Summary: The AIA 2030 Commitment is a voluntary program for AIA member firms and other entities in the built environment to pledge to develop multi-year action plans toward designing and building carbon neutral buildings by 2030. The pledge is for firms to begin immediately to adopt procedures and staff training to mitigate the deleterious effect buildings have on the environment as the largest single contributor to the production of greenhouse gases, contributing almost half of the total annual production of greenhouse gases in the U.S.

“We feel this is an essential, critical element of our responsibility as a society and as a profession,” says Bryce Pearsall, FAIA, chair of the AIA Large Firm Roundtable and principal of the DLR Group, which, on April 29, just prior to the AIA convention in San Francisco, became the 30th firm to sign onto the pledge. “The commitment itself helps map what the design professions can do, including sharing ideas to make the concept of carbon neutrality a reality.”

“Because of their leadership role in the built environment, architects are in an ideal position to alter the construction industry’s actions,” says AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee. “To reach our goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030 there is a crucial need for design experts to apply their experience, innovations, and talents to current practices that will lead to significant reductions in the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production. To promote the regeneration of natural resources will require a multiple-year effort, and we strongly encourage architecture firms nationwide to join us in this endeavor.”

The AIA 2030 Commitment is that a firm will:

1. Within two months of the commitment date, establish a team or leader to guide the development and implementation of the firm’s plan
2. Within six months of signing the commitment, implement a minimum of four operational action items from the list provided; these actions will be undertaken while the long-term sustainability plan is in development
3. Within one year of signing the commitment, develop a sustainability action plan that will demonstrate success toward the AIA’s 2030 goals
4. Make the sustainability action plan and annual progress reports available publicly by providing them to the AIA for posting on the Web site and subsequent dissemination.

Immediate operational actions
The operational actions firms commit to undertake include tracking and reducing use of resources within the office and encouraging more efficient travel habits. These include:

• Tracking and reporting energy use in the office
  
• Installing occupancy sensors in meeting rooms and other common spaces
  
• Using Energy Star rated equipment and appliances
  
• Encouraging employees to shut down computer equipment and turn power strips off
  
• Replacing any existing CRT monitors with LCD monitors
  
• Establishing guidelines for purchasing “green” power
  
• Reducing waste in general in the use of supplies
  
• Enacting policies specifically for reducing paper use (e.g., encouraging use of electronic documents and forms)
  
• Establishing guidelines for purchasing office, kitchen, and cleaning supplies as well as office furniture and materials
  
• Instituting a recycling policy
  
• Offering incentives for employees who ride share, walk, or bike
  
• Establishing a policy for fuel efficient rental cars for firm travel
  
• Establishing a policy for offsetting firm travel
  
• Encouraging telecommuting options for employees
  
• Encouraging virtual meetings when possible.

Sustainability action plan
Within one year of signing the commitment, the firm must develop a long-range sustainability action plan that aligns with the stated 2030 benchmarks for achieving carbon neutrality. While action plans will differ from firm to firm, a successful sustainable action plan should address the following aspects.

Develop sustainable design goals

• Set quantifiable design goals for every project regardless of whether required by the client.
• Design projects to reduce the amount of fossil-fuel based energy used to align with 2030 goals.
• Reduce the amount of potable water used in all projects.
• Improve indoor air quality through the elimination of hazardous materials used in all projects.
• Have every project undergo a green building evaluation whether the project is seeking certification or not.
• Document all projects in case-study format with consistent criteria to help measure performance and progress.

Institute staff training and education

• Ensure staff is invested in the firm’s sustainable design goals and can contribute to the success.
• Determine a minimum amount of staff training and education on sustainable design issues.
• Provide support for staff to attend conferences and education programs focusing on sustainable design programs.
• Implement programs that recognize individual and team sustainable design contributions.

Evaluate the design process

• Engage in a design process that is multidisciplinary, collaborative, goal-oriented, and metric driven.
  
• Use an integrated design process that promotes early involvement of stakeholders and engages in a collaborative design process.
• Use life-cycle cost analysis and consider the life-cycle effects of the materials and systems used in a project.
• Develop metrics for sustainable design goals at the outset of the project. Green building rating systems such as LEED or Green Globes can be a useful tool.
• Develop consistent measurement standards for building and site design performance.
• Create feedback procedures to gather information about building performance that include things such as meters, sensors, controls, and post-occupancy evaluations.

Sustainable operations
Develop a sustainable operations plan that sets goals aimed at reducing the negative impact of firm operations related to:

• Office energy use
• Waste reduction and supplies
• Transportation
• Meetings.

Develop a business strategy
Develop a business strategy that communicates why a sustainable design approach is important and why the firm is qualified.

• Put together information that supports the value of the firm’s sustainable design services (include information on projects costs, operating costs, and occupant satisfaction).
• Develop marketing materials that highlight the sustainable design aspects of the firm, define the design philosophy, list accredited staff, and highlight benefits of sustainable design.
• Make your sustainable actions and operations available to clients.