President's Page

Random Thoughts of Building Green

noreply@blogger.com (AIA_Blue_Ridge) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:34:00 +0000

November, 2010: I attended USGBC’s “Green Build” in Chicago. The international conference included continuing education classes, green product displays and networking events centered at McCormick Place, a 2.2 million square foot building complex. Chicago and Green Build were inspiring. I spent a week in Chicago attending the conference and visiting landmark structures, new and old, including the Willis (Sears) Tower, Johnson Wax Admin Building, Fortaleza Hall, the Auditorium, Oak Park, the Aqua Tower and many others.

Bill White, President AIA Blue Ridge with
Rick Fedrizzi, President & CEO, USGBC at
“Green Build” in Chicago November 2011.

I stayed on the east side of the El’s loop one block from Millennium Park. It was an inspirational week of travel and events. I became a LEED AP in 2004 and BD+C in 2009 and attended the conference to maintain USGBC credentials, look at new products and ideas.

Like many of you I have some trepidation about converting to AP with specialty and the continuing education requirements. I wish that I could report having a clearer understanding of the USGBC CE requirements after attending Green Build but I don’t. I am hopeful that some of the CE requirements for AIA, USGBC and 6 states I am licensed in will overlap, but I’m not sure how many will. There is a list somewhere in the bowels of the website, but I haven’t figured out which AIA classes I took at the national convention will work for USGBC and vice versa. I can say that the AIA’s CE process is much easier to navigate and maintain and requires much less effort to document, leaving more time for actual study. Thank you AIA.

I thought there would be a different “vibe” at Green Build but it was standard convention stuff. I have been to several AIA National conventions and I’d have to say that I found them more interesting and useful to my practice. Don’t misunderstand; Green Build was a great event. Getting out of town and being around committed people gets the juices flowing and I learned a lot, but there wasn’t the energy level that I expected from such a growing movement. It could be a sign of the times, with so many people in the construction industry struggling to survive.

When I go to conventions I like to listen for the new buzz word. A few years ago, everything was “BIM”. At about the same time you could not attend a presentation (or give one) without a sprinkle of “iconic’s” through out. You even hear it on the evening news now. Then came the rise of metrics, I thought I would discover the new buzz words with such a forward thinking group but metrics still rules as far as I can tell. Listen for it, it make a great “Jack Bauer” style drinking game. Of course I may be missing the obvious “green” and “sustainable” which are still in popular use, but I don’t think anyone should drink that much. Surprisingly, I didn’t overhear a single conversation about climate change or global warming.

They may have rolled out the new buzz word at the 2nd keynote speech but I opted to spend that time on the exhibition hall floor. The exhibition hall was immense with more than anyone could see in the allotted time. Lots of Green products and services out there and one good thing about Green Build is that it crosses disciplines. I was only able to take in a small percentage of the displays and vendors.

The key note address I did attend was by Colin Powel, former US Secretary of State. His speech fell far short of the mark; he gave his canned speech, dressed up a little for the audience, and pitched products from a company he is involved in. I thought he might bring a more global, strategic view of sustainability and the political ramifications. He did not.

What I gather from the CE presentations that I attended is that if you have mastered any aspect of the LEED rating system, don’t get too comfortable because the plan is to “ratchet” it up and make it more difficult to achieve, document and comply with. USGBC has no intention of going away after changing how buildings are designed and built. This isn’t communism where the state will wither away. There will always be more that needs to be done even after sustainability is included in the construction codes as it’s about to be on a number of fronts. As the building code requirements come on line, USGBC makes the code the baseline and LEED points are based on exceeding that base. You will also likely need to add LEED specialist to your design team to model, calculate and document the process. I didn’t hear much about LEED not adding cost to a project, I think it is a given that it does, but the consensus is that it is worth it, especially if you don’t want to get left behind or left out. End of discussion.

There were many beautiful buildings discussed that used natural day lighting, small amounts of energy, natural looking landscaping and on site energy generation. I am envious of the net zero energy buildings and plan to redouble my efforts to understand how to infuse a building with natural light that is easy on the eyes while reducing the cost to operate the building. It is a worthy goal within our grasp.

I continue to have a little bit of a philosophical problem with the urban prejudice that is built into LEED. I love the city, but urban life isn’t the only way to live and living in rural America as we do, isn’t necessarily an unforgivable sin, in my opinion. We need to find a way to convince the urbanites that there is more than one way to live harmoniously with nature. Still, I concede, the biggest impact is made in urban areas because, to paraphrase Willy Sutton, that’s where the people are. That’s more and more true every day all over the world as the migration to the urban centers continues.

Green Build was an interesting and worthwhile experience and this was my first visit to the windy city, a great place for any architect to see. I am considering attending the Toronto Canada event in 2011.

Locally, I am hopeful that AIA can continue to work with other construction related groups in our region. We have opened a channel of communications and planned events with several allied groups. AIA must maintain its interest and identity through collaboration and not fear competition from other organizations. We have much common ground with USGBC and other organizations as well as our own unique interests as architects. AIA, for all it’s rhetoric to the contrary, is an exclusive group, not an inclusive one. There are only about 100,000 registered architects in the US population of 300,000,000 and only registered architects are eligible for full membership. It doesn’t get much more exclusive than that. As architects we need to work with others to do what we like to do, design spaces for people and Green Build, USGBC and the sustainable movement has a role in helping us achieve our goals. If you where at Green Build, I would love to hear your impressions.

