As an architect and planner I wanted to repond to the last posting by Walter Hosack.
In day to day practice it is very difficult to move the ball forward regarding sustainable design. If we have clients who want to go beyond minimum energy efficiency or consider LEED certification we count ourselves as lucky. The realization is that we are not going to get to where we need to be through our bread and butter clients and projects. ( I am not saying turn away your bread and butter clients, keep your day job it you have one.) I am saying that it is time for all AIA members to put on the "citizen architect" hat and engage public policy at every opportunity, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Paul Ehrlich lastest book, Humanity on a Tightrope has some excellent suggestions regarding the rapid human evolution needed to address global climate change. He also does an excellent job as a scientist presenting human impact on the planet and other species. For 100,000 years humans have organized effectively in groups of 150. Our brains are wired with an "us" or "them" bias for decision making. The evolutionary challenging facing humans is that every living thing on the planet is "us". Join or host COTE programs at your local chapters.
On your new projects collaborate with planners especially the APA's new catagory of Certified Environmental Planners so that your daily bread and butter projects better fit into a sustainable urban fabric. Start by asking the city or county you are working with if they have any Environmental Planners? Ask the project utility providers the tough questions, What is the rebate for rainwater harvesting? What is the rebate or incentive for PV ?, when will recycled water be available at this site? And question any requirements for parking spaces and parking structures. Flex cars, demand supply and management of transit, pedestrian and bicycle connections and other innovations need to be considered. Ten years from now you don't want to find that your project has a large mostly empty parking structure, since these are adaptively non-reusable.
In the future maybe we will all be able to approach our bread and butter projects the way William McDonough does. Better yet maybe we will all have his clients! Designing Cradle to Cradle is the first step to remaking the way we make things. Recent advances in virtual construction (BIM) are changing manufacturing and construction. New software tools to virtually simulate building operations will support life cycle analysis that cost justify projects that are well beyond LEED Platinum.
I am currently working on my first Urban Design Assistance taskforce (UDAT) project with the San Fernando Valley AIA. I am participating as a chapter member in good standing and I am very much enjoying the role of citizen architect. This UDAT is a collaboration with a neighborhood planning group. The link may provide some insight regarding how to engage public policy.
http://northridgevision.org/Do good work and be in harmony with your surroundings.
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Nathaniel Wilson AIA, AICP, LEED AP
Campus Architect / Environmental Planner
California State University-Northridge
Northridge CA
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