Sustainability has been a focus of architectural practice for over thirty years, and the AIA has provided resources and tool to assist its members in better serving their clients and communities through environmentally responsible projects. The AIA Board of Directors recognized the need to again help prepare their colleagues and fellow practitioners respond to latest challenge and opportunity facing the profession. The issue of climate change and the impact of buildings on carbon emissions created a new expectation among clients and the public to look to the expertise of architects for solutions that can help them leave a greener footprint. The AIA is responding to this growing demand for our members to assume greater leadership in addressing the challenges facing our planet.
As shown in the AIA’s position statements on sustainability and sustainable design, architects must take responsibility for their role in creating the built environment. Sustainable design has evolved from a niche service offering to a profession-wide imperative. Social, political and economic factors are all driving the market toward mainstreaming sustainability, and AIA architects who educate themselves in sustainable design will have an advantage, and again, have the privilege of providing ever greater service to clients and community. For more questions and answers about the new sustainable design requirement, please visit the FAQs.