GBBN Taps the AIA Framework and Top Ten Toolkit to Advance its Practice
by Kira Gould
There is a practice transformation afoot, as firms of all scales continue to integrate issues of human and ecological health, resources, resilience, mobility, and equity into the definition of design excellence. GBBN is a thriving practice of 145 people in four offices (Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Ken., Pittsburgh, Penn., and Beijing, China).
According to Tiffany Broyles Yost, Director of Sustainability and Resilience, “the Framework for Design Excellence and the Toolkit represent the best of the AIA. These tools are by architects and for architects -- and they have the weight and the reputation of the organization behind them.”
When AIA passed the Climate Action resolution (May 2019), Yost said that it seemed like the organization was making a significant step. GBBN signed the 2030 Commitment in November 2019, has released its first Sustainability Action Plan and is working toward reporting next year. Broyles Yost is excited for the Sustainability Action Plan to be shared with peers and others. “We want people to read it and understand us. We intend to update it every year.” For GBBN, one interesting factor is making sure that everything applies to its Beijing practice as well as its US offices.
“The Framework is powerful because it is about holistic design excellence,” Broyles Yost said, “and not about the most sustainable project. The Framework is well organized for use in all different markets. The Framework is also rating-system agnostic, which is important in terms of making it work for all clients and project types.” Broyles Yost notes that her firm is working on ways to integrate the framework into its own process. The 10 principles (previously known as the Top Ten Measures) are a terrific structure, and they have associated concepts and questions that dovetail into the design process. And the Super Spreadsheet is data driven and ready to apply to any project. “We did a focus group on the Framework with the whole office,” Broyles Yost said. “We got upwards of 85 percent participation! The AIA Framework for Design Excellence is helping us make better spaces for people. It is helping us deliver on our mission to provide inspiring, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive design.”.
Photo caption/credit:
Tree Pittsburgh’s net-zero energy campus, designed by GBBN, is a model for sustainable design. Photo: Brad Feinknopf, Feinknopf Photography