National Advocacy Update

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Over the past few months, the AIA has spearheaded an effort to bring the design and construction industry together to press lawmakers to address the challenges that are holding our industry back.  On Dec. 7, 2011, our coalition sent a letter to President Obama and all members of Congress outlining actions they need to take to create stability in the economy and promote growth in the private sector.  (You can read the letter here.) This week, AIA President Clark Manus, FAIA, delivered this message to top White House officials, and AIA National Board members took to Capitol Hill to call on Congress to act.

How can you help? By asking your representatives to support common-sense, bipartisan legislation that will address one of the biggest factors impeding recovery: the lack of financing for worthy design projects.

The AIA is a leading supporter of HR 1356 the Capital Access for Main Street Act of 2011, a bipartisan bill that would help small community banks write off debt over a longer period of time, which would free up capital for lending.  This is an approach that worked following an agricultural crisis in the 1980s to help business recover, and it does not cost the taxpayers a dime in funding.  This bill passed the House in 2010 with strong support, but did not make it through the Senate before the election.

We have a real chance to get this legislation through Congress, but for that to happen it needs more representatives to learn about it and support it. Therefore, we would like you to ask your House representative to cosponsor HR 1356.  The AIA Advocacy Center has a letter for you to send.

Even as we demand Congress and the White House take action to improve the economy, we are not waiting on Washington to act. Last month, the AIA launched its stalled projects campaign.  This site is designed to help connect investors with design and construction projects. Already investors with $7 billion in funding have signed up.  So please take a look and add your projects to the list.

There is no silver bullet to fixing the problems in the economy. But by marshaling the forces of our entire industry, asking our elected leaders to act on common-sense policies, and connecting investors to projects, together we can help to make a difference and get our profession back to work.

Sincerely,

Paul T. Mendelsohn

Vice-President, AIA Government and Community Relations

Codifying Green Design

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“© 2006, The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.”

A Letter from AIA President Clark Manus, FAIA

If scientific evidence cannot convince holdouts that climate change demands a response, then the cost of architecture’s business as usual—challenged by increasingly cash-strapped governments—might. Eager, if not desperate, to get a handle on the cost of operating their facilities, local municipalities are implementing amendments to existing codes to reduce energy consumption. Soon they will have a new, more powerful tool. As the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is adopted by states beginning in 2012, it will formalize performance by creating mandatory frameworks for both minimum and advanced green building. This will be a real game-changer.

The IGCC will mandate specific responsibilities and liabilities, something that LEED certification does not. Unlike LEED, the green code is enforceable. If a design doesn’t meet the specifications of the state where the IGCC has been adopted, the architect could be liable for failure to comply. One consequence is increased responsibility and the associated risk-management issues for architects, as they will be required to add energy efficiency to health, safety, and welfare on their list of concerns.

Those in favor of codifying green design believe that it will place architects at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to conserve energy, enabling them to help facilitate a new era of sustainability. While not disagreeing with the desired outcome, critics contend that architects should not be the ones exposed and bearing the responsibility for whether a building saves energy.

Whatever position one takes on this issue, green-building codes are changing our profession’s required standard of care. We better be prepared. We need to understand these issues as components of design, while leading our clients and project teams through the new complexities and conflicts inherent in the shift to the art and science of building green.

I see this as a unique opportunity to regain lost relevance. To grasp that opportunity, we must delve deeply into sustainable-building sciences as a fundamental value. Our clients are going to expect their architects to guide them through the much more complicated world of design. The new green-building code requirements establish a historic moment to make a difference that truly matters in our profession, in our communities, and on our planet.

Clark D. Manus, FAIA, 2011 President