Washington, D.C., December 19,
2005 — Through its Board of Directors, The American Institute of
Architects (AIA) has adopted position statements to promote
sustainable design and resource conservation to achieve a minimum
reduction of fifty percent of the current consumption level of
fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by the year
2010. In order to accomplish this goal, the AIA will collaborate
with other national and international organizations, the scientific
research community, and the public health community. As part of
this initiative, the AIA will also develop and promote the
integration of sustainability into the curriculum for the education
of architects and architecture students, so that this core
principle becomes a guiding mindset for current and future
architects.
“Buildings account for forty-eight percent of U.S. energy
consumption and generate far more greenhouse gas emissions than any
other sector,” said R.K. Stewart, FAIA, facilitator of the AIA
Sustainability Summit Task Force. “As architects, we must
accept responsibility for our role in creating the built
environment. We feel it is incumbent upon the architecture
profession to alter our actions and encourage both our clients and
the entire design and construction industry to join us in plotting
a course of measurable changes that will improve the quality of
life for everyone.”
Fundamental to helping ensure actual results, the AIA also supports
the development and use of rating systems and standards that
promote the design and construction of communities and buildings
that contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious
future.
According to the AIA, an undertaking of this magnitude will require
a sustained effort over the next ten to fifteen years,
especially in educating clients about their role in the success of
this effort.
For the complete AIA new position statements, click here:
http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/HPB_position_statements.pdf
Stewart added, “The time has come to require specific goals
for significant reductions in energy use, with enhanced performance
assured through commissioning of building systems. And to truly
make an impact, there needs to be far greater use of renewable
energy sources and the use of innovative design principles that
will dramatically improve environmental performance in the built
environment. Because energy consumption reductions will be realized
over the entire life of a building, we need to look beyond the
first impacts associated with constructing a facility and really
consider what happens over the many decades that the facility will
be used.”
For more information about the AIA Committee on the Environment, http://www.aia.org/cote_default
About The American Institute of
Architects
For almost 150 years, members of The American Institute of
Architects have worked with each other and their communities to
create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings
and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people,
knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such
resources and access, they help clients and communities make their
visions real. www.aia.org
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