Monday, December 10, 2007

Architectural Education & Internship (comment notepad)

AIA Illinois Education and Internship Policy Thoughts Prepared by Frank Heitzman, AIAAugust 21, 20071. Education and practice should be fully integrated so that students also participate in practice during school. 2. Promote enrollment of greater numbers of minority students in architectural schools through focused marketing efforts and organized mentoring.3. Require every licensed architect to participate in mandatory mentoring of interns as a condition to maintaining their membership in the AIA. Define and encourage acceptance of the “Five Distinctive Phases” in an architect’s career: Education, Internship, Examination, Licensure, Mentorship. Recognize that these phases may overlap.4. Allow interns to take the ARE following their graduation and prior to completion of the IDP.5. Encourage interns to complete the ARE and become licensed to practice. The profession and society will be best served by a growing number of licensed architects.6. Allow graduates of architectural programs to use the title “architect” (rather than “intern architect”) prior to completion of IDP and ARE. Those architects that have completed the IDP and ARE and have become licensed in Illinois may call themselves “licensed architect.” Only licensed architects would be allowed to seal permit and construction documents.7. Allow alternative educational pathways in lieu of a NAAB accredited degree to fulfill educational prerequisites to licensure.8. Create more graduate schools of architecture in the state. Because of the impending date for requirement of a professional degree for Illinois architectural licensure (January 1, 2014), if we want to sustain the same number of licensed architects who are educated in Illinois, we will need to expand opportunities in the graduate programs. About half of current graduates have an M.Arch. or B.Arch. degree in Illinois.9. Empower existing community college programs in architecture (COD, Harper, ICC, Oakton and Triton) to offer four-year pre-professional degrees. This will persuade more students with limited financial resources to enter into the profession and would immediately stimulate diversity. Moreover, it would free up the current schools offering M. Arch. degrees to concentrate in that area of education and would open up more slots for grad students in the existing schools.10. Add courses and programs in “integrated practice.”11. Establish two or four-year para-architect programs in colleges for people who want to participate in architectural practice but may not want to own their own firm or become a licensed architect. They may want to specialize in certain narrow aspects of the profession such as:a. Lighting designb. Acousticsc. Cost estimatingd. IT services to firmse. Accounting servicesf. Marketingg. Administrationh. Integrated practicei. ConstructionThey would be hired by architectural firms to supplement their staff and bring in needed expertise in specialty areas; alternatively, graduates of these programs could set up their own companies to serve many architectural firms.12. Include in the requirements for continuing education for licensure and membership in the AIA one or more academic courses per year offered within schools of architecture rather than just unstructured workshops or some of the “lighter” areas of fulfillment such as reading magazine articles. There is a need to establish a formal curriculum for continuing education.

Prof. Robert I. Selby, FAIA said...
As a candidate for national vice-president I said, “Nothing is more important to AIA than assuring that the future of our profession is in capable hands. For the last two years on the AIA National Board of Directors I’ve helped write AIA policies for architectural education and programs for emerging professionals.”At that time I believed there was (or should not be) a “gap” between practice in education. Rather I believed, and do now, that education and practice is (or should be) a seamless continuum for assuring that the future of our profession is in capable hands.This was my call to action at the national level, and it is my call to action to AIA Illinois to implement the following at the state wide level: • To advocate for a culture of respect and nurturing for students in academic studios and interns in professional offices,• To promote greater diversity in architectural schools so we can achieve greater diversity in AIA, and• To improve IDP and mentoring for emerging professionals.Today I believe that AIA Illinois should seek ways to implement all of the national public policies and position statements I helped write on the national board. They are as follows:Public Policy The practice of architecture should be regulated. The privileges and responsibilities of practice should be extended only to those architects who demonstrate through education, experience, and examination that they are ethically and technically prepared.Position StatementsNAAB Degree The AIA supports a professional degree from a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited program as the most appropriate minimum threshold for educational training. Alternative educational pathways in lieu of a NAAB accredited degree should be considered to fulfill educational prerequisites to licensure on an individual candidate basis.Internship The AIA supports a comprehensive internship with measurable qualitative training criteria. Further, the AIA supports NCARB’s Intern Development Program (IDP) and its training areas, which provide interns with the diverse training and experience in architectural essential to the preparation for licensure.Examination The AIA maintains that passing of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) is the only acceptable threshold for fulfillment of the examination requirement for licensure. The ARE should test for public protection competencies gained through a combination of professional degree education and practical experience, of candidates once they meet the licensing requirements of the local jurisdiction. The AIA through its members, should encourage emerging professionals to complete the examination. The profession and society will be best served by a growing number of licensed architects.Timing of ARE The AIA supports architectural registration boards’ allowing interns for licensure candidacy to take the ARE following their graduation from a NAAB-accredited degree program and concurrent with enrollment in the Intern Development Program (IDP). Use of Title The AIA supports protecting the public by reserving the use of the term “architect” and its derivative forms to those individuals licensed as architects. In addition, the AIA supports the use of “architectural intern” or “intern architect” for graduate of NAAB-accredited degree programs.Interdependence The AIA supports the interdependence of practice and education as elements of the profession that, when integrated, enable students, educators, and practitioners to obtain and maintain the knowledge and skills needed to enter and fully participate in the profession, and to achieve design excellence in service to society.Public Policy With an obligation to the future of the architecture profession, architects must encourage, recruit, and inspire those who would become architects.Position StatementsMentorship The AIA supports its members to recognize and fulfill their obligation to nurture emerging professionals as they advance through all stages of their professional experience, beginning with professional education and progressing through internship and licensure and continuing throughout their career.Studio Culture The AIA supports a professional practice environment that encourages the essential values of optimism, respect, collaboration, engagement, and innovation. The architectural design studio culture promotes these ideasl and should serve as the foundation of degree education and professional practice.You may view these public policies at http://www.aia.org/ I look forward to your suggestions on implementation of these education/practice public policies at the state or chapter level.

