by Jamie Jang, Assoc. AIA
Fourteen-and-a-half months ago COVID-19 forced the world to a screeching halt. While some of us were forced to take a break from work, others had to work longer hours than ever before. While some of us were able to return to work, others had their jobs taken away. Due to the pandemic, we saw clear skies in our smoggiest cities and we made large changes as a global community to overcome a major threat to our lives. As we look towards vaccinations delivering a return to normalcy, right now seems like a good time to reflect on the pandemic as of Spring 2021. Take a moment. What comes to mind when you think about life during the pandemic? Seriously, take a moment and reflect, right now, before reading on.
What came across your mind? How Zoom is simultaneously convenient and annoying? Missing your favorite sports team? How quiet a big city can be? The impact of George Floyd’s death? That first major grocery store run for toilet paper and sanitizer? Or, perhaps something more personal. Did your friends have a Covid marriage? Did somebody you know catch the virus? All of this came to my mind. But, my strongest memories from quarantine are the orange skies of August and the start of my advocacy for the environment.
As many of you may be aware, AIA National has declared a commitment to the environment and climate action with The 2030 Commitment, by endorsing the Zero Code, and by awarding Ed Mazria, FAIA, the AIA Gold Medal. AIA has placed a theoretical snowball at the top of a hill and they’re asking members to push it. That’s why I joined. Thanks to AIA I have learned how buildings affect the environment and how I can affect political discourse. It’s also why I have become involved with the AIA Central Valley Committee on the Environment (COTE), and am working with a group of peers on The Urgency of Now, the article series you’ve just begun reading. Our goal is to spread knowledge and understanding and to open a dialogue. No matter your background or your views, AIA Central Valley’s COTE wants to hear your thoughts on the environment and invites you to participate.
AIA COTE prepares architects to design for change and to design within a changing environment. Culture is changing. Citigroup, the third largest bank in the US, has vowed to never invest in new oil and gas projects in the Arctic. Young people around the globe are becoming activists as they read the science and stare at a future of biological collapse. Do you know how to design the sustainable structure your clients want? The markets reflect this change. Do you know how to make sustainable designs more affordable than traditional ones? Electrification is coming to Sacramento. What does this mean for your projects? COTE is a community dedicated to understanding problems and finding solutions.
We are fortunate to have so many local sustainability leaders in our membership – architects and firms who have dedicated their time to finding solutions and are willing to share them. LPA designs schools, offices, and more in a way that makes economical and sustainable synonymous. Arch Nexus leads through example, turning their own office into a showcase of sustainable design. Lionakis, HGA, Indigo Hammond & Playle – and so many more – have stepped up to the 2030 Commitment and are engaged in sharing their strategies for sustainable design. The movement to drive down carbon emissions is well underway.
In The Urgency of Now the present situation will be outlined. We will learn the fundamental science of the greenhouse effect and discover what the world will look like depending upon what we do. We will find inspiration from amazing peers and use their experience and knowledge to discover how we can design the healthiest future for our children and grandchildren. By the end of it all, you will feel empowered to learn more about architecture’s role in our sustainable future and we hope you will come to share your knowledge with us.
Stay tuned for the next article, The Greenhouse Effect.