Summary: In March, the AIA national Board of Directors approved a change in the Rules of the Board that the AIA mandatory continuing education requirement, beginning January 1, 2009, will include a learning requirement for sustainable design. There will be no increase in the total learning-unit requirement (18 hours, 8 of which must be on health, safety, and welfare topics). The new requirement calls for 4 of the 18 hours to be related to “sustainable design,” the definition of which is being determined by the AIA Continuing Education Quality Assurance Panel (CEQAP). This requirement is specified to run through 2012, by which time, the Board will evaluate whether to extend it.

No action is required at this time of AIA members or registered AIA Continuing Education System (CES) providers. This continuing education requirement is independent of any state licensure requirements. Texas has enacted a sustainable-design continuing education requirement in April 2008

Sustainable Design (SD) Learning Units
The actual topics and content areas are being reviewed by the CEQAP to finalize its rules for Sustainable Design (SD) Learning Units. Plans and the infrastructure for CES providers to determine, register, and report their continuing education courses to qualify for SD learning units will be developed this summer.