Monday, December 3, 2007

AIA IL Advocacy Committee Seeks "Work Group" Participants for Key Issues


The Advocacy Committee seeks participants for several “Issue Work Groups” as a part of its Policy Development Initiative. The goal is to have several Illinois architects who are among the most- informed, most-involved, most-talented and most-passionate on a given issue (subject) participate in comprehensive discussions which can ultimately evolve into AIA-IL policy, position statements, best practices, model legislation, model ordinances, press releases, and general recommendations. These materials are to be developed for use by empowered authorities who can benefit from such expertise. Additionally, we would like to welcome a few allied professionals, non-architects and others who bring perspective and greater credibility to the discussions and developed materials.

These work groups are a reasonable/manageable-commitment-level way of making an impact. Through the use of resources and technology these groups may have progressive discussions through teleconferencing, web chats, blogs, emails, and/or limited face-to-face gatherings to achieve desired results. These results and deliverables from each work group are to be reported to the Advocacy Committee via a work group designate on occasion.

We are currently seeking participants for the following Work Groups:
Priority New Topics to be Developed in 2007:
1. Architectural Practice (Liability, Project Delivery, Business Practices)
2. Architecture Professional Development (Licensure, Unlicensed Practice/Abuse, Architectural Education)

Continuing General Topics from 2006 :
1. Sustainable Buildings: (Energy Consumption / Material Conservation / Healthier Bldgs)
2. Sustainable Infrastructure :(Site Use/Re-Use, Transportation, Natural Resources/Stormwater Mgmt.)
3. Historical Preservation
4. Sense of Place / Planning / Zoning
5. Affordable Housing
6. Building Codes & Standards

Persons interested in participating are encouraged to respond ASAP. We are challenging each Work Group to produce publishable, comprehensive policy drafts similar to the sample below comfortably in time for consideration of adoption at the AIA Illinois Annual Conference in November:


(Sample format for Work Group “deliverable” )

AIA Illinois Sustainable Building Policy

1. Introduction
Sustainability is best defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. AIA Illinois believes that a healthy environment for all life is important. Architects are uniquely trained to be leaders in integration of design disciplines in ways that mirror the interrelationships of natural ecosystems. Whole-systems thinking is required for sustainable design that solves the needs for human habitation while preserving and enhancing environments that support all life.

Sustainable planning and design is good for the architectural profession from business as well as ethical perspectives. AIA Illinois believes that failure to take the necessary steps to achieve a sustainable future is not a viable option. Key policy issue areas to meet this challenge include energy consumption, conservation of material resources, healthy buildings, historic preservation, affordable housing, efficient use of infrastructure, transportation choice, and sense of place.

In order to succeed in this initiative we must reach beyond our traditional purview and develop partnerships with other organizations for pursuing sustainable development.


2. Principles
The architects of AIA Illinois…………...
AIA believes ………….
AIA Architects consider themselves as stewards of………….….
We advocate ………………
AIA Illinois is committed …………..
etc.....


3. Goals
1. Raise the awareness…..
2. Reduction of Greenhouse …..
3. Mitigate the negative …
4. Utilization of alternate ….
5. Provide for …..
6. Create better built environments through …..
7. Leverage the investment …..
8. etc.....


4. Call to Action


Energy Consumption/ Production:
AIA Illinois joins with _____ in challenging ………..…
AIA Illinois urges ……….…
We also call upon…………
etc..........


Conservation of Material Resources:
AIA Illinois suggests ……………
We encourage architects and other design …..
etc......

Healthier Buildings:
AIA Illinois calls for……………..
We recommend ……………..
etc.....

