Practicing ArchitecturePracticing Architecture

INTERDISCIPLINARY SUMMIT

On April 25, 2011, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) hosted an industry summit on issues of sustainability and risk. Launching from a discussion of the AIA/AGC Joint Committee in February 2011, the summit gathered representatives to the discussion from various industry stakeholder groups including architects, contractors, engineers, building owners, professional liability carriers, and sureties. The day-long meeting was organized around presentations and panel discussions related to the rapidly shifting legal landscape in the building industry as it relates to codes, whole building rating systems, products, and life cycle assessments. Key themes for the day were collaboration, education, practice transformation, accountability, and metrics.

“Collaboration is key to our ability to solve these big industry challenges we are facing,” said Mike Kennedy, General Counsel for AGC of America, at the opening of the summit. “Increased risk for contractors and other members of the building construction team when working on sustainable projects is an issue we want our members to be out in front of.”

The group heard presentations from the General Services Administration on the impact of the federal government’s commitment to sustainability. They also heard from construction consulting firm Davis Langdon—An AECOM Company on recent studies of the cost of implementing green codes and constructing high performance buildings. Current research shows that sustainable building features are not statistically significant factors in determining project costs. However, owners are closely watching the implementation of mandatory provisions currently seen in California’s green codes (CALGreen) and those proposed in the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) through a variety of lenses, including direct and indirect costs.

Insurance providers covered changes occurring within the insurance industry, and outlined their reactions to the IGCC and its subsequent changes to the professional standard of care for architects and other design professionals. Although professional liability carriers have not identified specific changes to the standard of care for architects, there were a number of questions regarding the downstream consequences of mandating sustainable measures in both the design phase and operations and maintenance, and uncertainty around consequences for default or non-compliance based on post occupancy behaviors beyond the control of the design professional.

The group also discussed in detail the effect that the adoption of voluntary building certification programs and mandatory codes and standards are having on the design and construction industry.

Education was identified as a significant challenge for all stakeholders, particularly building officials who will be expected to administer newly adopted high performance codes. Participants saw rating systems such as USGBC/GBCI’s LEED program as continuing to raise the bar for the industry. Conversely, according to attendees, a legally enforceable green construction code system like the IGCC would serve as a building performance floor, or minimum standard of compliance.

“There is a practice impact for architects that extends beyond the projects that are ‘sustainable’ to every project in their portfolio,” said Ken Ross, FAIA, AIA Vice President of Design and Practice, at the close of the summit. “The AIA, through events like these, will help its members anticipate new practice and business models that aid them in delivering maximum value to the client.”

Resources from the summit, including a joint white paper that investigates these trends and their impacts on the building and construction industry, will be made available on AIA.org and AGC.org soon.

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