AIA New Jersey Responds to White House Memo on GSA Guiding Principles for Federal Projects

January 24, 2025

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AIA New Jersey Responds to White House Memo on GSA Guiding Principles for Federal Projects

 

Earlier this week, the White House issued a Presidential Action Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture.  AIA New Jersey is aligned with The American Institute of Architects (AIA) concern about any revisions that remove control from local communities; mandate official federal design preferences, or otherwise hinder design freedom; and add bureaucratic hurdles for federal buildings, as noted HERE

“AIA supports the GSA’s Guiding Principles, and we support freedom in design. AIA’s members believe the design of federal buildings must first be responsive to the people and communities who will use those buildings. Our federal buildings across the country must reflect America’s wealth of culture, rich traditions, and unique geographic regions. AIA has strong concerns that mandating architectural styles stifles innovation and harms local communities. The current Design Excellence Program at GSA, which is based on the Guiding Principles of Federal Architecture, achieves these goals and should be protected, not revised.”

In addition, we wish to promote and maintain the priority of designing buildings with the health and welfare of the planet and mankind in mind. According to Architecture 2030, “The urban built environment is responsible for 75% of annual global GHG emissions: buildings alone account for 39%. Eliminating these emissions is the key to addressing climate change.” Therefore, we believe it is ethically responsible for architects to design to counteract these statistics by designing to The 2030 Challenge, adopting the following targets: 

  • All new buildings, developments and major renovations shall be designed to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 70% below the regional (or country) average/median for that building type.
  • At a minimum, an equal amount of existing building area shall be renovated annually to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 70% of the regional (or country) average/median for that building type.
  • The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings and major renovations shall be increased to:
    • 80% in 2020
    • 90% in 2025
    • Carbon-neutral in 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate).

These targets may be met by implementing innovative sustainable design strategies, generating on-site renewable energy, and/or purchasing (20% maximum) off-site renewable energy.

AIA New Jersey will continue to advocate and act according to The American Institute of Architects Mission of creating a more equitable, healthy, and resilient built environment, promoting the artistic, scientific, and practical aspects of architecture while advancing the quality of life in the United States and protecting the public’s health, safety and welfare.

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