5. Informational References

-AIA “No Cost” Green Building Strategies- 2003 The American Institute of Architects (Best Practices)
-Illinois Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Act- Illinois Public Act 093-0936 (Model Legislation)
-Responsible Energy Management: Leading by Example- 2003 The American Institute of Architects (Best Practices)
-The Business Case for Sustainable Development- World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Sept 2001 (Business Case)
-“City To Participate In Green Building Challenge” (Model Press Release) 2007.
etc…………..…..
etc……………….


Please leave a comment on this blog, or contact Michael Rogers or Susan King if you are interested in participating in one or several of these work groups.





Saturday, August 18, 2007

Architectural Professional Development (Comment Notepad)

Please post your comments, suggestions or thoughts for use in the development of any of the Architectural Professional Development topics:
-Licensure Processes
-Unlicensed Practice/ License Abuse
-Architectural Education

Architectural Practice (Comment Notepad)

Please post your comments, suggestions or thoughts for use in the development of any of the Architectural Practice topics:
- Liability
-Project Delivery
-Business Practices

Affordable Housing (Comment Notepad):

Please post your comments, suggestions or thoughts for use in the development of any of the expanded Affordable Housing topics:

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Debut Policy #1- Building Codes & Standards

TOPIC - Building Codes and Standards

Initial Draft 10 July 2006
Draft Update 17 October 2006
Adopted January 2007
Sunset December 2007


Policy Statement

Building codes set a minimum acceptable level of safety and performance to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Regulated components of building construction and occupancy include requirements for structure, egress and fire safety, accessibility, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and energy conservation. To create this integrity, architects, engineers and builders depend on established building codes- accepted industry standards, practices and methods- to guide them in their work. Beyond the minimum requirements, there are examples of government bodies and design practitioners adopting aspirational guidelines to effect a higher quality of life through the expectations they place on all building projects.


Issue 1 – Building Safety

Issue
At a minimum, buildings must have structural integrity and stand up to the elements in day-to-day uses. Furthermore, every part of the United States is exposed to natural disasters. Illinois is affected by many types of events – seismic, hail, fire, tornado, severe winter weather and flooding. Building codes provide for minimum requirements for property protection and increased safety for residents on both a daily basis and in a time of disaster.

Position
AIA Illinois supports the adoption of model codes to ensure building safety and timely review and revision to account for changing needs, advances in building methods and available technology.


Issue 2 – Higher Standards

Issue
By design, building safety related codes account for human occupancy. To go beyond merely occupying buildings and promoting quality of life, higher standards are needed. Laws for accessibility and energy conservation are just two examples of building requirements that call for more than just a basic level of public protection and implement common, shared values.

Position
AIA Illinois believes that our codes and standards should support, encourage and provide leadership in high performance buildings, the efficient use of our energy resources, and sustainable community design. AIA Illinois believes that we need to encourage the expanded accessibility of buildings to provide for people with disabilities and an aging population.






Issue 3 – Clarity and Consistency

Issue
The State of Illinois has no uniform, comprehensive building code that is enforced statewide. The Illinois General Assembly and various state agencies have adopted more that 250 separate laws and administrative rules that control certain aspects of design and construction, but there is no single code that contains or references all of the guidelines and standards used in other parts of the country to help ensure the construction of safe and healthy buildings. The random nature of a disjointed code environment is harder to monitor and enforce and places an additional burden on design professionals.

Position
AIA Illinois advocates for comprehensive, coordinated, contemporary and consistent building codes and standards through out the State of Illinois and therefore endorses the conclusions of the May 2006 Illinois Task Force on Uniform Building Codes that overwhelmingly recommended that the General Assembly adopt a uniform, comprehensive, statewide code.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Debut Policy #2- Qualifications Based Selection

TOPIC – Qualifications-Based Selection

Draft Update 22 September 2006
Adopted January 2007
Sunset December 2007

Policy Statement

Since 1987, the Local Government Professional Services Selection Act has governed how architects, engineers and land surveyors are hired to design public projects for local governments. The Qualifications Based Selection process makes the qualifications of a design team the first consideration in the selection, followed by a price negotiation. A firm can be rejected if the Contracting Body believes its costs are too high. QBS is the industry standard used in 46 states to ensure that qualified professionals are chosen to design our roads, bridges, schools and all government facilities.

A more qualified professional can better analyze and develop a project scope prior to the beginning of any construction. A more qualified professional can offer the most appropriate concepts in planning, technology, and life safety to the project and potentially save money and money for the community that is being served. Architecture should optimize functional efficiencies and construction techniques, and create a strong relationship to the community being served. The price of services should be considered only after the approach and experience brought to the project are understood. Architecture cannot be considered a commodity driven by the lowest cost.


Issue
Professional Services and specifically Architectural Services are investments in both a building and in the community. As a small component of the overall construction cost, the selection of architectural services by the State of Illinois or a local governmental body should be based on finding the most qualified firms for a specific project in order to bring the greatest value to the sizable long term investment in a building’s construction.

