by Jamie Jang, Assoc. AIA
The Urgency of Now article series was an idea driven by my desire to present and outline our current climate situation to our local membership, and to provide a sense of urgency to our local architectural community to take action. It was also a way for our newly invigorated COTE committee to follow our charge to “prepare architects to design for change and to design within a changing environment.”
The series covered topics ranging from the fundamental science of the greenhouse effect (and what the world will look like depending upon what we do); to inspiration from amazing peers and how their experience and knowledge can help us design a healthier future; and ended with perhaps the most important message–to empower our members and local firms to learn more about architecture’s role in creating a sustainable future.
The series would not have been possible without several dedicated members of our COTE Committee, who took the time to write articles and share information with you, their peers. Each author shared a lot of time and knowledge to make this article series happen. Your commitment is a gift for which I am very grateful.
Brian Sehnert, AIA thank you. Because of your article, I learned all about AIA COTE locally, statewide, and nationally – and I gained a mentor.
Ifrane Brennan, AIA thank you. Because of your article I learned about a carbon budget, what it means, and where we are as a globe – your insightful views continue to guide me on my path to licensure.
Susan Rainier, AIA thank you. Because of your article I learned even more about my hero, Ed Mazria, the Architect Activist Extraordinaire.
May Lin Chang, AIA and Ladan Ghobad, Allied AIACV thank you both so much. Because of your articles I realized how important it is for architects to accept responsibility for their role in the climate crisis which means we are in a great position to make a huge difference. I am so happy to call you both my friends now. And finally…
Mark Roddy, FAIA thank you. The opportunity to work with you is the opportunity to rub shoulders with greatness. Because of your article every reader now has the road to responsible design laid before them. Thank you.
And finally, dear reader, thank you. This is going to take all of us. Your openness and willingness to learn about The Urgency of Now is a huge first step. Thank you.
The entire series is on the AIACV COTE committee’s website page. If you haven’t yet read the articles, I invite you to do so: https://aiacv.org/get-involved/cote/ We are excited that AIA California, our state AIA Chapter, may be sharing the series statewide soon!
We also invite you to get involved with the Chapter’s COTE committee. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. and also have a BaseCamp group to keep members connected between meetings. This summer we launched an effort to reach out to our local firms, holding our first conversational roundtable on July 22nd, to start the process to better understand the needs and interests of our local firms related to these subjects. The conversation will continue, and we invite your firm to be a part of the dialogue. Contact the Chapter to get connected and to learn more: [email protected]