In an effort to bring the organization closer to its own self-stated goals on sustainability, equity, and collaboration, the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has today unveiled plans for a comprehensive new upgrade to its aging Washington, D.C. National headquarters.
San Francisco-based EHDD will lead the overhaul of the nearly 50-year-old Brutalist structure using the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence to author a host of efficiency upgrades that are expected to save some 58% of the building’s pre-Covid energy use levels.
“[The] AIA’s headquarters should serve as an expression of the value architects provide and align with the values we uphold as a profession,” President Dan Hart explained. “We have a responsibility to redesign this iconic building to the highest standards in sustainability, resilience, and equity. By demonstrating the powerful role design can play in improving our communities, we can show how to take the action that is needed to move the needle on climate action and to make the built environment healthier and safer for future generations. In order to effectively advocate for these changes, we must start by taking action ourselves.”
The process will entail the installation of a new high-performance envelope, bird-safe windows, and an R-40-insulated roof. The building’s existing gas-fired boilers will be replaced by seven electric heat pumps, also at the roof level. A new solar panel system will be installed there as well. The AIA expects the systems upgrades to meet both LEED and WELL Platinum specifications, in addition to helping it accomplish the energy use targets set forth by its internal 2030 Commitment.
Furthermore, the interior will be redesigned to eliminate hierarchical spaces and making executive meeting areas used by the board more transparent, democratic, and accessible to members of the AIA community. Hartman-Cox and Hood Design Studio served as consultants for the redesign along with six students from the organization's new HBCU internship program.
“We’re transforming the AIA’s home to better reflect the AIA of today and as it evolves into the future,” EHDD partner Rebecca Sharkey said at the end of a press statement. “We engaged with a wide range of stakeholder groups, including future architects for their insights, to explore a diversity of priorities and experiences. The new design imagines a holistic new vision that will be welcoming, inspiring, and engaging; a bold new symbol of the AIA’s values.”
4 Comments
these fools have an ENTIRE office building in dc? for what exactly?
guess we know where the dues go; feeling good about my decision not to renew my membership this year.
I hope the members like the space they'll never see, and their $1000 year fees. All while the AIA fights against every effort for unionization in the profession.
Holds the record for largest building with no function.
Thanx AIA for this bit of virtue signaling!
I'm sure the new office set up will increase the production of empty press releases by 252% or more!
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