Pub. 1 2021 Issue 1

10 AIA IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2020-21 | www.aiaidaho.com A rchitects play twister all day long. We wear many hats and have to juggle many balls, from being couples counselors to soils scientists to thermodynamicists to graphic designers. We help people weigh and make decisions. We are in the weeds of the micro to the big picture of the macro. We become experts in many fields throughout our never-ending “education” of a career. As such, we end up knowing quite a lot about what is going on in the world. We are in a unique position because of our random expertise. We know what equipment is required in an asphalt lab, the cubic feet inside of a standard 30” oven, the difference between U values and R values, how much snow weighs, how to cut a hole through glulam, and how much it will cost to heat or cool a home. These days, we even know the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere due to our buildings’ existence. In the past, architects have typically remained professionally neutral. They have not delved into politics or policy. However, we are now facing an impending climate crisis while knowing that buildings account for 40-50% of all emissions of CO2e (embodied carbon) emitted into the atmosphere — both in heating/cooling and material production and transportation. We have a responsibility to get involved. Few people know and understand the things we do, but we can do our best to specify materials that do less harm. We can design highly efficient buildings that use less energy. We can make a difference as a consequence of our daily work. We were excited to see that last month the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced it recognizes the profession of architecture to be a critical leader for addressing climate change. It will take action to direct the organization toward focusing on achieving the bold and necessary goals. The announcement reads as follows: AIA’s board of directors ratified a bold resolution outlining the decisive action the association will take on climate change over the coming decades — the resolution marks a bold step Architecture Is Political BY LINDSEY LOVE, ASSOC. AIA, NCARB The Treasury Building in Washington, DC. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.