William R. White, AIA President

AIA Blue Ridge

Proposed Changes to AIA Bylaws

noreply@blogger.com (AIA_Blue_Ridge) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:27:00 +0000

This article was originally posted April, 2010

On March 19, 2010 I attended the Virginias Council Meeting hosted by the Region of the Virginias director Ed Tucker. The meeting was held at the Virginia Center for Architecture in Richmond. Ed is our representative to AIA National Board of Directors. Among other things discussed were changes to AIA Bylaws that will be proposed and voted on at the national convention in Miami. The following is a brief description of my understanding of the issues and the pros and cons of each. If you would like to express your opinion about the proposed changes let me hear from you. (download memo)

Bill White

Member dues payment plan:

In 2009 members could apply to pay dues in installments rather than in one lump sum at the beginning of the year. This was available on a case by case basis in the case of a hardship due to economic conditions. There is a proposal to change the bylaws to allow the Institute to set up an installment payment plan for all members. No specific plan has yet been developed.

Pro: Could lead to increased retention of membership if members are allowed to spread out payments and avoid using credit to pay the full amount at the beginning of the year. It might lead to more successful recruitment of members who are put off by the lump sum payment.

Con: Additional cost to administer such a plan would be incurred by AIA. AIA cash flow would be effected.

International Membership Category:

Currently, Architects licensed in countries outside of the US are eligible for Associated membership and can not use the designation AIA. There is a proposal to allow architects in foreign countries to join AIA as full members.

Pro: It could lead to an increase in membership, larger operating budgets, world wide prestige for AIA members and position AIA as a international organization rather than a national organization.

Con: The designation AIA currently is only available to architects licensed to practice in a state or territory in the US. To the public AIA means an architect licensed to practice who complies with the training and ethical standards of the American Institute of Architects. Allowing architects from other counties to use the AIA designation might create confusion with the public as to the meaning of AIA membership. It could create unfair or unregulated competition between licensed American architects and foreign architects who are not licensed to practice in America. Regulatory requirements to practice architecture vary greatly across the globe; this could dilute the AIA brand. It might be possible that in time American architects would lose controlling interest in the organization if a majority of members are from outside of the US.

Associates as Regional Directors

Currently bylaws allow for one Associate Representative to the Executive Committee. There is a proposal to allow Regions to send an associate member(s) to represent the region on the AIA National Board.

Pro: Expand the pool of candidates for regional directors.

Con: May dilute the voice of licensed architects in the organization.

Open call to AIA Blue Ridge Members

noreply@blogger.com (AIA_Blue_Ridge) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:50:00 +0000

This letter was originally posted in January, 2010

Bill White, AIA

In an effort to better serve and represent the AIA Blue Ridge membership I am asking each member to contact me or any of the officers or directors with suggestions for AIA Blue Ridge in 2010-11. I ask this so that the Officers and Directors, who volunteer their time, can be better informed in their on going planning efforts.

It has come to my attention that only a small percentage of members actively participate and there are some obvious reasons why that might be. AIA Blue Ridge has a small number of members over a large geographic area. We have just over 200 members scattered over southwestern and southern Virginia. Our members are very diverse and have a broad range of interest. Many have time commitments associated with practice, family, community, and sports. It is not AIA Blue Ridge's goal to compete with those interests or to involve every member at every event. But if you have an interest or need that you feel should be addressed by AIA Blue Ridge I would like to hear about it.

If you are satisfied with the focus and events offered by AIA Blue Ridge in the past, you can let us know that too. If we don't hear from you, then we will know that AIA Blue Ridge as the professional society representing Architects in our region is not a priority to you at this time. As time allows in the future, I ask that you consider the value that AIA can bring to your community and to your practice and the value your participation can bring AIA.

We have very limited resources at AIA Blue Ridge. We are an all volunteer chapter of the American Institute of Architects, with no paid staff. Membership dues, which have remained at the same level for two decades, account for 25% of the budget. Because of limited resources, AIA Blue Ridge has focused on specific areas that the Board feels are of special interest to the membership.

Continuing Education; provide programs with CE units at little or no cost to members, through live programs, over the internet and at regional lunch and learns. Our goal is to offer 1/3 to1/2 of the CEUs required by Virginia to maintain currency

Intern Development; provide resources to associate members working toward licensure
Recognition of Achievement through design and honor award programs
Networking and Fellowship, by providing venues where architects and designers can meet to discuss topics of interest, compare experience and exchange views on trends in design and construction. This takes place at regular meetings, special events and through groups like the AIA Blue Ridge Young Architects Forum.

Design and Sustainability:
Through Speakers like past speakers: Sara Susanka FAIA, William McDonough FAIA, Randal Stout AIA, Jeanne Gang AIA, Joshua Prince-Ramus and
Tours like the: Roanoke Urbanity & Sustainability Tour, Faye Jones House, Taubman Museum, Poplar Forest, Virginia Museum of Natural History and
Events like 'Roanoke Urban Effect' and exhibits like 'Americas Favorite Architecture' and 'Livable Communities for Virginia'

Support of Virginia Tech through support of AIAS and CAUS lecture series.
Representation at VSAIA and National AIA by sending representatives to those organizations to actively participate and express the view from our region.

Have we been missing something? Do you have a suggestion to enhance or improve an area of focus? I challenge you to express yourself and get involved by attending a meeting or joining a committee. Let your voice and ideas make AIA Blue Ridge your AIA.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Bill White
William R. White, AIA President
AIA Blue Ridge