Green Options » AIA

The Mysterious, Disappearing Honey Bee

Lisa Wojnovich — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:51:53 +0000

Honey bees are disappearing. The story has been in the news on and off since 2006, but for one reason or another, most people have paid little attention. And the situation is significantly dire.

AIA Provides Guide to Reducing Carbon Footprint

Dawn Killough — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:57:44 +0000

As part of its well-publicized 2030 plan (reducing the fossil fuel use of buildings by 50% in 2010 and carbon neutrality by 2030), the American Institute of Architects is offering a wonderful guide to 50 strategies for greening up buildings. The strategies provided in the “50to50″ book range from “Active Solar Thermal Systems” to “Windows and Openings.”

As stated in the introduction:

The 50 strategies … have been selected to provide readily available and effective tools and techniques that will have an effective and immediate impact on architects’ ability to achieve significant carbon reduction. The strategies span a spectrum from broad-based site and planning objectives to specific, building-based concepts.

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Green Building Resources To Get You Off To A Great Start in 2009

Reenita Malhotra — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:22:11 +0000

Happy New Year!

Here we are officially at the start of what promises to be a year of taking steps towards the sustainable lifestyle that will positively impact us over the long term. What better time than now to think about how you can plan your green building efforts over the course of this year.

As always, the writers of Green Building Elements are here to guide you with all of the wonderful green resources that we here about everyday.

If you have not already read 2009 Green Home Resolutions, I suggest that you do with further ado. Joel offers some great tips for simple, inexpensive (or free) ways to green your life starting today. And Dawn’s post about Tax Credits available in 2009 provides a guideline of the energy efficiency tax credits included in last year’s economic bailout.

Beyond this, here are my favorite Green Building resources that our writers have written about in the last year:

1. New Green Building 101 E-book

Keith wrote a great post about Green Building 101: A Basic Guide to Building and Remodeling Sustainably. Green Building 101 makes for an easy intro for anyone not familiar with the green building process. Authored by our very own Dawn Killough, the book is broken down into categories such as energy efficiency, building materials, and construction procedures. Anyone familiar with the LEED system or Green Point Rated certification programs will be knowledgeable with these topics.

Click here for the full story.

2. AIA Launches “GreenStep” Video Series

Dawn also told us about a wonderful online video series launched by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The series presents short episodes on several green building topics. It is meant for those planning new buildings or the renovation of existing buildings, and shows how architects can help clients address their green concerns.

Click here for the full story.

3. Off the Grid Homes - Case Studies for Sustainable Living

Philip reviewed a wonderful book entitled Off the Grid Homes written by architect Lori Ryker. The book is less of a manual for systems to be used in off the grid homes (though it does include good information about the systems and strategies that are used in sustainable off the grid living) and more of a showcase of state of the art homes at the intersection of appealing architecture and high sustainability.

Click here for the full story.

4. Green Building Resource Guide

Finally, for the architects and designers out there, don’t miss the Green Building Resource Guide, a database of over 600 green building materials and products selected specifically for their usefulness to the design and building professions. The Green Building Resource Guide is designed around four user interfaces familiar to architects: Site Plan, Elevation, Floor Plan, and Section.

AIA Launches “GreenStep” Video Series

Dawn Killough — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:51:50 +0000

The American Institute of Architects recently launched its “GreenStep” online video series. The series presents short episodes on several green building topics. It is meant for those planning new buildings or the renovation of existing buildings, and shows how architects can help clients address their green concerns.

The schedule for the release of the videos is as follows:

Greenstep 1: Water Conservation - already posted.
Greenstep 2: Smart Controls - already posted.
Greenstep 3: Radiant Heating and Cooling - already posted.
Greenstep 4: Vegetation for Sun Control - already posted.
Greenstep 5: The Whole Building Approach - September 2
Greenstep 6: Green Tags - September 15
Greenstep 7: Energy Modeling - September 29
Greenstep 8: Green Roofs - October 13
Greenstep 9: Daylighting - October 27
Greenstep 10: Choosing Green Materials - November 10
Greenstep 11: Carbon Offsets - November 24
Greenstep 12: Deconstruction - December 8

Links to the videos can be found at http://www.aia.org/walkthewalk/.