Position
AIA Illinois supports the State of Illinois Architectural, Engineering and Land Surveying Qualifications Based Selection Act (Public Act 87-673) that competitively selects architects based on professional qualifications and competence, with negotiated fees for design services. AIA Illinois would encourage the application of this process to all levels of government and community in order to maximize the value of the larger dollar in construction.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Debut Policy #3- Sustainable Design

TOPIC - Sustainable Design

Draft Update 17 October 2006
Adopted January 2007
Sunset December 2007


Policy Statement

Sustainability is best defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” AIA Illinois believes that a healthy environment for all life is important. Architects are uniquely trained to be leaders in integration of design disciplines in ways that mirror the interrelationships of natural ecosystems. Whole-systems thinking is required for sustainable design that solves the needs for human habitation while preserving and enhancing environments that support all life.

Sustainable planning and design is good for the architectural profession from business as well as ethical perspectives. AIA Illinois believes that failure to take the necessary steps to achieve a sustainable future is not a viable option. Key policy issue areas to meet this challenge include energy consumption, conservation of material resources, healthy buildings, historic preservation, affordable housing, efficient use of infrastructure, transportation choice, and sense of place.

In order to succeed in this initiative we must reach beyond our traditional purview and develop partnerships with other organizations for pursuing sustainable development.



Issue 1 - Energy Consumption/Production

Issue
Operation of buildings is the greatest source of energy consumption and related green-house emissions in the world.

Position
AIA Illinois supports policies that provide for continued aggressive energy conservation, including building modifications to promote more efficient energy use and promoting environmentally sound production of alternative energy sources.


Issue 2 - Conservation of Material Resources

Issue
Building construction accounts for 40% of the consumption of raw materials, as well as approximately 40% of the total solid waste stream.

Position
AIA Illinois supports policies that reduce the consumption of our natural resources. Recycled and rapidly renewable materials should be incorporated into building designs and construction waste should be managed to allow this material to be recycled and directed away from landfills.

Issue 3 - Healthier Buildings

Issue
Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, where levels of pollutants reach up to 100 times-higher than outdoor levels.

Position
AIA Illinois supports policies that promote healthier indoor environments. Improvement in indoor air quality has a positive impact on the health and productivity of the occupants of the building. Building materials should be selected that contain the lowest quantities of toxic chemical and volatile organic compounds available.


Issue 4 – Historic Preservation

Issue
Many historically significant structures and places are being razed to make way for new developments. Books like Lost Chicago are filled with pictures of magnificent buildings that no longer exist. Demolished buildings don’t simply leave memories behind, the embodied energy they contain is lost as well.

Position

AIA Illinois supports policies that provide incentives to retain and revitalize existing structures and places that have high architectural and cultural value. These places provide an important benchmark for understanding who we are and show where we came from.


Issue 5 – Affordable Housing

Issue
The real cost of housing isn’t limited to a rent or mortgage payment, it also includes utility costs, transportation and commuting expenses, access to essential goods and services and many other factors that impact affordability. Communities without housing for their teachers, police officers, fire fighters, nurses, laborers, and service employees impact not only those workers and their families but growth patterns, traffic congestion and a host of other unintended but avoidable consequences.

Position
AIA Illinois supports incentives for development of affordable housing and related infrastructure. This includes innovation in planning, design and construction techniques that seek to reduce construction costs while providing sense of community and maintaining standards for building safety.

Issue 6 – Efficient Use of Infrastructure

Issue
The infrastructure cost of building in undeveloped sites is estimated to be approximately $50,000 per dwelling unit. This compares with $5,000 per dwelling unit at locations that are already served by basic utility, roadway, school and government facilities infrastructure.

Position
AIA Illinois supports policies that redirect subsidies for “greenfield” sites to areas that are already served by existing infrastructure. We cannot afford to use our limited tax dollars to underwrite sprawl.


Issue 7 – Transportation Choice

Issue
Approximately 89% of all trips in the U.S. are made in cars. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that neighborhood and transportation planning affected obesity rates, asthma and other health concerns.

Position
AIA Illinois supports government policies and funding decisions that promote a wider range of viable transportation choices including walking, biking, buses, and trains, especially for the young and elderly who cannot drive. Each of these travel options promotes more efficient use of fossil fuel energy than cars. Increased transportation choice can be achieved through community planning with close destination proximity connected by pathways or transit lines.


Issue 8 – Sense of Place

Issue
Many developing communities have little or no sense of “there” there. Places where people live, work, play and worship are enhanced by a feeling of character, substance and uniqueness.

Position
AIA Illinois supports mixed-use pedestrian/transit oriented development that reduces dependence on roadway infrastructure and increases sense of place in the community. Distinctive, compact communities with good access to open spaces allow for a sustainable, high quality of life for their residents.


