President's message: Building a greener, greater city

October 1st marked the beginning of "heat season" in New York; through the cold months landlords are required to turn on the heat in their buildings. On November 1st our clocks will fall back an hour, cutting our daylight back for the winter months. Every fall, this time of year means radiators through New York City's elder buildings start hissing and evening lights around the city switch on an hour earlier. For most New Yorkers, it also means bracing for a spike in energy costs through the coldest months. But this year, we are thinking about cutting down on energy, and not in any minor way. The American Institute of Architects and New York City both have set major energy initiatives into motion, each with the target date of 2030. For the AIA, the goal is to create a standard of carbon neutral buildings by 2030, and for the city and Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC, it is to reduce its emissions by 30%. Later this month, these two goals will meet at the Center for Architecture, AIANY's home base in Greenwich Village. Here, we will be hosting the landmark series: Energy Code: It's the Law. The five-part session, organized by our Committee on the Environment, the Building Enclosures Council, the Building Codes Committee, with ASHRAE and the Urban Green Council, will teach "what the design team needs to know" about New York City's new energy code - and not a minute too soon. The NYC Department of Buildings is beginning to audit design submissions for energy code compliance, and next year, Buildings will start inspecting projects to assure they are built to code. These are first steps in the Greener Greater Buildings Plan, which will cut out 5% of the city's greenhouse gases, making it a critical part of the city's greening initiatives. We want everyone to be prepared for the changing rules - in fact, we've been working with the City of New York and the Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability to put this groundbreaking program together. I am thrilled that it is our chapter that will teach architects and design professionals about understanding the new energy code, preparing design submissions, and documenting energy compliance. In the last week of October and first week of November, we will bring LEED accredited professionals from around the city to the Center to discuss the greening of the energy code, energy efficient lighting design, mechanical systems, building enclosures, and energy modeling. The series, offered at $10/class or $40/session, is a great financial deal, and a valuable resource - we want, and need, to make sure that we as architects are prepared for these exciting advances. (To be certain that everyone has an opportunity to learn about the changes, the session will be offered again in December as an all-day workshop, and planning is underway for a January session.) Forty percent of the emissions in America come from our buildings, and in a city like New York, where the built environment makes up such a significant part of our landscape, that slice is closer to 80%. The new energy code will save New York money - $750 million - it will stimulate the economy, and it will help the environment. By offering these classes - and taking them - we can step into leadership roles to make New York City a greener, greater place to live and work. Over the years, New York City has been known for being the vanguards of arts, culture, and yes, even architecture. I look forward to making us a leader in environmentally-responsible building. Sherida Paulsen, FAIA is the 2009 president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, New York, N.Y.