“How Green Are You?” Contest Winners Announced

Kristin Dispenza — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:28:10 +0000

The AIA and dwell Magazine have announced the winners for their “How Green Are You?” contest. (For background on the contest, see “The AIA and Dwell Magazine Team Up to Spread the Word about Sustainability,” published on Green Building Elements last April.)

The contest recognized affordable home designs that achieve sustainability in creative ways. Juror Robert M. Rogers, FAIA, of Roger Marvel Architects states in a press release on the AIA website, “We were especially intrigued with projects that executed beautiful design ideas and were inherently green by concept. From small ideas for the kitchen, to a way of life, the winners embodied these principles.”

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Godfather of Green Building

Philip Proefrock — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:04:26 +0000

Kansas City MO architect Bob Berkebile is one of the key figures in establishing the importance of green building in this country. Berkebile was instrumental in the founding of both the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as well as the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE).

Those once-radical ideas have started to go mainstream. In 1993, Berkebile helped create a new group that wasn’t confined to architects: the U.S. Green Building Council. The inaugural meeting of the council fit into a conference room at AIA headquarters. Last November, more than 22,000 green-building advocates and entrepreneurs traveled to Chicago for the council’s annual conference.

Read a profile of Berkebile via: The Pitch

Green Architecture Versus Great Architecture

Philip Proefrock — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:23:13 +0000

Last week, in writing about this year’s AIA Committe on the Environment’s COTE Top Ten winners, representing the best “examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment,” I asked “Are COTE Winners Too Much of the Same?” While I am certain I’m not alone in that viewpoint, I’ve come across some other perspectives on that question.

One of the jurors from the panel that selected this year’s COTE Top Ten wrote about her experience and some of the things that she saw in the jury. And the question of great architecture versus green architecture was also raised in the AIA weekly newsletter this past week as well. The COTE Top Ten showcases some very attractive buildings with some serious green building credentials (LEED Gold and Platinum buildings and a building that claims “carbon neutral opearations”, to name a few). But the larger question seems to be how much green building and good building design are, or can be, connected.

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Are COTE Winners Too Much of the Same?

Philip Proefrock — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:14:49 +0000

The winners of this year’s AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Green Buildings were announced this week, and there certainly are some very attractive buildings among the lot. Some of these buildings are certified, or in the process of becoming certified, to high LEED standards, in addition to their COTE Top Ten recognition.

But while I’m excited by some of the design presented in this year’s lineup, there are some troubling aspects of the roster as a whole that struck me almost immediately.

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The AIA and Dwell Magazine Team Up to Spread the Word about Sustainability

Kristin Dispenza — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:21:57 +0000

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has ambitious goals for reducing carbon emissions related to the built environment: it hopes to make all buildings carbon neutral by 2030, and aims for a 50% fossil fuel reduction by 2010. But to accomplish what is, in effect, a complete overhaul of the way the construction industry operates, the AIA must make sure that its message is heard by people outside its own membership. Toward that end, the group announced its “Walk the Walk: Architects Leading the Sustainable Evolution” campaign On January 15th of this year.

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Architecture Week 2008 - Is It Sustainable?

Philip Proefrock — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:35:26 +0000

Architecture Week was first established one year ago as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects. This year, for the second Architecture Week, there are three big programs the organization is promoting. But sustainability gets only a passing mention in one of them, and seems not to be part of the focus anywhere in the program.

While the AIA has another program it also began last year titled “Walk the Walk” that offers a good number of resources on sustainability both for architectural clients and the general public, as well as for architects and other building professionals, the topic is not highlighted in the Architecture Week program in any significant way.

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