"The leadership, guidance, and creative problem-solving skills of architects play a particularly valuable role in actualizing high-performing buildings."
Architects play a vital role in creating healthy, high-performing buildings. They are the visionaries that bring project goals to life, are typically the first discipline hired at the outset of a building project, and often are the entity overseeing and managing all of the project’s other design consultants. As such, their leadership, guidance, and creative problem-solving skills play a particularly valuable role in actualizing high-performing buildings.
Talk to your clients about the new regulations. Ensure that your clientsare familiar with the City’s BEPS and how design and cost consideration
tions should be reflective of not just upfront cost, but also the building’s
long term performance goals and requirements.
Communicate the need for early and iterative energy modeling with
your clients. Explain the need for early and iterative energy modeling
to help your client meet their building performance goals. Ensure they
understand potential risks associated with not executing that work.
Review your standard contract language. Review your standard contract language with your clients and reference AIA E204-2017 (Sustainable Projects Exhibit), which outlines how performance-based goals can be incorporated into a contract by outlining the risks, responsibilities, and opportunities when performance goals are a part of a project. Talk to your lawyer or legal counsel about implications around liability and your responsibility as it relates to a project’s operational performance.
Talk to the broker. Whether working on a base building or tenant fit-out, ask your client if you can speak to their broker or the listing agent to ensure that high-performance building clauses are being included in their lease.
Use construction site visits as an opportunity to learn. Take advantage of construction site visits as an opportunity to understand how design intent gets executed, where efficiencies can be found in future projects, and to learn from the subcontractors and tradesmen about best practices.
Check in with your clients. Track your project’s performance post-occupancy to understand how your design is or isn’t being used as intended.
This resource is based upon content originally developed by the Institute for Market Transformation in collaboration with AIA DC for the Building Innovation Hub, with funding and support provided by the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy & Environment.
