Author: Fabio Silva

Before AIA leaders arrived at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 91st Annual Meeting, AIA architects were already serving city leaders by addressing issues on sustainability and resilience in the built environment in cities across the United States. In Kansas City, AIA supported and worked with city leaders to ensure that energy efficiency and resiliency standards… Read more »

Many coastal clients have homes and businesses that maximize water views and ocean breezes, but as severe weather increases, architects must guide builders to prioritize design aimed at anticipating hazardous weather events. Likewise, policy makers must work to ensure safety and resiliency standards are equitable in all communities.   In December 2022, President Biden signed The… Read more »

The greenest buildings are buildings that already exist, which is why The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Board of Directors made the decision to fully renovate–not rebuild–the organization’s 50-year-old headquarters. The project is one of the first fully decarbonized major building renovations in the United States. West Coast-based architecture firm EHDD created the design to… Read more »

High-performance buildings are often disregarded by civic leaders and property owners because of a misguided stereotype: They’re too expensive. The truth is that buildings that reduce negative environmental impact save money while enhancing tenant satisfaction. According to a study by the U.S. General Services Administration—the largest operator of office space in the country—high-performance buildings deliver… Read more »

In September 2022, the first-ever global survey of mayors announced challenges on three fronts: inequality, climate change, and outdated infrastructure. In a questionnaire conducted by the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University, civic leaders from 241 cities around the world consistently fretted about how urban infrastructure is struggling to accommodate issues like… Read more »

In 2021, Florida’s Miami-Dade County took an innovative approach to addressing how climate change impacts marginalized communities: It created the world’s first chief heat officer. Across the United States, rising heat is disproportionately impacting communities of color living in neighborhoods that were redlined decades ago and denied parks and trees that provide shade. According to… Read more »

In April 2022, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, took a big step in demonstrating its commitment to sustainability, one that may entice more people to move there: For the first time, it shared its energy-performance benchmarking report about municipal buildings. “Sustainable cities showcase smart choices,” said Vi Lyles, the city’s mayor, who is now… Read more »

By Katherine Flynn The Frosty Morn meat packing factory in Clarksville, Tenn.—all 52,600 square feet of it—has sat vacant since 1977. “Nobody’s ever spent any money to keep the roof up,” says John Hilborn, City Project Manager at the City of Clarksville. “When it rains, it rains as much inside the building as it does… Read more »

Architects don’t just design buildings. They design systems that can work equitably for communities, cities, and regions using the same design methodology—just on a larger scale. It’s a key reason why mayors and government leaders turn to architects to tackle big challenges like infrastructure, public health, security, and the environment.  From protecting towns along the… Read more »