Introduction—Framework for Design Excellence

Introduction

Architects play a critical role in designing buildings and communities that use resources wisely, preserve essential ecosystems, promote equity and access, and adapt to changing conditions. The warming climate has caused widespread damage to people, ecosystems, and the built environment. We recognize that the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is the result of natural and human systems pushed beyond their ability to adapt. These climate trends are only a few of the risks facing civilization, along with unsustainable consumption of resources, land and ecosystem degradation, rapid urbanization, and social and economic inequalities. Architecture contributes nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions—a percentage that has not changed significantly since the middle of the 20th century.  

The profession finds creative solutions that ensure design excellence and climate action as we make progress toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy future. Every project is a new opportunity to make incremental improvements, test new strategies, and apply lessons from past projects.

The four outcomes

The architect’s call to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public extends to the challenges of mitigating increasing climate extremes and social inequity. Architects everywhere must recognize that our profession—and every project—can harness the power of design to contribute to positive, creative solutions that address the most significant needs of our time. AIA adopted the four outcomes in 2019 as part of the Climate Action Plan. They include:

• Zero-carbon: Making all new buildings and renovations carbon-neutral will slow the catastrophic effects of climate change caused by the building sector and protect people, ecosystems, and value. Both operational and embodied carbon must be considered when assessing the whole building’s carbon impact.
• Equitable: Justice in the built environment fosters inclusion and access for people who have been underrepresented or struggled for justice. Centering equity in practice also creates spaces that are safe and welcoming and address historic injustices, making a better environment for all.
• Resilient: Preparing buildings for a future marked by intensifying climate challenges helps residents survive extreme events, maintain operational capabilities, and recover quickly. A resilient project addresses social, economic, and environmental concerns.
• Healthy: Architects are obligated to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The public not only includes the occupants of the buildings but also an expanded community of users: The community where the building is situated, the community that builds and maintains the building, the community where the materials are harvested, manufactured, and transported, and future generations.

Using the framework

The Framework for Design Excellence is comprised of 10 principles representing the defining principles of good design in the 21st century. The framework seeks to inform progress through consideration by the designer and client at the initiation of every project, and it can be incorporated into the work depending on the project scope. The framework is intended to be accessible and relevant for every architect, every client, and every project, regardless of size, typology, or aspiration.  

The framework is a pathway to learning more about the 10 principles.

• Focus topics identify the key themes within each principle that form a complete view of the principle’s intent.
• Best practices coordinate with the focus topics and describe how to integrate ideas in practice.
• Projects include case studies drawn from projects at all scales, from various building typologies and different contexts.
• Resources guide architects to additional information for a deeper dive, with links to information, tools, and educational resources to learn more about the topic.

At the earliest stages of the project, it is extremely valuable to explore the full range of topics at a conceptual level. The architect should be prepared to lead the discussions with the client and all team members, and all team members should participate in the discussion. What topics are explicit priorities? Which have significant impacts, even if they aren’t explicitly requested by the client?

Consultants and other collaborators can also play a key role in developing strong early performance concepts that inform the design. During the phases of the project work, these early concepts can be tested and developed through analysis and design integration.

Strategies that incorporate multiple principles can bring synergies that increase the benefits and may be cost-effective. For example, well-integrated daylighting can benefit both well-being and energy use. On the other hand, some strategies bring tradeoffs between principles. For example, improved air quality benefits well-being but often requires more energy. Integrated design calls for teams to be well-informed and transparent about both the benefits and tradeoffs within the principles.

The cycle of design, assessment, and feedback does not end when construction is completed. Post-occupancy evaluation, as described in the discovery principle, provides feedback to improve the performance of the recently completed project, and offers lessons and strategies to inform future projects. Ideally these will be shared with the broader design community and result in an expanding circle of improved performance.

Successful projects apply the framework at multiple points within the design process:

• Pre-design: Setting goals, establishing teams for an integrated design process, developing a scope of work, analyzing the site, assessing hazard risks, and performing conceptual energy analysis for massing and orientation.
• Schematic design: Evaluating low-carbon strategies, establishing connections to place, defining performance targets and the design approach, and creating an energy model.
• Design development: Refining the building’s response to climate and program, continuing to develop detailed energy model and water calculations, and ensuring building systems align with performance targets.
• Construction documents: Selecting materials to align with goals, building the capacity for future adaptation measures, and detailing and specifying materials for circularity.
• Bidding & construction administration: Introducing the contractor to new techniques or materials, using the energy model to help the team make informed decisions about substitutions, first cost, and operating cost, and ensuring building performance goals are maintained through construction.
• Post-occupancy: Recording the client/users experience and applying lessons from the process to the next project, collecting energy and water performance data, and sharing with the client, design team, AEC community, and others.

The framework and this toolkit have interwoven the quantitative and qualitative metrics that allow architects and their teams to create building and site solutions that realize best-in-class resources, supporting design, construction, and operational project goals. Using these resources, you will find synergies between each of the 10 principles, which will enhance knowledge, project opportunities, and ties to equity, health, resilience, and zero carbon.