National Forum to Address Integration of Cost-Effective and Sustainability Objectives in Buildings

The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) announced today that the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), a founding member of SBIC, will sponsor and host SBIC’s annual FORUM, titled Cents and Sustainability: The Ripple Effects of Integrated Design. The Council will conduct the FORUM in conjunction with a peer-to-peer exchange and its 2004 Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, October 13, 2004, at AIA headquarters in Washington, D.C.The day’s events will kick off with a peer-to-peer exchange in which participants will engage in an informal discussion on sustainable buildings. SBIC members Dorene Maniccia of The Watt Stopper, Colin Murchie of the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Dave Shepherd (invited) of the Portland Cement Association will share their stories. Potential SBIC members are welcome to attend in order to hear how they can benefit from membership in the Council.Afterwards, a light lunch will be served, followed by the FORUM conducted by SBIC Chair Greg Franta, FAIA, president of ENSAR Group Inc., and a co-founder of AIA COTE. The FORUM will consist of presentations, panel discussions, and case study overviews from various building design experts, with a heavy emphasis on principles laid out in the Whole Building Design Guide (www.wbdg.org)."The team of AIA COTE and SBIC promises to make this a powerful event. We value the AIA’s perspective in our discussion," said Franta. "The FORUM will explore the successful integration of cost-effectiveness and sustainability in building projects, a challenge familiar to all design professionals. Our presentations and discussions will investigate these topics from several perspectives: residential, federal, commercial, and academic." FORUM participants will receive a complimentary CD-ROM containing the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) landmark LEED^® Cost Study and the U.S. DOE Federal Energy Management Program’s The Business Case for Sustainable Design.FORUM attendees are encouraged to stay for the evening’s festivities as SBIC honors the winners of the 2004 "Exemplary Sustainable Building" and "Best Sustainable Practice" Awards at a ceremony and reception. The "Exemplary Sustainable Building" Award category, a new addition to the Awards Program this year, is sponsored in part by the Public Buildings Service of the U.S. GSA. The American Iron and Steel Institute, the Portland Cement Association, Southern California Edison, and the Trane Co. are sponsors of the overall Awards Program.Visit www.SBICouncil.org/prog_forum2004.htm and www.SBICouncil.org/prog_bpawards.htm to learn more about these events.The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America’s buildings.