by: Margaret Castillo AIA LEED AP
We are also committed to advocating for the future of the built environment and enabling the unique vision of the architect to shape the city at all levels of the process. Locally, we have advocated for increased representation of architects on community boards across the city. Today, we count 28 members city-wide. We continue to work diligently on reform of the buildings approval process, and have representatives on Deputy Mayor Goldsmith’s Buildings and Construction Industry Working Group, Green Buildings Task Force, Vision 2020 Waterfront Advisory Group, New York City Age-Friendly Commission, and the Department of Building’s Technical Code Committees, which will make recommendations on improving the NYC Construction Code.
We traveled to Washington, DC, and upstate to Albany with colleagues from across the state and nation to meet with members of the legislature on important issues, including the adoption of a federal transportation bill; the repeal of Form 1099 filing requirement (which Congress has passed); the opening of credit markets; and an increase on incentives for efficient building designs. In Albany we advocated for Non-Design Professional Ownership, adoption of a 10-year statute of repose, Qualifications-Based Selection for Professional Design Services, and the Good Samaritan Act. I am pleased to report that because of the efforts of AIA New York State and our work locally, the Non-Design Professional Ownership legislation has passed the New York State Senate and Assembly and awaits the Governor’s signature. We worked with components from across the nation to restore the 2011 Solar Decathlon to the National Mall after it was denied a place there by the Departments of the Interior and Energy.
We were selected by NYSERDA to organize a two-year program of energy code trainings around New York State. We are working with Urban Green to identify trainers this month, and the courses will soon be underway.
If you’re interested in participating in any of the Chapter’s advocacy initiatives, please be in touch with our Policy Director, Jay Bond.
Meanwhile, we are organizing numerous programs with a focus on policy outreach. We hosted David Bragdon, head of the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, and Chris Ward, the Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Our sixth annual Fit City conference was just a few weeks ago. Promoting health through design has been a real focus for us, and this year our cooperative effort with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has expanded to a national scale. We hosted two Fit Nation conferences — one in DC, and one in New Orleans, and we’ll hold a national training session when the Big Sibs conference meets here in October. Also. this fall we will organize programs as part of the national Sustainability 2030 by Design initiative.