References:
http://www.aia.org/walkthewalk

http://www.aia.org/susn_rc_default

http://www.aia.org/fiftytofifty

Monday, April 30, 2007

A Hot Message From National AIA Advocacy

Memorandum
Date: April 30, 2007

To: AIA Board Advocacy Committee

From: Tom Wolfe

Subject: Status of Federal Legislative Initiatives


Per the request of the Board Advocacy Committee, I have generated a summary of the status of the various ongoing projects in the works at AIA Federal Affairs. Below I have laid these projects out in a rough order of the resources we are devoting to them and provided the requested status update:

Architect of the Capitol

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is in charge of the U.S. Capitol buildings and grounds, including the U.S. Supreme Court, the National Botanical Gardens and the Library of Congress. He/she is appointed by the President to a 10-year term from a slate of at least three nominees selected by a congressional selection commission whose membership is determined by law.

The current AOC’s term lapsed in February, although the incumbent – Alan Hantman – announced his intention not to seek a second term in August of 2006. Mr. Hantman’s primary legacy is the Congressional Visitors Center project which will increase the square footage of the Capitol Building by 80%. It has encountered many problems and is over budget and several years behind schedule. This, plus other criticisms of the current AOC office, have colored the opinions of the congressional staff (and some of their principals) associated with the Selection Commission regarding the most important qualifications to be sought in the next AOC.

The AIA has worked with the executive search firm retained by the Commission, as well as Commission staff to suggest qualified candidates and
reinforce the Institute’s primary objective – that the AOC must be a licensed professional architect. Current prevailing opinion among the Commission staff is that facilities management experience trumps all other factors and that credentials as an architect are only secondarily important, if important at all.

As the search firm narrows the universe of candidates that the Commission staff will interview, the AIA will meet with all Commission staff and all Commission members to reinforce the need for a licensed professional architect in the position. Some Grassroots assistance from the membership will be called for as well.

Federal Building Legislation

One our Grassroots sustainability “asks” was legislation that would require that all new buildings or major renovations owned or leased by the federal government to meet the AIA Board’s 2030 timetable for reductions in fossil fuel generated energy. RK Stewart testified before the Senate Energy Committee on February 12th on this issue. Subsequently, Senate Energy Committee staff asked the AIA for statutory language to accomplish this goal. We drafted and transmitted that language in March. In addition, throughout March & April we met with staffers for numerous Representatives and Senators seeking a sponsor for this legislation in both the House and Senate. On March 29th, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced our bill. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is an original cosponsor. See:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s1059is.txt.pdf

Buidling upon the Clinton bill, on April 16th Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chariman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced comprehensive energy efficieny legisilation which includes the AIA-sponsored federal buildings policy position.
Bingaman’s legislation, the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act of 2007 (S. 1115), includes a provision (Section 506) that requires all new and extensively renovated federal buildings to use significantly less fossil fuel-generated energy than a similar building consumed in 2003. This provision reflects the AIA-recommended reduction targets for fossil fuel-generated energy use in new and renovated buildings, which, if adopted, would result in carbon neutral buildings by 2030.The AIA Government Advocacy team held numerous meetings with Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff in order to have our provision included in this fast-moving legislation. The Bingaman bill already has wide bipartisan support; cosponsors include committee ranking Republican Sen. Pete Domenici (NM), and Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Larry Craig (R-ID), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Bernard Sanders (D-VT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The committee held a hearing on the legislation last week and mark-up will soon follow. It appears likely that this bill could be on the Senate floor before Memorial Day.

To see the bill, please follow this link:

http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/EnergyEffPromotionAct.pdf

We are currently still seeking House sponsorship and have several very good leads. The House Public Buildings Subcommittee of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on May 16th to address federal building energy efficiency. The AIA has been asked to testify.

We are also in discussions with Steven Winter Associates to produce an economic study of the costs and benefits to the federal government from attaining the energy reduction goals of the legislation.

Commercial Building Tax Deduction

The second of our Grassroots sustainability “asks” involved a specific bill -H.R. 539. This legislation was introduced in January by Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), as a result of AIA’s issue brief. It’s objective is to extend the tax deduction for builders of commercial buildings that exceed the ASHRAE energy efficiency stand 90.1 by 50% for 5 extra years & deepen the deduction from $1.80 / ft to $2.25 / ft. The bill now has 136 cosponsors including many key members of the Ways & Means Committee.

In late March, Senators Snowe (R-ME) and Feinstein (D-CA) introduced S. 822 and Reps. Markey (D-MA) and McDermott (D-WA) introduced H.R. 1385. These identical bills – called EXTEND legislation - would accomplish our goal for commercial buildings plus extend residential, appliances, solar equipment, etc tax breaks. The AIA supports this legislation as well.

On April 25, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced legislation which closely mirrors the Buildings for the 21st Century Act in the Senate. This legislation, the Green Buildings Act--Giving Reductions to Energy Efficient New Buildings (S. 1207) also extends the tax deduction unti 2013.

