Countdown on Carbon: A mandate for the design profession

“Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our time and we’re calling on our professions to do more.” This is a sentiment expressed by the AIA Large Firm Round Table (LFRT) Sustainability committee and echoed by the United Nations and World Health Organization. But for the architecture industry, what exactly is "more"?

The answer lies in a recently published paper titled Countdown on Carbon: A Mandate for the Design Profession. It resulted from LFRT CEO members' request for an educational piece on the built environment’s role in climate change. Page Building Sciences Director Jill Kurtz, AIA, and LFRT Sustainability Committee Co-chair found herself working with others across the country to not only provide that education, but also to catalyze action and change.

The Carbon mandate was so well received by the LFRT CEOs that it was adopted as policy. The Large Firm Round Table represents 51% of all AIA members and employee 245,000 employees globally so this action signals a market shift and transformation for the industry moving forward.  

Jill had the pleasure of co-presenting it at the CarbonPositive Conference early the following March before the pandemic closed down much of the US. Now, Architect Magazine has published it, explaining what it means for architects and what comes next.  

Countdown on Carbon is meant to be shared industrywide with design firms, clients and partners. It can be downloaded by clicking on the Resources link on this page. 

To view the article in Architect Magazine, click here. 

To learn more about Page's contribution to help the industry meet the AIA 2030 Challenge, click here. 

To learn more about Page's Building Sciences practice group, click here.