The AIA 2019 Leadership Assembly met in mid-August in Denver where members of the COTE Advisory Group had an opportunity to listen, learn and collaborate with representatives from 21 AIA Knowledge Communities (COTE is one of these) as well as members of the AIA Strategic Council, Strategic Planning Committee and AIA staff. It was an action-packed three days of meetings with great feedback on our COTE initiatives and discovery of synergies and intersections with the work of other Knowledge Communities.
COTE met with a diverse range of Knowledge Communities (KCs) to discuss the proposed Awards Alignment initiative that COTE AG member, Anne Schopf, FAIA, has been spearheading for the last several years. The goal is to create a consistent and shared set of data and metrics for use in the jury process across all awards programs to ensure that the AIA honors projects reflect and celebrate the values of the profession. Anne has worked with Corey Squire, AIA, and others to develop a Common Application that will provide consistent project information, metrics, and a visual “spider” graph of project performance based on the COTE Top Ten measures. The Common App will streamline the submission and review process across all awards programs and provide important data that can be analyzed and shared across the Institute and beyond. The gathered group in Denver enthusiastically embraced the idea of the Common App which will be tested in several KC awards programs this year including the Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE), Housing Community Development (HCD), Design for Aging (DFA), and Small Project Design (SPD) and Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH). See Anne’s article following about this important initiative.
COTE Advisory Group members at KLA.The proposed AIA Framework for Design Excellence, based on the COTE Top Ten Measures, and the COTE Top Ten Toolkit were also discussed and feedback invited from the various member groups at KLA. There were great stories from around the country of firms and small practitioners from Maine to Texas integrating the framework and toolkit into their practice and in discussions with their clients. As part of the recently passed Resolution for Urgent Climate Action, the adoption of the Framework for Design Excellence by the AIA will be an important step in the transformation of day to day practice to achieve a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient and healthy built environment. I will have the opportunity to discuss the Framework for Design Excellence with the AIA Board at their meeting in September in Pittsburgh as they review the Resolution for Urgent Climate Action for ratification.
In the final KLA panel discussion, AIA Director Dan Hart, FAIA stated that the AIA is at a moment of convergence, with Climate Action being behind the “Big Move” and the focus of the Institute. COTE will have an important role in the coming months as the AIA defines its “Big Move” and shapes its Climate Action Plan. Everyone involved in COTE past and present should feel a sense of accomplishment for the great work that we have contributed to this effort. The 2018 AIA Year in Review distributed at KLA included this summary of sustainability achievements in the last year,
“AIA’s efforts to prepare the current and future generation of architects for a safe, healthy and resilient built environment has never been more necessary, AIA published several new tools and resources and launched new education courses in 2018. The COTE Top Ten Measures provide a framework to guide the design of all projects, and the new toolkit promotes consistent calculations and evaluations of project performance metrics. The COTE Top Ten Awards receive a record number of project submissions and appeared in more than 280 media pieces nationwide.”
Thanks to everyone for their commitment and contributions to COTE. There is an incredible continuum of leadership, innovation and collaboration by so many people over COTE’s 30 year history. This will be an exciting year to build upon our legacy and continue our leadership and contributions as the AIA focuses on Climate Action.
Best wishes,
Marsha Maytum, FAIA LEED AP
2019 Chair
AIA Committee on the Environment.