Video: President Purnell Reviews the Upcoming Sustainability Requirements

Summary: AIA President Marshall Purnell, FAIA, reviews the Board’s recent decision to revise our annual continuing education requirement to include credits on sustainability and explains the reasoning. Watch the video. Or read the transcript below.

Last March, the AIA Board made a decision that will help us lead the sustainable evolution for our clients and communities. At that meeting, the Board voted to support a revision to our annual education requirement. This revision calls for 4 hours of sustainable design education within the total 18-hour continuing education requirement.

The change goes into effect next year. In the meantime, the AIA’s Continuing Education Quality Assurance Panel is determining which activities or programs qualify for these learning units.

Why the change?
In the past year, a number of social, political, economic, and professional factors converged that make the Board’s leadership on this issue welcome.

There’s been a sea change in the public’s acceptance of sustainability. To cite just one example, there are currently 40 million so-called “green boomers” in the United States. That’s according to an AARP survey.

These ecologically minded consumers are doing everything from buying organic products to supporting companies that give back to the community.

On the political front, cities, states, and the federal government are mobilizing initiatives on sustainability, many of which, I’m proud to say, have been shaped by input from the AIA and its members. However, this means architects must be aware of and expert in the rapidly changing landscape of codes and standards.

And it’s the economy
The economic repercussions of the emerging sustainability ethic are just as dramatic for our profession.

Again, a single example from the many I could cite: A report by Goldman Sachs concludes that companies considered to be sustainability front-runners have been generating higher stock prices even in the current economic climate.

When you add up the social, political, and economic factors, the implications for architects who adopt sustainable practices are clear: Sustainable design and green building practices are no longer a niche market.

So a requirement for sustainable design education credits is good business.

The right thing to do
However, sustainable design isn’t just good business; it’s the right thing to do.

Sustainable design is about our obligation to future generations. It’s about meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s about enhancing the natural and built environment by using energy sensibly with a goal of carbon neutrality, improved air and water quality, and more livable communities.

To make this happen, architects need to be educated about and have access to up-to-date sustainable design techniques and business practices.

We need these resources to serve our clients and be at the forefront of a market transformation that’s global in scope.

It’s 4 out of the existing 18
The new requirement is not in addition to the currently mandated annual 18 learning units. It merely says that of those 18 units, a minimum of 4 will focus on sustainable design. Also, the sustainability CE units will be counted towards the 8 health, safety, and welfare continuing education units that we must earn every year.

In truth, the 4 hours add up to a small yet important contribution to a large field of ways the AIA is helping members provide solutions that address climate change. It gives credibility to the AIA “Walk the Walk” campaign, “architects leading the sustainable evolution.”

If AIA members are to lead, and I believe we must, this new requirement demonstrates we are committed to leading the way toward a more sustainable future.

Dr. Jonas Salk once said that the greatest legacy we can give to future generations is to be considered worthy ancestors. Never has the obligation been greater. Never has there been a greater need for our success.