Committee on the Environment

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

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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

Webinar: Embracing Existing Buildings: market and sustainability opportunities

  • 1.  Webinar: Embracing Existing Buildings: market and sustainability opportunities

    Posted 04-07-2020 02:19 PM
    Apr 23, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (ET)
    Register here > 


    Whether confronting the current COVID pandemic or the climate crisis, the way architects adapt and embrace existing buildings is critical to how we solve some of our most pressing global issues. During this live course, we will discuss how to make old buildings work like new. Not only are there major market opportunities for retrofitting existing buildings, there are also environmental and health benefits worth exploring.


    This live course will demonstrate a "no-regrets", step-by-step approach to making old buildings perform like new.  As a glimpse into the book The Power of Existing Buildings, we will talk about the importance of setting clear, performance-based goals, building the right team, and incorporating important technology like modeling and rapid-fire simulations to ensure design goals are achieved during operations.  We will explain how "major system replacement" is the ideal time to determine what your building's theoretical, optimum performance is before spending one dollar on retrofits.  As an added bonus, you will learn how to invest in existing buildings to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce fuel poverty and reduce the inequities of indoor air quality.

    • Understand the current market opportunities from existing building.
    • Discuss the Natural Order of Sustainability and its importance in delivering high performance in existing buildings without spending a premium in construction costs.
    • Learn how to repurpose modeling and simulation to inform owners of the theoretical, optimum performance of any existing building.
    • Develop the proper language to ensure owners have control and access to their building's performance data. 

    Apr 23, 2020 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (ET)
    Register here > 


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    Paola Capo
    Manager, Sustainability & Communities by Design
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington DC
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