Design for Integration
Good design elevates any project, no matter how small, with a thoughtful process that delivers both beauty and function in balance. It is the element that binds all the principles together with a big idea.
Learn more about the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
Reproduced with permission of The American Institute of Architects, 1735 New York Avenue, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20006
Design for Integration
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Feature Article
Sustainability doesn’t have to cost more—and no one knows that better than affordable housing experts. But every project type can benefit from these 12 cost-reducing ideas that support people and the planet.
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Build More or Build Green? Affordable Housing’s False Choice
Feature Article
The housing crisis is also a climate crisis and a social equity crisis. If we change our ways, we can address them all at once.
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Integrative Process: Pathways to Performance and Regeneration
Feature Article
An integrative process can streamline workflows and drive higher performance. But if you do it well, it’s so much more.
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Constructing Change: The Contractor’s Commitment
Feature Article
The Contractor’s Commitment to Sustainable Building Practices calls on construction firms to practice green building. Here’s why the whole industry needs to get behind it.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Weighing Embodied vs. Operational Carbon Tradeoffs
Explainer
There can be a seesaw dynamic between operational and embodied carbon. Under what circumstances is a tradeoff worth the price
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Energy Performance: Learn the Lingo
Explainer
The AIA 2030 Commitment and many other programs require project teams to predict and report on energy use. Here are the key terms you’ll need to get the job done.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Seeking a Just Transition to a Decarbonized Built Environment
News Analysis
Community Climate Shift funds projects driving community-led decarbonization and building performance standards.
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A Framework for All: How AIA Is Democratizing Excellence
News Analysis
The AIA Framework for Design Excellence helps designers start vital conversations. Recent revisions have surfaced four core outcomes and sharpened focus on “how” to complement “why.”
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COTE Top Ten for 2023 Provide Open Space Teeming with Life
News Analysis
The COTE Top Ten for 2023 promote biodiversity, equitable access to nature, and other positive outcomes for occupants, owners, and broader energy and water systems.
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Land Use Is Step One for Decarbonizing Transportation
News Brief
Four federal agencies have released a first-of-its-kind, holistic strategy for the decarbonization of the U.S. transportation sector.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Build More or Build Green? Affordable Housing’s False Choice
Feature Article
The housing crisis is also a climate crisis and a social equity crisis. If we change our ways, we can address them all at once.
-
Integrative Process: Pathways to Performance and Regeneration
Feature Article
An integrative process can streamline workflows and drive higher performance. But if you do it well, it’s so much more.
-
Build Green on a Budget: Lessons from Affordable Housing
Spotlight Report
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Affordable Housing or Green Housing? We Can Say Yes to Both
Webcast
Yes, available funding for building and rehabilitating affordable housing is inadequate—but that’s all the more reason to get this right when we get the chance.