AIA Federal Affairs staff also submitted a Statement for the Record for the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures regarding our support of extending and enlarging the Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction. We completed this at the behest of Rep. Schwartz.

In a related matter, the AIA has also met with IRS and DOE staff to press for IRS guidance on how the current tax deduction should be apportioned for public buildings. The law now grants the tax deduction, which cannot be claimed by a governmental entity, to be claimable by “the designer of the energy saving equipment.

Green Infrastructure

The third of our Grassroots sustainability issues involved amending the provisions of the Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund law (SRF) so that it encourages the use of SRF monies to fund “green infrastructure” projects to reduce the impact of stormwater runoff from the built environment on the water quality of adjacent water bodies (bays & rivers). Green infrastructure includes green roofs, parklands, swales, buffering vegetation and permeable pavement that lets stormwater infiltrate back to groundwater rather than runoff quickly and cause surges to combined sewage systems. So far we have spoken with both House & Senate committee staff regarding placing green infrastructure language in SRF reauthorization legislation that’s now moving in Congress.

The House SRF bill – HR 720 - has passed the House with our language in it in February. The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee is currently working on portions of SRF reauthorization. We will meet with committee staff to discuss this issue in greater detail over the next two weeks.

Historic Preservation / Community Enhancement

For the last two Congresses, the AIA has been working in coalition with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to revamp the current historic rehabilitation tax credits to make them work better with the low income tax credit and deepen the credit in “difficult –to-develop” areas. In past years this has been called the “Portman / Jefferson” bill and the “English bill”, in honor of the principal sponsors.

With the new leadership in this Congress, we have sought out Rep. Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) to be our new principal sponsor. Rep. Phil English (R-PA) will still be an aggressive cosponsor on the Republican side. The legislation is now H.R. 1043. It currently has 41 cosponsors.

In early April, I spoke with Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) the chair of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue of the Ways & Means Committee (the subcommittee of jurisdiction) about moving H.R. 1043 in conjunction with the reauthorization of the Low Income Tax Credit, which is due to happen this year. Without making a commitment, he was supportive of the concept.


Federal Tax Matters

Last year’s tax bill created a monumental problem for small firms who contract with government entities. The governments (Fed, state, or local) would be required to withhold 3% of all payments to these entities in anticipation of federal taxes. This provision was created solely as an “offset” for other federal tax relief. No one, including most of the Congress, knew it was in the bill until after it passed.

The provision does not take into account the fact that the payments from which the withholding is to be taken are gross payments to architects are NOT profits. They are used to pay contractors, subcontractors, purchase material, etc. This Congress we will be working with a coalition of similarly situated government contractors to achieve rescission of the provision. Reps. Meek (D- FL) and Herger (R- CA) have introduced legislation (H.R. 1797) to do this. The AIA supports this bill.

In addition, the AIA is an original member of the Government Withholding Relief Coalition (GWRC), which includes more than 50 associations that are fighting to repeal the 3 percent withholding provision. The Coalition’s website is:

https://outlook.aia.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.withholdingrelief.org/portal/gwrc/default.

In late April, we undertook an AIA Action Alert regarding this issue. Electronic notification of the pending legislation was sent to all AIA members. As a result, more than 2500 AIA members responded and made in excess of 8000 contacts with Members of Congress. AIA members who missed the Action Alert and now desire to respond can do so by visiting https://outlook.aia.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aia.org/gov and then clicking on Contact Your Members of Congress.

AIA 150

AIA Federal Affairs arranged for concurrent resolutions recognizing the AIA’s 150th birthday to be introduced in both the House (H. Con. Res. 53) & the Senate (S. Con. Res. 9). Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Phil English (R-PA) sponsored the first. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) sponsored the second.

In addition, we completed the paperwork for transmission to the White House to obtain a Presidential Proclamation recognizing Architecture Week as 2nd week of April. The Proclamation arrived on April 12th – just in time.

We also arranged for Rep. Blumenauer to serve as keynote speaker at the 150th celebration dinner of the Board at Delmonico’s in NYC on April 13th.

Climate Change

For the second Congress, the AIA has taken a leading position on the need for a “cap & trade” system for regulating greenhouse gases. Clearly this issue is much more popular in this Congress than the last, but legislation has still been slow to develop. This is because there is potential for such legislation to have a significant negative impact on economy if it is not well thought out. In addition, the Administration opposes this approach. The AIA is working with several groups interested in the issue – one composed mostly of members of the environmental community and one composed mostly of industry representatives.

Cash Accounting


The federal tax code allows only professional services corporations, like architectural firms, that are 95% owned by those in the profession they represent (i.e. architects) or have gross receipts below $5 million to use cash accounting for tax purposes. All others must use accrual accounting. Cash accounting is far more advantageous. AIA supported bills in last Congress to relax the 95% ownership test. These bills were sponsored by Republicans and found most of their support among Republicans. We worked in coalition on this issue with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).

