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Who We Are

The mission of the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx) is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms. The objectives of the AIA SFx are three-fold:

1. Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and to the public.

2. Curate and disseminate the most pertinent resources and information, from the AIA & elsewhere, that benefit small firms.

3. Inform the AIA of current issues facing small firms and areas in which current resources/information are lacking.

Approximately 75% of all firms within the AIA are small firms (less than 10 employees), which equates to 14,459 small firms within the organization.

~26.8% = sole practitioners = 5,173

~33.5% = 1-5 employees = 6,459

~14.7% = 5-10 employees = 2,827

For context, small firms share of staff is 16.0% and share of billings is 12.0%

We need to find ways to leverage that size for collaboration and influence, just like the individual large firms do.

   

  

Scott Shell op-ed on phasing out gas

  • 1.  Scott Shell op-ed on phasing out gas

    Posted 11-13-2020 11:36 AM

    a strong op-ed from EHDD's Scott Shell in The Architect's Newspaper: 

    "A wave of state-wide policy decisions over the last two years has signaled that lawmakers are waking up to the dangers associated with building with gas-and the future of gas appliances in homes and buildings is likely limited. Four states-Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and California-have opened up investigations into phasing out their gas distribution systems, and nearly 40 cities in California have passed policies to phase-out gas in new construction. A statewide all-electric building code in California may also be imminent.

    By continuing to build with gas, despite clear indications that policymakers are moving to eliminate fossil fuels in homes, we are setting up our clients for expensive retrofits to remove these gas appliances before the end of their service life. While retrofitting homes to remove fossil fuel appliances is costly, building homes that are all-electric from the get-go is actually less expensive and can even lower utility bills for households.

    Understanding the benefits of all-electric construction, it's imperative that as architects, we lead the way towards a healthier, more sustainable future by educating our clients about the climate dangers associated with gas."

    https://www.archpaper.com/2020/11/op-ed-climate-change-why-are-we-still-bui…

    #leadership #climateaction #designthefuture



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    Kira Gould
    Principal
    Kira Gould CONNECT
    Oakland CA
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