Institute Repositioning Initiative Begins Next Phase: A Letter from Bob Ivy, FAIA

Posted on by cguske

Thanks to you and your passion, the AIA repositioning initiative is off to a very encouraging start. We are seizing the moment and building greater relevance for you, our profession, and the Institute. Conversations and feedback from members across the AIA in chapters large and small have been laced with thoughtful ideas, ranging from considerations in decision making to Institute priorities.

Like architecture, the repositioning effort contains its own structure. We have just completed the “programming” phase, which, like our own work in architecture, embodies extensive research. Through this investigation, our partners LaPlaca Cohen and Pentagram have distilled the best insights from voluminous earlier research, immersed themselves in numerous contemporary interviews with members, clients, and the public, and fielded surveys that brought to the surface recurring themes, clarifying public perceptions of architects and the value we offer.

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Architects Oppose Effort to Repeal Energy Reduction Law

Posted on by cguske

On April 25, 2012, the American Institute of Architects announced its opposition to a House proposal to eliminate Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.

AIA EVP and Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, had this to say:

“The AIA is opposed to efforts to weaken or eliminate Sec. 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. According to the DOE’s Energy Information Administration, buildings account for almost 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption, more than both the transportation and industry sectors.

“Requiring significant energy reduction targets in new and renovated federal buildings demonstrates to the private sector that the federal government is leading by example.

  • It is helping spur the development of new materials, construction techniques, and technologies to make buildings more energy efficient. And it is showing that significant energy reductions are both practical and cost-effective.
  • Architects and their allied professionals are already succeeding in making federal facilities meet Sec. 433, including NREL’s new Research Support Facilities (RSF) in Colorado, which opened in 2010.
  • The result is better energy performance for federal agencies and lower overall costs for taxpayers. More importantly, private sector owners are increasingly adopting these technologies and strategies for their buildings.

Weakening or repealing Sec. 433 with no deliberation or discussion will dramatically harm the federal government’s ability to design and build facilities that use less energy and protect the environment.”