AIA Codes and Standards
Codes and standards are crucial for ensuring safety, accessibility and sustainability in the built environment.
Why We Care
Codes and standards provide the minimum requirements for design, construction, and materials ensuring structural integrity, fires safety, health, and safety of the public and the occupants. Codes and standards maximize policies, such as energy efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and property protection. AIA prioritizes adherence to these codes and standards and this dedication ensures not only the safety and integrity of structures but also fosters innovation and sustainability in the built environment. Explore how AIA's unwavering commitment to codes and standards shapes the future of architecture.
AIA’s Prioritization of Codes and Standards
With a steadfast commitment to promoting excellence and ensuring the safety and well-being of the public, AIA places a high priority on the development, implementation, and adoption process of rigorous codes and standards. AIA effectively represents the architectural profession on critical issues impacting the built environment through the active engagement of AIA members in these processes, coupled with AIA’s advocacy and policy engagement on the Global, Federal, State, and Local levels.
By prioritizing codes and standards, AIA is able to optimize the role of the architect, ensuring that the profession remains grounded in best practices and innovation. Codes and standards are not just the cornerstone of the architectural profession – they are the foundation upon which policy in the built environment is shaped. From housing and climate action to health, safety, and welfare, codes and standards serve as the primary mechanism for implementing policies at the state and local levels, ultimately influencing the way communities are designed, built, and sustained.
Codes and standards are not static but evolve to reflect advancements in technology, changes in societal needs, and lessons learned from past experiences. As such, AIA and the AIA Codes and Standards Committee actively engages in the development and revision of codes and standards, working closely with industry experts and major code developers such as American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Code Council (ICC) to ensure that the built environment remains safe, sustainable, and resilient.
The AIA Codes and Standards (C&S) Committee is the leading voice in developing and adopting national codes and standards. The C&S Committee optimizes the architect's role by promoting the built environment's health, safety, and welfare during the codes and standards development process while strategically collaborating with industry stakeholders.
Our Priority Initiatives
I-Codes
The International Code Council (ICC) I-Codes are the most widely accepted, comprehensive set of model codes used in the United States. All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and many other countries have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. AIA stands firmly in support of the ICC I-Codes, recognizing their pivotal role in shaping resilient, sustainable, and safe structures. By aligning with these codes, AIA amplifies its commitment to excellence in architecture, advocating for standards that not only meet regulatory requirements but also inspire innovative, high-quality design solutions.
Climate and Decarbonization
Building operations, materials and the construction sector contribute to almost 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 25% of overall greenhouse gas emissions. This large percentage of negative environmental impact hinders the construction industry’s ability to help achieve global sustainability goals. Decarbonization is the solution to lowering Earth’s temperature levels and maintaining sustainability. Architects, planners, and the building community are key players in the decarbonization effort. There is a great need for change in building design to positively impact climate change.
AIA participates in the following (including but not limited to) codes and standards development committees that address decarbonization needs:
Architects make a difference in shaping building codes by helping to simplify language and to craft that language to promote resource-efficient building performance. The architect’s integrated understanding of all the factors that shape a building is essential for the crafting of codes purged of redundancy, ambiguity, and contradictions. Our collective experience at the code development table illustrates the importance of architects’ involvement in the code development process. Architects involved in the development of the codes have kept the interest of all our members in the forefront of the discussions and the development of the codes and their concepts and language. Without the architect’s presence, the codes would be much different. There are several ways for individual architects to get involved.
Contact the AIA National Codes and Standards Staff to join the Committee, respond to opportunities for public comment on code changes (ICC, ASHRAE, etc.), and more.
Join and post comments to AIA’s KnowledgeNet site for Codes and Standards, the LinkedIn AIA Codes and Standards Group, and add to or start your own discussion threads on codes and standards issues.
Volunteering with your local chapter is a great way to get involved with codes & standards at the state and local level.