This year we are again working with ACEC and will seek Democratic sponsorship for reintroducing cash accounting legislation this Congress. They have extra funds from last year and are hiring a consultant to help place the bill with an appropriate sponsor. They will lead – we will follow.

Good Samaritan

Last fall’s AIA Call for Issues demonstrateded a substantial interest among AIA members in a federal good samaritan law. This type of legislation would provide relief from negligence liability for architects who volunteer without pay to assist in times of national or regional emergency. Twenty four states have such laws

Last Congress, Rep. David Reichert (R-WA) introduced legislation to provide such relief for contractors. He is willing to modify that legislation to include architects and engineers in this Congress. Our allies include Asso. Gen’l Contractors, and ACEC. However, the new leadership in this Congress makes success on this issue much more difficult politically. The trial lawyers oppose this type of liability reform and have strong a relationship with the Democratic Party. To date, we haven’t been able to get Democrats on House Judiciary Committee interested in cosponsoring Rep. Reichert’s bill.


Green Schools

The AIA is beginning to put together a coalition with Sustainable Business Industries, the American Federation of Teachers and others to advocate the funding of a major section of the No Child Left Behind statute that includes a study of educational benefits of well-designed & sustainable school buildings. The reauthorization of No Child Left Behind is supposed to occur in this Congress.

Healthcare Legislation

Last Congress we aggressively supported legislation to allow the AIA and other trade & professional groups to offer nationwide health insurance to their members and their members’ employees. This legislation would preempt state laws that currently make the creation of such large national risk pools impossible.

That legislation passed the House last summer, but the proponents failed to break cloture in the Senate by 4 votes. In the Senate vote, the AIA provided the only Democrat to support the bill. This year, the chances for such legislation are less good. Both proponents and opponents of last year’s bill have refrained from reintroducing competing bills so far in this Congress. It is hoped that some form of compromise can be struck.

Intelligence from an event for Rep. Pomeroy (D-ND) indicates that the Democrats intend to have a bipartisan healthcare bill of some sort in this Congress – out of the Ways & Means Committee. We will follow.

Sun Wall

In 2000, the AIA and the Dept. of Energy held a joint design competition for a solar wall to be added to the DOE’s headquarters in DC. This addition would use both passive solar and solar PV to provide hot water, space heating and electricity. The competition won by Solomon Cordwell & Buenz of Chicago.

The project was never funded. In 2005, the AIA worked with Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) to get money authorized for the Sun Wall in the 2005 Energy Policy Act. Unfortunately, no monies were ever appropriated for the project.

After this fall’s election Mr. Oberstar became new Chairman of House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. This is a big change.
Within six weeks of taking up his chairmanship, the House passed a new $40 million authorization for the Sun Wall to be taken from the GSA’s federal building fund (no appropriation necessary). We have congratulated Rep. Oberstar for his moving the Sun Wall authorization through the House and offered to help him with it in the Senate.

Department of Transportation Study

In 2005 the AIA got an “earmark” in the multi-year transportation bill for a $2 million study of “best practices” for using federal highway funds to enhance communities adjacent to big highway projects. This study was to be done by a “national association representing architects”. We are partnering with the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies to complete the study. The law requires that the study to be done this summer. In late March, AIA Federal Affairs held three focus groups to let AIA member architects discuss the issue.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Illinois' Proposed Resolution to Adopt "2030 Challenge"






(State of Illinois)
ADOPTING THE “2030 CHALLENGE”


WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted the “2030 Challenge” resolution calling for the immediate energy reduction of all new and renovated buildings to one-half the national or country average for that building type, with increased reductions of 10% every five years so that by the year 2030 all buildings designed will be carbon neutral, meaning they will use no fossil fuel energy; and

WHEREAS, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the national professional organization representing architects has also adopted the “2030 Challenge” resolution; and

WHEREAS, the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international community’s most respected assemblage of scientists, has found that climate disruption is a reality and that human activities are largely responsible for increasing concentrations of global warming pollution; and

WHEREAS, the North American and global Building Sector has been shown to be the major consumer of fossil fuel and producer of global warming causing greenhouse gases; and

WHEREAS, the federal government through programs fostered within many of its key agencies and numerous state governments as well as municipalities across the U.S. have adopted high performance green building principles; and

WHEREAS, a recent study completed by researchers from Capitol E and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the most definitive cost-benefit analysis of green buildings ever conducted, concluded that the financial benefits of green design are between $50 and $70 per square foot, more than 10 times the additional cost associated with building green; and

WHEREAS, the large positive impact on employee productivity and health gains suggests that green building has a cost-effective impact beyond just the utility bill savings; and

WHEREAS, studies have indicated that student attendance and performance is higher in high performance school buildings; and

