Architects take on Capitol Hill

The job of architects isnt just to design buildings, Andrew Heaton writes in DesignBuild Source. Its also their civic and professional responsibility to educate and inform those unaware of any public policy changes that relate to those buildings they design. One such policy change, in the form of a bill amendment, is sitting before Congress right now. This amendment, if enacted, would prohibit the U.S. Department of Energy from using federal dollars to enforce a rule requiring that certain federal buildings decrease their dependence on fossil fuels, Heaton says. The act, as its written now, requires both new federal buildings and others which undergo certain types of renovations to decrease their use of fossil fuels and eliminate the use of fossil fuel energy altogether by 2030, Heaton writes. AIA executive vice president Robert Ivy, FAIA, says architects need to take action to stop the proposed amendment because the logic behind the changes is faulty. The rule, Ivy says, is helping to reduce energy consumption through both practical and cost effective means.

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Architects take on Capitol Hill