This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Regional and Urban Design Committee and Committee on the Environment .
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Peter Papesch AIA
Chair, BSA Sustainability Education Committee
Former (and founding) chair of USGBC-MA Education Committee
Boston MA
papesch@mac.com -------------------------------------------
John Corkill pretty much says it all: the AIA missed the opportunity to establish performance criteria, GBC picked up the challenge, and now GBC has become an institution that needs to find ways to continue its economic success - a success that is and was built on the obvious need of society to have metrics for evaluating architects', engineers' and contractors' claims of the performance of their designs (i.e. pre-implementation guesses).
Leaving aside the debate about LEED accreditation by individuals or firms as a credibility metric for the public, nothing prevents all firms interested in climate change mitigation rather than aggravation to use LEED or Living Building Challenge as checklists to incorporate and coordinate the best combination of energy-frugal strategies in their designs. Note the emphasis on strategies rather than specific task items.
Now here comes the problem, which we've been trying to address since 2009: few graduating professionals in the building sector (architects, engineers, contractors) have learned the tools, skills and methods - and in particular the interdisciplinary collaboration - that a carbon neutral project requires. For that reason we have been attempting to convince the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) and its collateral organizations (AIA, AIAS, ACSA and NCARB) to inspire each architecture school to muster its internal resources -- faculty, administration, students and trustees -- to develop curricular objectives that all graduates -- of any school -- be proficient in designing projects which mitigate climate change while being practical, inspiring and accountable to users and to society.
If you agree with this idea, please consider signing our petition <http://www.change.org/petitions/require-of-graduating-architects-full-competence-to-design-energy-neutral-buildings>. In addition, a couple of us have been working on pulling together what we call "A Working Inventory for the 21st Century Architect of Design Principles & Parameters, Design Tools, and Design Coordination that comprise the 'Architecture' of Climate Change mitigation". Want to get involved?