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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

Apply - 2021 AIA Volunteer Committees | STEM and Funding from DOE

  • 1.  Apply - 2021 AIA Volunteer Committees | STEM and Funding from DOE

    Posted 11-02-2020 09:37 AM

    Happy Friday and Happy Halloween Eve!  A quick listing of news, webinars, and opportunities - check them out!

    The 2019 Intersections Symposium Proceedings, Bottom-Up Social Change - Materials, Buildings, Community
    is available on BRIK. The Proceedings feature all the research presented at A'19 in Las Vegas.  Don't miss it! 

    Apply for a Volunteer Committee at AIA - Deadline is Nov. 6,
     2020
    Whether you are a member or not, the AIA is looking for expertise on a variety of committees. Visit https://www.aia.org/pages/6336460-volunteer-at-the-aia-get-involved for a complete listing of committees, which will address climate, design, resilience, codes, and much more. Information on how to apply and descriptions of each opportunity is available. A new committee that may be of particular interest is focused on Covid-19 building issues and titled: Re-imagining America: Strategies for Safer Buildings Task Force. This group is looking for all types of expertise along with  architects, including futurists, economists, planners, sociologists, policymakers, historians and more.  Here is an overview: 

    In the wake of the pandemic, it is clear America's buildings will need to be more resilient to future threats in order to keep America's economy running. Today, many offices across downtown America lay vacant. Many will never return to previously known occupancy levels. What are the new opportunities for these spaces? During the immediate recovery, architects provided a host of strategies to mitigate the risk of transmission. What are the lessons learned from these strategies and what do they mean for the future of design? 
     This cross-disciplinary task force will look ahead to the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on building design to determine the new paradigm in best practices for commercial/retail, multifamily housing, and other public spaces. Additionally, the task force will examine the adaptive reuse of spaces necessitated by changes in demand for facilities and how people share spaces. The task force will develop a series of reports and 3-D graphics detailing their findings by building type. Members will meet virtually once or twice a month and be asked to contribute approximately 2-4 hours of volunteer effort per month for one year. 
     
    Check out the many opportunities and volunteer yourself or a colleague! Details here.

    Architecture Student Competitions 
    The AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition is sponsored by The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE®), in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Each year, the competition recognizes ten exceptional student design studio projects that integrate health, sustainability, and equity, evaluated following the same categories of the AIA COTE® Top Ten Award for built work, and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. A total of $5,000 will be distributed to the winning teams, with each of the top 10 winning projects will receive a $500 stipend to attend the 2021 AIA National Convention. Winning students will be recognized during the 2021 AIA National Convention at the COTE reception.  Deadline January 13, 2021.

    ACSA announced the 21st Annual Steel Design Student Competition for the 2020-2021 academic year. Administered by the ACSA and sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the program is intended to challenge undergraduate and graduate students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Steel must be used as the primary structural material and contain at least one space that requires long-span steel structure, with special emphasis placed on innovation in steel design. Details at ACSA:  https://www.acsa-arch.org/competitions/2021-steel-competition/   Deadline April 7, 2021.

    Dept. of Energy - webinars, competitions, grants, etc.
    New, Free Series on Innovative Homes, Energy Careers

    AIA was a sponsor for the 2019 Solar Decathlon and continues engagement. Since 2002, the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has inspired more than 450 collegiate teams and 23,000 students worldwide. In September, the Solar Decathlon started a new series of 10 virtual sessions with topics ranging from tours of houses with innovative designs to residential energy usage to jobs in the energy sector and students' paths to these careers. These webinars are open to the general public and cater specifically to realtors, educators, students, young professionals, home builders, renovation contractors, and others.

    The Life-Cycle Impacts of Buildings Webinar Series will give the public, national lab researchers, academics, and all members of the buildings industry a special opportunity to hear from leading experts who work at the cutting-edge of lifecycle analysis. DOE's Building Technologies Office will host a series of webinars that explore the frameworks and techniques researchers use to evaluate the energy use of buildings over their entire lifespans, from construction to operation to eventual destruction. Check them out.

    The Dept. of Energy's  JUMP into STEM program is accepting submissions from students currently enrolled in US colleges and universities until November 13, 2020, for the three challenges:  Advanced Building Construction Methods, Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB), andBuilding Energy Audit for Residential or Commercial BuildingsTeams of judges, from a mixture of industry, academia, DOE, and the national laboratories, will select the winners for each challenge. Challenge winners will receive recognition and be matched with a buildings professional for an hour-long mentoring session. Challenge winners and finalists will be announced on December 7, 2020 and invited to the final competition. The final competition will be virtually hosted by NREL on January 28-29, 2021. Eligible winners from the final competition will be awarded paid Summer 2021 internships with ORNL or NREL. Be sure to check out the "How to Create a Successful Submission" webinar. Also, check out NREL's news article "JUMP into STEM: Students-Building a Better Future Starts NOW."

    Building Technology Office supports NREL's Graduate Education for Minority Students (GEM) Fellowship program - Deadline Nov. 13, 2020

    DOE Announces $80 Million 2020 Benefit Funding Opportunity  
    This funding opportunity will provide up to $80 million for projects that enhance energy demand flexibility across buildings and the grid, enabling greater affordability, increased energy productivity, and improved occupant comfort. The BENEFIT FOA has been issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Building Technologies Office since 2014. This year's FOA broadens DOE's investments in cutting-edge, energy-saving building technologies, systems, and practices that will impact various segments of the buildings industry. The FOA includes topic areas on advanced building construction, workforce development, and a variety of building technologies, including advanced lighting, HVAC, and thermal energy storage, among others.

    More information, submittal requirements, and instructions for applying to this FOA (DE-FOA-0002196) can be found on the EERE Exchange. To be eligible for consideration, a concept paper must be submitted no later than November 5, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. ET.  To read more about this FOA, visit the EERE Exchange.


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    Dr. Nissa Dahlin-Brown, Assoc. AIA
    Director, Higher Education
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington, DC
    nissadahlinbrown@aia.org
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