The American Institute of Architects California (AIA CA) seeks a Government Relations Director with exceptional communication, relationship-building and negotiation skills. They are responsible for nurturing relationships with government officials, associated authorities and all legislative committees representing the interests of the architectural profession. The Director will be a strong collaborator, working with collateral organizations to build coalitions and advance AIA CA’s mission and goals while navigating the complex political landscape and regulatory environment that impact the design and delivery of projects. A complete job description can be found here.

If you are interested in making a difference in the built environment, have a background in public policy or advocacy and want to work/ alongside key decision-makers, please forward your resume with letter of interest to ndennis@aiacalifornia.org by July 18, 2022; no calls please.

Michael F. Malinowski FAIA

AIA CA Guest Article for CBSC Newsletter

The American Institute of Architects California (AIA CA) is the voice of the 11,000 architects and design professionals who design most of California’s built environment. As a profession which prides itself on service to society and stewardship of our environment, we look broadly at how building design intersects with opportunities to address the many interconnected challenges we face in California, such as climate deterioration, our housing crisis, and equity and inclusion disparity.

Considered through this lens, even something as seemingly mundane as building code development takes on new importance. This shift was presaged in 2018 when the AIA Blue Ribbon Panel for Codes and Standards outlined a bold new vision of building codes and standards as valuable design tools for a resource-constrained and climate-challenged future.[1] This broader view maintains the traditional elements of life safety, fire protection, and structural and other system integrity. It also goes further by looking at the public health, safety and welfare impacts of a deteriorating climate, as well as the need for revitalization of our cities and economic opportunities for all our citizens. Two initiatives underway in the current intervening code adoption cycle for the California Building Standards Code, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations (Title 24) provide specific examples of how these perspectives come together.

California Existing Building Code Working Group

Most of the buildings that will exist when we cross the environmental tipping point of climate deterioration are already here. How can we make these buildings more efficient, while at the same time using the many underutilized or obsolete office, retail, and commercial structures that abound in our cities for new and innovative mixed-use housing development? To take this combination of unrealized potential opportunity and unmet environmental challenges and turn it to our advantage requires a robust code specific to existing buildings. This broad perspective was the driver behind an AIA CA petition to bring to California the full range of code compliance paths that already exist in the International Existing Building Code.

Getting seven additional chapters to fit into our California code framework is a complex and difficult task as it’s not a simple “cut and paste.” Each new sentence has to be carefully considered in relation to our complex existing legal and regulatory infrastructure. To accomplish this careful and public vetting process, hearings are currently underway under the auspices of the State Fire Marshall. AIA CA is committed to this major effort as we believe it will yield benefits that will touch communities and people throughout California for decades to come.

CALGreen Carbon Reduction Collaborative (CCRC)

AIA CA is proud to be among the founding entities of the CCRC, recently launched under the joint auspices of the Division of the State Architect, the Building Standards Commission, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. This working group is taking a broad look at how the California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11 of Title 24 (CALGreen) can better serve California in supporting a movement toward a sustainable, climate-supportive, resilient, and equitable future. Ongoing discussions include a number of potential additions to CALGreen, such as:

• Embodied carbon Because of the speed at which climate deterioration is occurring, it is essential to include the large near-term impacts of embodied carbon in our assessments. For example, when a building is torn down, much of the carbon used to construct it in the first place is immediately released back into the environment. Even a very high performing new building can take many decades to recover from this impact. Embodied carbon is a complex topic, so we are focusing on a limited number of materials where there has already been significant research and development, such as concrete which is a key component of every building.
• Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment Looking at greenhouse gas emissions from a whole building perspective is also going to be very important in limiting climate deterioration. Having the knowledge of what the actual impacts are is important to making the right decisions about design, materials, and AIA CA is suggesting starting with very large buildings of a limited range of occupancy types to get the industry familiar with using these analytical tools effectively.
• Zero Net Carbon Design AIA CA has been successful in a recent effort to require California’s licensed architects to acquire continuing education in the nuts and bolts of designing buildings that minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Establishing a framework for the terminology, metrics and practices in this evolving field is essential to our sustainable future as a state.
• Tier System With over 50 California jurisdictions adopting reach codes, the CALGreen tier system is an underutilized framework that could increase consistency and reduce the cost of adoption, implementation and follow through for AIA CA is interested in finding ways to use this CalGreen innovation more effectively in future code cycles for the broad benefits it can bring to communities, the building industry, and climate action.

