AIACV COTE
The Committee on the Environment (COTE) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate—to the profession, the building industry, the academy, and the public—design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. COTE serves as the community and voice on behalf of AIA architects regarding sustainable design and building science and performance.
COTE reflects the profession’s commitment to provide healthy and safe environments for people and is dedicated to preserving the earth’s capability of sustaining a shared high quality of life. The committee’s mission is to lead and coordinate the profession’s involvement in environmental and energy-related issues and to promote the role of the architect as a leader in preserving and protecting the planet and its living systems.
COTE provides the AIA with knowledge about environmental issues and advises the Institute on environmental policy matters affecting the practice of architecture. The committee supports cooperation with educators and institutions of learning, manufacturers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and industry groups in advancing environmentally sound design processes and standards as well as environmentally innovative materials and integrated systems.
If you are interested in joining our local COTE committee or receiving updates, please email [email protected]
Where AIA Stands on sustainability, resilience, and climate action issues:
- AIA Policy and Position Statements (updated 2019)
- Where we stand: climate action (2019)
- AIA Climate Action Plan (2020)
- AIA Framework for Design Excellence (updated 2021)
Building Alliances:
USGBC – Northern California Chapter
International Living Future Institute
Capital Regional Climate Readiness Collaborative
350 Sacramento
The Urgency of Now Article Series – 2021
Inspired and coordinated by Jamie Jang, Assoc. AIA, The Urgency of Now article series was driven by Jamie’s 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 covers 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 experiences and knowledge can help us design a healthier future; and ends 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.
AIA COTE Top Ten
The 2020 COTE® Top Ten program highlights projects that meet the AIA Committee on the Environment’s rigorous criteria for social, economic, and ecological value. The COTE® Top Ten Plus designation denotes projects with exemplary performance data and post-occupancy lessons.
2022 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
2021 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
2020 COTE Top Ten Awards Winners
2019 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
2018 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
2017 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
2016 COTE Top Ten Award Winners
Transforming How We Build – 2020 Series
SMUD + AIACV’s year-long series “Transforming How We Build” is dedicated to high performance, regenerative design. It will cover carbon neutral and net zero architecture, social equity and other innovations that transform ideas and processes to address climate change. Tailored for the building professional but everyone is welcome.
Nature | Place | Craft with Lake|Flato
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Evolution and Revolution: The Bullitt Center and Regenerative Design
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
ZERO Code for California
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Toward Zero Emissions Housing Design: From Affordable Housing to Boutique Hospitality with David Baker, FAIA
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Achieving Carbon Neutrality at a Campus Scale and Incorporating Operational and Educational Initiatives
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Demystifying Net-Zero Energy & Carbon Neutrality
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Meeting Climate Change Goals with FastOx® Gasi cation and Yolo County’s Path to Zero Waste
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
Embodied Carbon of Building Materials
DESCRIPTION | Webinar to come
Architecture as a Catalyst for Change with Marsha Maytum, FAIA
DESCRIPTION | WEBINAR
For more details, click here for a flyer.