Executive Vice President’s Letter

I drafted this letter a few weeks ago after watching Vice President Kamala Harris, joined by Robert Shibley, FAIA, Dean of the School of Architecture, at her visit to the University at Buffalo. During her remarks about the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act as it relates to climate change, she acknowledged the work of architects in designing sustainable homes and communities. The Vice President’s talk was directed to an audience of students and faculty. Her message to the students was that it is their responsibility as future architects to address the challenges of climate change, an important message indeed. Driving to work the next morning, I was thinking about how her inspirational talk undoubtedly resonated with the students—to keep their focus on climate change as part of their studies. The impact of climate change has been addressed and acted upon by The American Institute of Architects and you, for quite some time. As early as 2004, AIANYS leadership recognized the need for educating the members via programs presented by Ed Mazria, FAIA and other environmentalists. Their message then, as it is now, addressed climate change and its impact on the work of architects, and how architects themselves are affecting climate change. The comments by the Vice President drive home that this is not something that will go away or something to put off thinking about in the future. The time to act is now. It is critical to our very existence, and architects are at the forefront to help keep our communities safe. All one has to do is access the AIA website on the Blueprint for Better tab to find practical, applicable resources to help architects achieve a “zero-carbon, resilient, healthy, just and equitable built environment.” From the design process to interacting with government officials, the resources are there, available and written in a way that is easily understood and applied. The AIA is now, and has been, on the front line of climate action. AIA architects all over the country have committed to fight climate change and embrace sustainable design. The articles in this publication are just a few of the examples of incredible projects and processes by New York architects that address sustainable design; integrating technologies that deliver carbon neutral buildings and adapting these principles to current work. Also included is an incredible piece that stresses the importance of providing critical data that illustrates exactly what the impact of climate change has on buildings throughout New York State. As I mentioned at the beginning of my letter, I started this a few weeks ago. Long before we knew about the historic weather that has since hit Florida. Throughout the news broadcasts we have been hearing that the ferocity of this storm is due to the impact of climate change. Yesterday, Tim Boyland, AIA and Illya Azaroff, FAIA, State Disaster Co-Coordinators, sent me an email to advise our New York architects, who have completed the disaster assistance program, to be on the alert for a call from AIA National for potential deployment to areas impacted by Hurricane Ian. This awareness and willingness to act are prime examples of architects who are working to protect the planet, and working to shield citizens from the resulting dangers of climate change. From the concept of a building, to potential destruction of a structure, architects are there to help, using their extensive knowledge to safeguard us all. Take care, stay safe and keep doing what you do best—protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of the public.

Sincerely,

Georgi Ann Bailey, CAE, Hon. AIANYS Executive Vice President | AIA New York State