Archinect - News

Biden administration issues mandate to make federal vehicles and buildings run on renewable energy by 2050

2021-12-14T13:46:00-05:00

President Biden on Wednesday set in motion a plan to make the federal government carbon neutral, ordering federal agencies to buy electric vehicles, to power facilities with wind, solar and nuclear energy, and to use sustainable building materials.

Biden called for the transformation of 300,000 government buildings, 600,000 cars and trucks, and the use of its annual $650 billion budget for goods and services to meet his goal for a carbon-neutral federal government by 2050.

Detailed by The New York Times, his timetable for the transition is as follows: By 2030, Biden wants the federal government to purchase electricity only from sources that do not emit carbon dioxide. By 2032, the administration wants the emissions from building operations, such as heating, halved. And by 2035, all new federal car and truck purchases would also be zero-emissions.

There’s uncertainty over whether Biden’s climate goals will come into fruition as Congress has yet to approve a $1.7 trillion spending bill that would help achieve his targets and the expected limitations posed by the Supreme Court.

Biden administration returning $2.2 billion previously redirected for border wall construction

2021-06-22T18:05:00-04:00

The federal government has announced plans to return $2.2 billion allocated to fund border wall construction. This comes following President Joe Biden’s proclamation, made on his first day in office, to halt the redirection of money for the wall.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have developed plans in accordance with the Biden administration’s initiative. As listed in a press release from The White House, they include: cancelling wall projects with diverted military construction funds, returning those funds to their original appropriated purposes, and addressing safety and environmental issues resulting from border wall construction.

In addition, the administration is calling on Congress to cancel funds provided to the DHS for border barrier projects in order to allow the resources to be used for more modern and effective border management measures. According to the release, the DHS is legally required to use the funds consistent with ...

What happens if we view President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan through a social lens?

2021-04-02T00:49:00-04:00

On March 31st, President Biden unveiled his $2 trillion economic plan to "reimagine and rebuild a new economy." The American Jobs Plan aims to "invest in America in a way we have not invested since we built the interstate highways and won the Space Race."

During Wednesday's speech, Biden expressed the need to fix and repair the nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and water systems. While infrastructure covers a wide range, the plan also maps out an emphasis to "build a world-class transportation infrastructure." However, as news outlets quickly report and react to Biden's economic agenda, The Boston Globe's Ian Duncan brings a much-needed perspective that cuts through the repetitive news coverage.

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel from Pexels

At the forefront, Duncan's coverage brings attention to neighborhoods and roadways with racially historical pasts. He highlights Amy Stelly, an architectural designer and New Orleans resident who raised awareness of the Claiborne Expressway and t...

Biden repeals Trump's classical architecture order, so what happens now?

2021-02-25T13:30:00-05:00

Last year, Trump and his "make federal buildings beautiful again" executive order sent shockwaves across the architecture community. Trump had strong aversions towards modern architecture calling these buildings "ugly" and "uninspiring." Since Archinect's initial coverage on the classical architecture mandate back in February 2020, we've kept a close eye on the White House's news and how the architecture community would respond.

Previously featured on Archinect: New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings. The Jamie L. Witten Federal Building in Washington, D.C., designed by Philadelphia architects Rankin, Kellogg and Crane in 1901. Image courtesy of Wikimedia user U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Since January 20th, 2021, President Biden has been swift in revoking and undoing many of Trump's blunders while in office. Before he left, Trump made a great effort to sign and pass his executive order making classic...

AIA applauds U.S. recommitting to Paris Agreement

2021-01-20T21:09:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects has issued its first statement on a policy decision by newly inaugurated U.S. President, Joe Biden. Publicly sworn in on Capitol Hill earlier today, Biden spent the afternoon signing executive orders, many of which will reinstate environmental regulations reversed under the Trump administration.

One of the key orders signed today recommits the United States to the Paris Agreement, an international climate treaty adopted in 2015 during the Obama administration. Then President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement two years later.

AIA President Peter Exley, FAIA issued this statement today in response to Biden's recommitment:

"We are deeply encouraged by this Administration’s swift and decisive action on climate change. Re-establishing the United States’ commitment to the Paris climate accord sends a strong message to our nation and the world that we will pursue meaningful changes that can save our planet. As architects, we stand ready...

Biden economic plan embraces 2030 challenge

2020-07-10T15:48:00-04:00

As Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden moves to set out a concrete policy regime to counter that of President Donald Trump, the Biden campaign's "Unity Task Force" coordinated with supporters of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has announced a slew of progressive policy aims, including a plan to begin decarbonizing the building sector.

Previously published on Archinect: Architecture 2030's Ed Mazria outlines an environmentally-responsible plan for the architecture and design industries

Under the recently published recommendations from the task force, a potential Biden administration would move to guarantee that all new buildings achieve net-zero green house gas emissions by 2030, one of the key goals of the proposed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-backed Green New Deal framework.

Previously on Archinect: "Illustrating the massive scale of America's decarbonization challenge." Courtesy of McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology.

A section of the task force recommendation...