WHEREAS, recognizing that a building’s initial construction costs represent only 20-30 percent of the building’s entire costs over its 30 to 40 year life, emphasis should be placed on the “life cycle costs” of a public building rather than on solely its initial capital costs; and

WHEREAS, the construction industry in the U.S. represents a significant portion of our economy and a significant portion of the building industry is represented by small business and an increase in sustainable building practices will encourage and promote new and innovative small business development throughout the nation; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that all State of Illinois buildings meet the following targets:

· New construction of buildings shall be designed to and achieve a minimum delivered fossil-fuel greenhouse gas (GHS) emitting energy consumption performance standard of one half the U.S. average for that building type as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the EPA’s Target Finder.
· Renovation building projects shall be designed to and achieve a minimum delivered fossil-fuel GHG emitting energy consumption performance standard of one half the U.S. average for that building type as defined by the EPA’s Target Finder.
· All other new construction, renovation, repairs and replacements of buildings shall employ cost-effective, energy-efficient, green building practices to the maximum extent possible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois will work to increase the fossil-fuel GHG emitting reduction standard for all new buildings to carbon neutral by 2030, in the following increments:

60% in 2010
70% in 2015
80% in 2020
90% in 2025
Carbon-neutral by 2030 (meaning new buildings will use no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council will develop plans to fully implement the above mentioned targets as part of the procurement and inspection process and by establishing polices to insure compliance and measure results;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois will work in conjunction with other appropriate organizations to join this effort to develop plans to fully implement similar targets as mentioned above.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Advocacy Initiative -Dec 2006





Advocacy Initiative


Committee Intent: The Advocacy Committee has been re-structured for 2006 to extend beyond its past structure of the AIA Illinois Board, Staff and Lobbyist. The intent was to broaden it to include representatives from around the state… and ultimately to extend this to each of the chapters, the knowledge communities and all of our members… as citizen architects.

Committee Mission: Evolving from the AIA Illinois Mission Statement, the committee looks to develop direction based on a set of principles, and make these principles and policies permanent and transparent to our members, the legislature, and the general public. Specific legislative positions will be reviewed based on these policies. The intent is to show architects as activists and leaders within our communities and to provide value to our membership, advocating at multiple levels:

§ Within the AIA and the profession of architecture, creating higher standards for ourselves.
§ Within the design and construction industry
§ To the public and each of our communities.
§ To our legislators – providing expertise and leadership.

Objective: To state what we believe with knowledge and passion, creating opportunities for the profession and AIA members to provide leadership.
















2006 Advocacy Initiative
The American Institute of Architects—Illinois Council

Introduction

Draft Update 17 October 2006
Adopted January 2007
Sunset December 2007

“Architecture profoundly affects people. The work of architecture is essential to human well being, and architects must embrace their ethical obligation to uphold this public trust.” – AIA Directory of Public Policy and Position Statements

AIA Illinois is guided by the duty and honor to serve our members, their clients along with our communities and the public at large. In that spirit of civic engagement and public service, we share the fundamental principles which we believe as fellow citizens and as the voice of the architecture profession in Illinois.

AIA Illinois seeks to support the growth of each of our communities and the state. We recognize the diversity of communities and interests within the state, but seek to find common ground to achieve better, safer communities while maximizing our public investments.

Working with industry colleagues, AIA Illinois will offer a nonpartisan perspective to create partnerships, provide information, and assist in the development of policy and advocacy efforts to facilitate discussions of community design and professional integrity. We do this not for our own sake but to provide more opportunities for neighborhoods, communities, regions, and the state. We welcome any ally in this cause and encourage any leader to advance such an agenda.
Guiding Principles:
1. Architects serve the public health, safety and welfare of the citizenry by designing places for a broad range of human activities, creating environments where individuals, groups and communities may thrive.
2. The practice of architecture requires special skills and training; a lifelong commitment to learning, professional ethics and service. We promote the use of licensed architectural professionals in the design and construction of our built environment.
3. The process of architecture, planning and design should achieve a positive balance of natural, social and economic forces, respecting the environment. Sustainable design and stewardship of resources past, present and future is a necessary part of shaping civilized places.
4. Architects express their professional concerns and commitments by building coalitions and engaging in public affairs with the goal of creating better communities. The architect has the responsibility to both serve their client and the public at large.
5. The State of Illinois through its elected and appointed leaders plays an important role in regulating the profession of architecture, the business climate we practice in and the quality of life of its citizens which may be elevated and enriched through the power of design.





Sunday, February 4, 2007

New Blog for Advocacy / Policy Development Group

This is a new blog for discussions related to developing and refining policy, principles, goals and action items for the issues that impact Illinois architecture and the communities Illinois architects help to shape.

This blog is established as a communications tool that allows for "anytime" contributions and commentary on the key issues we have identified and on new issues as they emerge.