More information on these efforts, including opportunities to participate, are outlined here: https://www.dgs.ca.gov/BSC/Rulemaking/2022-Intervening- Cycle/2022-PreCycle

AIA CA supports the open, thoughtful, and methodical process used to develop California’s building codes. We know that it is important both to move quickly to address climate deterioration, while at the same time being careful to avoid unintended consequences and ensuring that all stakeholders’ perspectives are thoughtfully considered. We are confident that working together we can achieve the broad and essential benefits of new codes while at the same time ensuring continued advancement in economic vitality and increasingly diverse prosperity and health for our citizens.

[1] Disruption, Evolution and Change: AIA’s Vision for the Future of Design and Construction. http://content.aia.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/ADV19 Disruption Evolution Change.pdf

Michael F. Malinowski FAIA is a consultant to the American Institute of Architects California (AIA CA) on code and regulatory matters. AIA CA is an 11,000-member organization that is the voice of the architectural profession in California. It is dedicated to supporting architects in their endeavors to improve the quality of life for all Californians by a commitment to excellence, livability and sustainability in our built environment.

Mark Christian, Hon. AIA CA

After 23 years with AIA California, Mark Christian, Hon. AIA CA, Director of Government Relations announced his retirement effective November 1, 2022. Throughout his tenure with the organization, he’s navigated the turbulent waters and partisan politics of California state government, while tirelessly advocating on behalf of the architectural profession.

Widely respected by his AIA colleagues, his counterparts representing allied professions, and within the Legislature and various regulatory agencies, Mark has collaboratively and strategically advanced a significant number of very complex issues to successful resolution. It’s easy to recognize his expertise during the public process – whether he’s testifying before a committee or speaking to a Legislator – but his true skill is how he quietly resolves issues on behalf of the profession before they see the light of day.

Over his long tenure, Mark has worked with hundreds of AIA Board and committee members on a variety of complex and difficult matters, and is known for his collaborative and pragmatic approach. AIA CA President, Rona G. Rothenberg, FAIA, who served as Vice President of Government Relations prior to her election as President, has repeatedly recognized Mark’s value and expertise he brings to the organization: “Mark Christian has been a consummate professional serving expertly on our behalf. He’s forged consensus on many issues critical to the design and delivery of projects and enabled public discourse on behalf of the profession.”

Mark has devoted his career to developing and leading a government relations program which is a merit to past, present and future members of AIACA and all architects in the state.  We look forward to a completing a search in the coming months to a talented successor who will benefit from a smooth and successful transition of Mark’s inestimable wealth of expertise, generous leadership and vast institutional knowledge, carrying on his legacy work as investment in future generations of architects in California.

AIA CA and Members regularly work with state agencies whose functions impact the work of architects.  For example, AIA CA has regular contact with the CA Architects Board, the Division of the State Architect, the CA Building Standards Commission, to name just a few.

Over the past months AIA CA, the Construction Managers Association of America, and the Associated General Contractors of California have held meetings with the leadership with the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Life Safety Division.  This Division oversees plan review and code compliance inspections of state-owned and state-occupied buildings.

The purpose of the meetings is to develop a strong working relationship between the OSFM and the design and construction industry.  We are working to achieve continuous improvement in the processes for plan review and approval, and inspection.  We are hopeful that, through these meetings and honest dialogue, a sustained effort is underway to improve the experience for architects, contractors, construction managers, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

If you have any experiences with the Office of the State Fire Marshal that you would like discussed during these meetings, please feel free to email our Director of Government Relations Mark Christian, Hon. AIA CA at mchristian@aiacalifornia.org.

Ida Clair, AIA
California State Architect

We are pleased to report that the California State Senate, with a 40-0 vote, confirmed the Governor’s appointment of Ida Clair, AIA as the new California State Architect. She is not only the new State Architect, Ida is the first woman to hold this position.

As State Architect, Ida leads the Division of the State Architect (DSA), which provides design and construction oversight for schools, community colleges, and other state facilities to ensure they comply with all structural, accessibility, and fire and life safety codes. DSA also develops accessibility, structural safety, and historical building codes and standards, and administers the certification programs for project inspectors, materials testing laboratories, and certified access specialists.

Ida’s qualifications for this appointment are very strong, making it easy for the State Senate to unanimously confirm her appointment. She has been a licensed architect in California for 30 years, is one of the first Certified Access Specialists, has worked as an architect in architectural firms, served as Principal Architect at DSA, and served as Acting State Architect for nearly 3 years.

AIA CA congratulates Ida Clair, AIA on her appointment and confirmation as the new California State Architect.