by Chris Holt, AIA
Past President / Civic Engagement Team Committee Member
The AIA CA and the AIA Central Valley’s Civic Engagement Team (CET), involved with the City of Sacramento, are working on a letter to support the upcoming ‘Electrification Ordinance’ to be presented to the City Council in March. The letter of support will be in alignment with the AIA’s ‘Framework for Design Excellence’.
The CET would greatly appreciate your input and feedback as we develop the language of support for this ordinance, specifically where do you stand on electrification?
As some of our members may be aware, the movement to ‘decarbonize’ the power infrastructure across the state of California has been going on for the last couple of years and is a place that AIA architects have a unique ability to contribute. Through our work with clients and organizations, design teams led by the architects can be a significant voice to contribute to a built environment that addresses climate issues proactively.
The AIA CA is actively engaged with state agencies that write our building code, to incorporate ‘electrification’ in the next triennial edition of the code (2021). They are also supporting jurisdictions up and down the state to adopt what are called REACH codes (local codes that are more stringent than the current California Building Code) to prepare those jurisdictions and construction industry for the changes that will come.
Please reach out the CET–via Executive Director Kimberly Anderson: [email protected] for more information and to share your input and perspective on this issue.