The COTE Corner

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

On June 26, AIA Blue Ridge hosted design professionals and elected officials for a collaborative building tour showcasing excellent sustainable design at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, Virginia. The LEED Silver research institute by AECOM serves as a new model for biomedical and behavioral science as part of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute.

This tour was organized in part with Virginia COTE to promote and showcase achievements in sustainable design to local and state elected officials in Virginia. If you have worked on a project that exemplifies sustainable design excellence and would like to organize a building tour please reach out to Delaney Ogden at dogden@aiava.org.

The COTE Corner

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

AIA Virginia COTE is awarded the AIA Virginia Knowledge Community Grant!  This grant will support a three-part workshop on energy modeling tools, processes, and best practices in October 2024.  This workshop will help members move their organizations towards meeting the 2030 Challenge goal of carbon neutral building by 2030.

This hybrid workshop will explore early-stage concept modeling as well as robust whole building energy modeling with virtual experts and in-person networking and knowledge sharing.  Look for more information and registration soon! 

The VA COTE Steering Committee sincerely thanks the AIA Virginia Member Services Advisory Council for the generous support!

The COTE Corner! What’s Coming Up in 2024

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

VA COTE is planning for an engaging and impactful 2024! The steering committee is looking to:

  • Continue our successful education series with a summer/fall webinar program.
  • Coordinate carbon accounting workshops in each regional chapter.
  • Facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and troubleshooting.
  • Expand connections to national COTE resources, networks, and initiatives.
  • Track and advocate for impactful sustainability statewide legislation.
  • Connect elected representatives to the work YOU are doing by co-hosting sustainable building tours in each chapter.
  • Provide educational updates on 179D deductions, IRA tax incentives, and R+D tax credits as legislation evolves

Read more about national C.O.T.E activities and resources here – with a Chairperson’s overview by our very own Michelle Amt!

VA C.O.T.E. meetings are held virtually the third Tuesday of each month at 4pm.  For more information contact dogden@aiava.org.

COTE Corner: Are You a Carbon Counter?

Posted on by cguske

Are you a “carbon counter” in your firm? Holistically measuring the embodied carbon or CO2-equivalent emissions associated with a building’s materials is tricky — and vital to evaluating the highest-impact, most cost-effective solutions to reducing embodied carbon on projects.  AIA Virginia’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) is looking for folks who are interested in sharing best practices, resources, suppliers, and tools.

If you’d like to get involved, email Rhea George.

Are you new to the carbon accounting game? Check out the 3-part Embodied Carbon Toolkit.

Introduction to Embodied Carbon

Measuring Embodied Carbon

Strategies for Reducing Embodied Carbon