AIA CES

Since 2003 the number of cities with green building programs has risen from 22 to 92 for an increase of 418%. In an effort to examine the eco-friendly initiatives of U.S. cities, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) commissioned a study of communities with populations of greater than 50,000 to spotlight the growth and effectiveness of green building policies. The report, Local Leaders in Sustainability, analyzed 661 communities’ best practices, strategies and trends, as well as provides recommendations for cities that are looking to implement green building programs.  For more information on this, please visit the press release.  As a practitioner, what does this mean to the continuing education program in your firm or within your own professional development?

In order to help offset rising homeowner utility costs and lengthening commuting times, homeowners are looking for neighborhoods and communities designed to include greater access to public transportation, recreation, commercial and entertainment options. Mixed-use developments are projects where residential units are blended with retail, dining and other commercial activities in the same facility. Infill housing, where smaller land parcels closer to urban centers are targeted for development, is also increasing as metropolitan areas are becoming more built-out according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey from the third quarter of 2007.  For more information, please view the press release. 

What continuing education programs should be available to members interested in mixed-use developments.  What points of interest about mixed-use buildings need more clarification within the continuing education system?

How does a member balance work and home?  What continuing education resources must be available to support those architects striving towards balance.  Read and listen about matri.ARCH.itect: Achieving Balance for Women in Architecture.

Learn about University of Iowa's Museum of Art challenge to students.  With considerable help from tech-savvy staff at the university library, each of the 12,000 objects in the museum's collection will soon be added to a newly launched database called the Iowa Gallery. With a few clicks through cyber-world, people anywhere on the planet can take a virtual tour through the museum's galleries. They can even tailor their exploration according to their tastes, grouping their search by artist (say, Henry Moore or Joan Miro), medium (batik, photography, porcelain) or time period (all the way back to the 10century). 

Would virtual tours of buildings be something that interests you if you can earn continuing education for them?