amongst the disastrous headlines. ...
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COTE Mourns the Loss of Marsha Maytum, FAIA

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 02-15-2024
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Last month, we lost a dear one. Marsha Maytum, FAIA, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and succumbed on 10 February; she was 69 years old. She is mourned by many overlapping communities -- designers, architects, sustainability leaders, accessibility advocates and housing advocates, and more. I met Marsha when I was researching Women in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design in the early 2000s, and I was lucky enough to work with her through COTE from 2017 onward. Marsha was an immensely generous, open-hearted leader, designer, and mentor; she inspired many of us to be better, work harder, and think more expansively about what was possible. She was tenacious ...
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Why Firms Need Sustainability Leads

By Marisol S. Foreman AIA posted 02-13-2024
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By Marisol Foreman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C In the world of architecture, success metrics often revolve around design awards, revenue, projects won, utilization rates, and team stability. While these are important, the landscape of our industry has been changing, requiring an approach that goes beyond conventional benchmarks. One crucial aspect is the environmental impact of our work, and architects are taking the lead in adopting sustainable practices. Buildings contribute nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for architects. Operational and embodied carbon, encompassing energy use and material manufacturing ...
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COTE Network update

By Bunny Tucker AIA posted 02-13-2024
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COTE Network Update By Bunny Tucker, AIA, CPHD The COTE Network is excited to share two updated resources for local and state chapters: the 2024 COTE Chapter Guide and version 2024.0 of the Common App for Design Excellence. The 2024 COTE Chapter Guide provides resources for new and growing chapters alike. Volunteers developing the Guide synthesized best practices from across the country. We recommend all COTE Chapter leaders take a look at the Guide at the start of each year, to consider new approaches and opportunities. The 2024 COTE Chapter Guide can be found here . The Common App for Design Excellence is an Excel-based tool, originally conceived ...
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Join the COTE Community + Receive COTE news

By Kira L. Gould Hon. AIA posted 02-13-2024
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Anyone (including non-AIA members) can set up an AIA account (use this link: https://account.aia.org/signup ). Once that profile is created, people can follow and participate in any Knowledge Community (such as COTE) on Knowledge Net (KNet). To engage with KCs, start here https://network.aia.org/home and click Join Now ... That should take you here https://me.aia.org/s/interests . Those who select/follow the COTE Knowledge Community will automatically receive the COTE newsletter (delivered to the email at which they signed up); it comes out six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September, and November. ...
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Leaders Driving Sustainability and Design Excellence: Meet the New Faces of COTE

By bruce boul posted 02-12-2024
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The Committee on the Environment (COTE) is thrilled to introduce three outstanding individuals who have joined our Leadership Group this year. Each of these professionals brings a wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to the forefront of sustainability and design excellence. Seonhee Kim , AIA, NOMA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, EcoDistricts AP, is Principal and Director of Sustainability at Design Collective in Baltimore, MD. She is a USGBC Maryland Market Leadership Advisory Board and Sustainable Design Leaders group member. She also served on the AIA’s 2023 COTE Top Ten Awards jury and the 2023 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Executive Education ...
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