by Jonathan McGaha | November 17, 2009 12:00 am
Op-Ed By Christine McEntee, Executive Vice President /CEO of the American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C. As the global financial crisis continues to threaten the livelihood of American businesses and workers — and halts both the momentum and quality of new, sustainable infrastructure — the nation confronts a double challenge: not only are building projects at a standstill, but we risk losing to other careers many of the professionals needed to design and construct the next generation of green buildings. For the younger generation, this area provides a wide variety of opportunities for workers to find jobs they consider meaningful, impactful and important. It also provides an older generation of workers the ability to mentor and use the depth and breadth of their experience to improve upon the existing infrastructure of the nation and truly bring it up to 21st century standards. Though there is no doubt the sustainable movement continues to be a growing trend – look no further than the recent plan released by Vice President Joseph Biden encouraging home and building retrofits which shows the current administration is taking this problem seriously. Also, the most recent Home Design Trends Survey (HDTS) from the AIA shows that consumers continue to purchase energy-efficient products and are greening their homes, showing just how mainstream incorporating green into one’s everyday life has become. While that is encouraging, input from the building community in retrofits and new construction is critical to ensure that these efforts are being completed correctly and providing the maximum return on investment. Unfortunately, this is happening when job creation in the building sector is all but stagnant. The talents of countless designers, architects and builders are going untapped due to massive layoffs in the industry stemming from lending anxiety from the banks. The AIA’s support of small businesses stems from hardships facing its membership. The large majority of the AIA’s 85,000 members own or work for small firms; America’s architects, like the millions of small businesses around the country, have been particularly hard-hit by the recent economic downturn. The tightening of credit markets has put the financing behind many construction projects at risk, resulting in reduced work for architects and in many cases, the outright cancellation of ongoing projects. So how can the trend be reversed? The AIA believes it knows the first step. Recently, the organization testified to the House of Representatives Committee on Small Business, asking it to pursue the policies that will allow small businesses to prosper during this time of economic crisis. Specifically, the AIA asked Congress to enact measures that would spark the revival of the building community – which accounts for one dollar in every ten of US GDP. Support of this sector is one of the many ways that government can effectively revitalize the sagging economy and reinvigorate green building as stimulus funds have not been able to make a major impact. Specific policy recommendations the AIA asked the Committee to consider include:
— Making financing available for design and construction projects
— Providing tax relief for small businesses
— Making tax policies work for recovery
— Rebuilding our infrastructure for the 21st century
— Building the new green economy Without quick action by Congress, many architects, engineers and builders will leave their professions, leaving our country without the expertise and talent to start building when the economy recovers. The last major recession twenty years ago led to the “lost generation” of architecture students who abandoned the profession because jobs were scarce. At a time when our country is pinning its hopes for recovery on designing, building and retrofitting millions of buildings to make them safer and more sustainable, we cannot afford to lose another generation of talented professionals. We have a chance to truly create 21st century infrastructure that will last several generations – but if there are no qualified professionals to handle the job, we will never accomplish this goal. America’s architects are not looking for bailouts, but rather action from Congress that will free up credit and lending so that they can get back to work designing our future. Architects believe that this economic crisis, though devastating for millions of Americans, presents an opportunity not only to build, but to build better. With the correct allowances from government, this can quickly move from paper to reality.
–Courtesy of Reuters.com
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