FEMA Adopts Key AIA Recommendations on Katrina Housing
A year after Hurricane Katrina, there is movement at both the federal and local levels to assist displaced Gulf Coast residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced new AIA-sponsored guidelines to address transitional housing concerns. To help residents who lost their homes entirely, FEMA plans to create an alternative housing pilot program for the Gulf Coast region based on the requirements in H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. The AIA lobbied heavily in support of the $400-million bill, and the language mirrors several recommendations outlined in a June letter from AIA EVP/CEO Christine McEntee to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

National Building Museum Goes Green
The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., is holding lectures and exhibits from September through November on green living. Many exhibits are for architects by architects, such as The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design, an ongoing exhibition on green homes highlighting works of such architects as William McDonough, FAIA. Additional “Green Fall” programs include sustainable principles and strategies for building projects, “how to” sessions and lectures on green lifestyle, and the National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Museum’s Great Hall.

From AIA President Kate Schwennsen, FAIA
Getting a Life
On the first day of the fall school term, AIA President Kate Schwennsen notes that “there is not another time with as much energy and potential and optimism.” She reflects on how the AIA’s responsibilities to its members are not dissimilar to those of a learner-centered university, especially in the area of communications. Schwennsen explains that the redesigned AIArchitect you are looking at now is a direct response to a communications audit in which members asked for more practice information, easier navigation, shorter stories, and a gateway to further communications. And now she wants something from you in return.