Better Buildings Initiative

Feb 2011

By Kelly Minner — Filed under: Architecture News ,Sustainability , AIA

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State of the Union

President Obama in his State of the Union address shared plans for making American businesses more energy efficient. Focusing on investing in innovative clean energy technologies, the ‘Better Buildings’ initiative aims to increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent over the next decade. Building on his other contributions, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and proposed “HOMESTAR” legislation, this series of incentives would hope to propel private sector investment to upgrade offices, stores, schools and other municipal buildings, universities, hospitals, and other commercial buildings.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is in strong support of the Obama Administration’s ‘Better Buildings’ initiative, according to AIA 2011 President Clark Manus, FAIA.

We applaud the President’s ‘Better Buildings’ initiative, which mirrors directly what the AIA has been advocating. As a profession, architects are already helping make the President’s goals a reality.

The AIA has actively brought the challenging statistics facing commercial buildings energy consumption to the forefront, noting that this building type accounts for roughly 40 percent of total energy use. Facing architects even more prominently is the fact that commercial buildings also account for nearly 70 percent of all electricity consumed in the United States.

Because of their leadership role in the built environment, architects are in an ideal position to help implement the President’s initiative. In order to reach the President’s ‘Better Buildings’ goals, there is a crucial need for design experts to apply their experience, innovations and talents to current practices so that one of the major sources of energy use – the building in which we work – can be addressed.

As the President said today, the United States can ‘out-build’ the rest of the world. And architects are the catalysts for winning that contest.

For more on the AIA’s support of the ‘Better Buildings’ initiative click here.

Cite:
Minner , Kelly . "Better Buildings Initiative" 10 Feb 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 21 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/110618>

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MPArch says:

this isnt an “initiative” its a series of words out of the president’s mouth that, once again, won’t even come close to fruition… he has a good speech-writer.. our country doesn’t even have the money to keep its teachers and policemen employed, much less invest in sustainability..

# February 10, 2011 at 18:31

pumar says:

well said MPArch…I’m afraid most people will eat it up and actually think it’s necessary.

# February 10, 2011 at 18:39

david says:

What is the AIA doing? They are invisible.

I would like to hear the AIA mentioned ONCE to a national audience. I want to see a major architect , academic (Gehry, Holl, Mohsen Mostafavi) or AIA spokesperson on the nightly news/Charlie rose/NPR/PBS News Hour broadcast addressing the role of architecture in accomplishing key national priorities. I see no advocates for Architecture on a national level.

Where are they?

# February 11, 2011 at 00:45

ksquared says:

Yes, they are just words, coming from the President of the United States. Funding or not, the idea is out there. That’s at least a start.

# February 10, 2011 at 21:04

Even President Bush was throwing this in his speeches… Oldest trick in the book…

# February 11, 2011 at 07:35

mstndvn says:

come on guys, you know that as architects we are only being paid for our ideas and we dont actually have to make them work. Speeches make ideas work.

# February 11, 2011 at 00:29

# February 11, 2011 at 00:47

Very true… You see more animal rights activists being interviewed on CNN than you do someone with credentials in design or sustainability..

# February 11, 2011 at 07:34

Did Gigazuri Daud says:

interesting :)

# February 11, 2011 at 04:40

munter roe says:

By ‘out-building’ the rest of the world he means demolishing buildings (i.e. to take buildings out of america). Hes telling the truth, we just percieve it in a different way.

# February 11, 2011 at 07:28

10:33 PM Feb 10th

GR2TF

Better Buildings Initiative: State of the UnionPresident Obama in his State of the Union address shared plans fo… http://bit.ly/gZkGT6