Despite Efforts, Many AIA Firms Fail to Meet Their 2030 Commitment

The 2030 Challenge established by Ed Mazria’s organization Architecture 2030 sets a phased timeline for reducing fossil energy use in buildings, targeting net zero use for all new construction by the year 2030. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) endorsed that challenge, but worried about designers committing to goals that depend on decisions made by their clients. In response, AIA created the 2030 Commitment in 2009 as a way for design firms to engage with the Challenge on terms they can control. The freshly released first annual report shows progress from some firms and difficulty meeting the commitment from others, as 52% of the “committed” firms didn’t provide the required data, and many more have yet to engage with the program at all.