AIA24 to measure sustainability efforts

This year, AIA is taking its sustainability efforts one step further at the 2024 Conference on Architecture & Design. For the first time, the organization will measure sustainability at the conference – the largest event of its kind – with a formal, intentional approach via measurement and benchmarking efforts.  

To facilitate diminished carbon footprints while in Washington, D.C., AIA is discouraging motor vehicle use during the conference by offering walking and public transit tours, as well as hotel accommodations that are within walking distance of conference headquarters.  

On the Expo floor, exhibitors are encouraged to utilize sustainability transparency stickers and signage. AIA will make note of the numbers of climate action sessions and events, as well as the number of attendees at climate action sessions and engagement at AIA’s climate action booth.  

“It’s important that we continuously improve our operation and programming,” says Paola Capo, senior manager of Climate Action and Resilient Communities at AIA. “By benchmarking sustainability metrics, we can ensure that we are reducing our environmental impact and leading by example in promoting sustainable practices within the architectural community.”  

After the conference, AIA will collect metrics on fuel savings and carbon emissions. Additional metrics will be collected regarding landfill materials, recycled materials, tonnage, energy performance, water performance, waste performance, and donated materials.  

Using this year as a baseline for these metrics and gathering feedback from exhibitors and attendees, AIA will set aggressive goals for future conferences around sustainable operations that create measurable impacts.

AIA has long focused on sustainability and ways that the architecture and design world can set the standard for climate action. The AIA 2030 Commitment is an actionable climate strategy that provides a set of standards and goals for reaching net zero emissions in the built environment by 2030. More than 1,300 architecture firms have already made the commitment.  

Check out the AIA Framework for Design Excellence to learn more about how sustainability, resilience, health, and equity can be integrated as critical aspects of your design process and firm culture.