FEATURE ARTICLE

Filling the Sponge: Culver City SDAT Evaluates City's Future
by Peter Hind, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

Have you ever looked at a city and thought of a sponge? The external character of this little kitchen helper changes little. And when it becomes full, that is the limit. That is the critical point at which we stop trying to soak up water and squeeze. A city faced with impending growth but with fixed boundaries must look at itself in this way. Culver City, Calif., is a sponge city. Because of its proximity to Los Angeles and other cities in the area, A city faced with impending growth but with fixed boundaries, Culver City will have an increase in density, whether it wants to or not. Is it ready? Read the full article

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

The 2007 AIA/COTE advisory group chair Kira Gould, Assoc. AIA, announces new collaboration, COTE chapter work around the country, and AIA activity on the Hill. Read the full letter

NEWS

Metropolis Magazine Presents Site Specific
In a combination of film and lecture, Metropolis magazine offers firms, chapters, and schools a learning opportunity through its series, Site Specific: the Legacy of Regional Modernism. Read the full article

Katrina Was the Perfect Storm for Sustainability
The Lower Ninth Ward's Lower Ninth's Holy Cross neighborhood has attracted the attention and support of many national figures and organizations, creating an unprecedented "perfect storm" of sustainability. Read the full article

Working Toward the 2030 Challenge
AIA/COTE advocates local, state, federal, and international initiatives to help architects take a leadership role in meeting the 2030 challenge, including

Mandating transit-oriented development in all countries, with a transit portfolio that starts with walking
Adopting urban growth boundaries in all controlled populations to reverse sprawl
Planting our way to cool communities and natural carbon sequestration while eliminating storm-sewer crises
Creating cost-neutral carbon taxes and incentives to support energy conservation and renewables
Transforming education at all ages for ecological literacy and collaborative invention
Rediscovering passive conditioning
Turning off everything that can be turned off without compromising quality of life

What are you doing to meet the 2030 challenge in your practice and your life? Tell us.

FEATURES

A/E Firms Take the Energy Star Challenge
by Jared Silliker

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency challenged architecture and engineering firms to design buildings that earn the Energy Star rating, the EPA's distinction for superior energy efficiency in building design . Twenty-three firms took the challenge and submitted 32 projects that achieved "Designed to Earn the Energy Star" distinction. Read the full article

Getting Good Results from the Design Process
by Freda Pagani, PhD

If you want to get real satisfaction from design, then design a building that fits its economic, social, and environmental context so well that it seems to belong from the moment it is finished. Read the full article

Guest Voices
Getting Rid of Green Design
by Greg Nook, AIA

As architects and general contractors, we are moving rapidly toward a future where the built environment is always green, always sustainable. We already know how to do this. So let's get rid of "green design." Read the full article

RESOURCES

Environmental Building News
BuildingGreen, an AIA partner, offers AIA members a discount on subscriptions.
Click here for more information.
EBN's Green Calendar

AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team
Report from Tucson

Carbon Consciousness
Measuring our own lives' carbon or ecological footprints offers an evocative way to think about impact. WorldChanging examines some of the metrics. And visit this site, Climate Counts, which is trying to bring carbon consciousness to consumers.

Tell us what you think:

What do you think are the best carbon or ecological footprint measures for buildings and operations?
What other new tools are making a difference in your practice today?

Send ideas or feedback to Kira Gould.

Join the Conversation
Join the AIA/COTE Forum listserv, an open discussion about sustainable design issues that matter to architects and their allied professionals. Send an e-mail to lyris@lyris.aia.org and and type "subscribe coteforum" in the subject line. You will receive an auto-reply; you must confirm to join. Your confirmation e-mail will have instructions on how to adjust your preferences and more.

Join Our List
If you received this list from a friend, join our list. To be added to the subscription list for COTEnotes, AIA members should send an e-mail to Marsha Garcia; nonmembers should send the request to Kira Gould.

COLUMNS

AIA Committee on Design:
Greening the AIA Headquarters
by David Brems, FAIA

AIA Committee on Diversity:
Reinforcing the Structures of Community
by M. Mario Campos, AIA, and Victoria Kaplan, PhD

BOOK REVIEWS

The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough
by Sarah Nettleton, AIA, and Frank Edgerton Martin

Review by Roxanne Button, AIA, MRAIC, LEED AP

Mid-Course Correction
by Ray C. Anderson

Reviewed by Marilyn Farmer, AIA, LEED AP