By Marcy Marro
At last week's national conference, the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) launched five new sustainable project
documents, as well as an updated scope of services documents for
LEED certification. The documents were developed using AIA's
flagship Contract Documents and incorporating concepts and model
language from its "Guide for Sustainable Projects," which was
introduced at last year's conference.
I had the chance to talk with Kenneth Cobleigh, managing
director and counsel for AIA Contract Documents, who says that AIA
recognized the need for structure in the planning process for green
projects. "We reached out to industry contacts--the USGBC, trade
groups, etc.--for feedback on last year's sustainable project
guide, and worked with our current documents to incorporate
specific elements from the guide into the new sustainable project
documents."
Cobleigh explains that the new documents create a process from
inception to completion for laying out a path to achieve an owner's
sustainable objective. "The documents create a process to identify
and implement measures and steps that need to be taken by everyone
involved in a sustainable project," he says.
While the documents are created for the design-bid-build project
delivery method, Cobleigh says the concepts addressed in the new
documents and in the sustainable projects guide are applicable
across all the different delivery methods.
The new Sustainable Project documents are:
- A101-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and
Contractor, for use on a Sustainable Project where the basis of
payment is a Stipulated Sum
- A201-2007 SP, General Conditions of the Contract for
Construction, for use on a Sustainable Project
- A401-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Contractor and
Subcontractor, for use on a Sustainable Project
- B101-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and
Architect, for use on a Sustainable Project
- C401-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and
Consultant, for use on a Sustainable Project
The sixth document, B214-2012, Standard Form of Architect's
Services: LEED Certification, is for primary architects who are
retained as owner consultants for LEED certification in conjunction
with a standard owner-architect agreement.
The next step, Cobleigh says, is updating the D503-2011, "Guide
for Sustainable Projects," to include information about the new
IgCC and LEED 2012.
Also introduced at this year's conference, was AIA's new education and training portal, a one-stop,
easy-to-access site that will house all of the AIA Contract
Documents education programs and learning materials for
contractors, builders and architects.
"Many of America's contractors, architects, owners, developers
and other building professionals have told us they need a one-stop
educational resource where they can learn more about AIA Contract
Documents and software," says Molly Lindblom, managing director of
AIA Contract Documents. "The New AIA Contract Documents' Education
Portal will advance AIA's commitment to meeting the needs of every
career stage and serve as a valuable tool in the marketplace."
Additionally, the AIA announced the inclusion of six new
documents to its popular Documents-on-Demand service. The latest
additions, which bring the total number of documents available to
98, cover aspects of all common project delivery methods used by
the building industry to support construction and design
projects.
The new documents are:
- A141-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and
Design-Builder
- A142-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Design-Builder
and Contractor
- A441-2008, Standard Form of Agreement Between Contractor and
Subcontractor for a Design-Build Project
- B142-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and
Consultant where the Owner contemplates using the design-build
method of project delivery
- B143-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Design-Builder
and Architect
- C441-2008, Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and
Consultant for a Design-Build Project.
"The latest additions to Documents-on-Demand round out our
service and offer users an even more robust suite of documents
along with the same anytime, anywhere access they have enjoyed for
years," Lindblom says. "With 98 documents to choose from,
Documents-on-Demand has become the popular choice for anyone
needing a quick standard agreement or form from the trusted
authority in construction documents."