The AIA Chicago Committee on the Environment (COTE)
The AIA Chicago Committee on the Environment (COTE) provides lectures, discussions, and tours on environmental, energy, and building performance issues and how they relate to the building industry in the Chicago area. We are engaged in continuing efforts to make our city and the region a more healthy and sustainable place to live.
COTE strives to provide AIA Chicago members opportunities to expand their knowledge in the area of sustainability. Our goal is to assist you in designing and implementing carbon and energy reduction strategies in your professional projects and at home. We do this through informative and relevant events, as well as pertinent information found on this website. Please join us at our next meeting to find out more.
The AIA 2030 Commitment is a challenge set forth by the AIA to its member firms to take a leadership role in reducing the energy consumption in the built environment.
The goal of AIA 2030 Commitment initiative is to drive the topic of energy performance to the front of all decisions made within the firm. This includes energy used by the firm in their daily business processes, as well as energy performance of the projects designed within the firm. The act of collecting project data and analyzing the reporting output will demonstrate our achievement or progress towards the goal of this Initiative and the 2030 Challenge. AIA Chicago COTE supports this initiative and will continue to expand our education programming to demonstrate best practices for energy reduction.
This national initiative encompasses two equal parts affecting our practice:
- Operations—Create and implement a plan for daily office operations to reduce energy consumption, utilize recycled materials, and reduce waste creation. Develop and publish a set of sustainable design goals within the firm.
- Design—Report the predicted energy use of each building designed by the firm on a yearly basis. Use the AIA standard reporting methodology to detail the firm's average energy use in total designed, gross square feet.
Learn more about the AIA 2030 Commitment
The AIA 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool
The AIA 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool was created by a panel of Chicago-based sustainable-minded practitioners, lead by an AIA Chicago Board Member and COTE. This tool will facilitate the reporting methods of the AIA 2030 Commitment. The Reporting Tool is part of a national initiative to collect data from firms participating in the 2030 Challenge and the AIA 2030 Commitment.
AIA Chicago COTE, in conjunction with AIA National, will collect the yearly data of AIA Chicago firms to demonstrate how our region is leading the country in designing to match the goals of the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Download a copy of the AIA 2030 Reporting Tool
Carbon Reduction Strategy Cool Tool
October 2007 issue of Eco-structure Magazine featuring the Cool Tool
September/October 2008 issue of Chicago Architect, highlighting CoTE's involvement in the World Sustainability Conference.
Carbon Reduction Strategy Matrix or COTE Cool Tool
The Carbon Reduction Strategy Matrix or COTE Cool Tool was developed by the AIA Chicago COTE for anyone interested in reducing their carbon footprint through energy reduction techniques, actions, and equipment upgrades. The COTE Cool Tool also includes measures building professionals can implement to decrease climate change through energy efficient building design and management.
The Carbon Reduction Strategy Matrix incorporates some of the policy ideas discussed with our partners at the City of Chicago's Department of Environment for commercial buildings, but has been expanded to include strategies that can be used on all building types. Inspired by Ed Mazria's Architecture 2030, it has input from our local Committee Members, as well as from our Review Sub-Committee of Lighting Professionals, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Architects and City Officials.
The information included in the COTE Cool Tool is also sourced from a number of different publications including the National AIA Sustainability Discussion Group 50to50 principles, and EPA's EnergyStar program. Although adaptable to any building location, it has been formatted to include specific strategies related to the Chicago Region by political, economic, and ecological relationships already in place. We encourage you to send us your comments and suggestions for future upgrades to the COTE Cool Tool.
Download the Carbon Reduction Strategy Matrix or COTE Cool Tool
AIAChicago COTE Actions for President Obama
Recommendations by members of the Chicago community for President Obama.
Video recorded on January 20, 2009
AIA Chicago Committee on the Environment Leadership Committee currently includes a Chair with multiple Co-Chairs to formulate our programming and lead the committee's outreach. We are connected with other professional and non-profit entities to promote sustainability in the building design and construction industry. COTE utilizes our members for their knowledge and expertise to further the committee's goals. Please join us at our next meeting to further your understanding or let us know how you can help realize our goals.
Chair: Vuk Vujovic, Assoc. AIA
Co-Chair: Eileen Pedersen, Assoc. AIA
Co-Chair: Brandon Biederman, Assoc. AIA
Co-Chair: Steve Kismohr, AIA
Subscribe to COTE's monthly email calendar and event updates.
Additional Green Building related information can be found at the National AIA Committee on the Environment