Committee On The Environment

Propel your practice’s success with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence—the defining 10 principles of design excellence in the 21st century. In this introductory course, you will learn the origin, evolution, and significance of each of the framework’s principles and examine how they advance progress toward a zero-carbon, healthy, just, resilient, and equitable built environment. Learn from real-world case studies showcasing successful implementations across diverse firms and project types. Plus, you’ll learn how to navigate the valuable online resources for each of the 10 principles to use in your design process for future projects.

Learning Objectives

Describe the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, its origins, evolution, and importance, and the outcomes that it can achieve—including protecting public health, safety, and welfare.

Identify the principles of the Framework for Design Excellence, how they relate to each other, and the overall design process.

Evaluate a mix of case studies exploring how the framework and its principles have been implemented in different firms, project types, and sizes.

Identify the available online resources to help with your future projects.


The AIACOC Committee on the Environment (COTE) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate—to the profession, the building industry, and the public—design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. COTE serves as the community and voice, on behalf of and at the direction of the AIACOC Board of Directors, regarding sustainable design.

AIACOC COTE reflects the profession’s commitment to provide healthy and safe environments for people and is dedicated to preserving the earth’s capability of sustaining a shared high quality of life.

Committee Members:
Chair: Michael Hoffner, AIA of hoffnerdesignstudio
Ben Butler, AIA of MA+ Architecture
Dan Govin, AIA of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Brian Hines, Assoc. AIA of ADG
Donovan Linsey, Assoc. AIA of Studio Architecture
Kristi Warren of Best Companies
Liz Acklin of Walco 
Adam Lanman, Assoc. AIA of Mudsill Studios

Additional Information & Resources

AIA National Sustainability page 

Architect’s Primer on Sustainable Energy [free download] 

2030 Commitment

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