Jun 15 2005
RIBA President George Ferguson gained total support for a joint declaration of commitment to sustainability and climate change, which he presented to eight Presidents of national architectural institutes participating in the AIA National Convention.
The Las Vegas Declaration agrees to prioritise the vital issue of climate change, encouraging consciousness and responsibility on behalf of institutions to influence a major reduction in the level of carbon emissions from the built environment. The institutions are urged not only to set a positive example to their members and clients, but also to actively interact with respective governments to spur relevant legislation and fiscal measures to reduce the pollution of the earth’s atmosphere and the consequent threat to life and the natural environment.
Amongst others, the declaration was signed by: Yolanda D. Reyes, Chairman of ARCASIA (Architects Council of Asia); Jose Manuel Reachi Mora, President of FCARM (Federacion de los Colegios de Arquitectos de la Republica Mexicana); Gabriel Durand-Hollis, FAIA, President of FPAA (Federacion Panamericana de Arquitectos - Pan-American Federation of Architects); Yoshiaki Ogura, President of the JIA (Japan Institute of Architects); Seok Woo Yoon, President of the KIA (Korean Institute of Architects); Yves Gosselin, FRAIC, Hon. AIA, President of the RAIC (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada); Frank M. Guillot, AIA, President of the AIA (American Institute of Architects); Robert A. Odermatt, FAIA, President of NAAB (National Architects Accreditation Board); Rafael Longoria, President of ACSA (Association of Colleges & Schools of Architecture).
Doug Steidl, AIA President, said: ‘We want to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the meeting to issue a declaration on the importance of climate change, and the responsibility of the profession to reconcile its ethical standards in this area with its procedures and methods of project execution.’