Architects Call for Fifty Percent Reduction by 2010 of Fossil Fuel Used to Construct and Operate Buildings

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Through its Board of Directors, The
 American Institute of Architects (AIA) has adopted position statements to
 promote sustainable design and resource conservation to achieve a minimum
 reduction of fifty percent of the current consumption level of fossil fuels
 used to construct and operate buildings by the year 2010. In order to
 accomplish this goal, the AIA will collaborate with other national and
 international organizations, the scientific research community, and the public
 health community. As part of this initiative, the AIA will also develop and
 promote the integration of sustainability into the curriculum for the
 education of architects and architecture students, so that this core principle
 becomes a guiding mindset for current and future architects.
     "Buildings account for forty-eight percent of U.S. energy consumption and
 generate far more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector," said R.K.
 Stewart, FAIA, facilitator of the AIA Sustainability Summit Task Force. "As
 architects, we must accept responsibility for our role in creating the built
 environment. We feel it is incumbent upon the architecture profession to alter
 our actions and encourage both our clients and the entire design and
 construction industry to join us in plotting a course of measurable changes
 that will improve the quality of life for everyone."
     Fundamental to helping ensure actual results, the AIA also supports the
 development and use of rating systems and standards that promote the design
 and construction of communities and buildings that contribute to a more
 sustainable and environmentally conscious future.
     According to the AIA, an undertaking of this magnitude will require a
 concentrated effort over the next ten to fifteen years, especially in
 educating clients about their role in the success of this effort. For the
 complete AIA new position statements, click here:
 http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/HPB_position_statements.pdf
     Stewart added, "The time has come to require specific goals for
 significant reductions in energy use, with enhanced performance assured
 through commissioning of building systems. And to truly make an impact, there
 needs to be far greater use of renewable energy sources and the use of
 innovative design principles that will dramatically improve environmental
 performance in the built environment. Because energy consumption reductions
 will be realized over the entire life of a building, we need to look beyond
 the first impacts associated with constructing a facility and really consider
 what happens over the many decades that the facility will be used."
     For more information about the AIA Committee on the Environment, visit
 http://www.aia.org/cote_default.
 
     About The American Institute of Architects
     For almost 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have
 worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy,
 secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to
 the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through
 such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their
 visions real.  http://www.aia.org
 
     CONTACT:  Scott Frank of American Institute of Architects,
 +1-202-626-7467, or sfrank@aia.org.
 
 

SOURCE  American Institute of Architects