Next year, the American Institute of Architects plans to release “green” model contract forms designed to help limit legal exposure on sustainable projects. The forms are based on the institute's model agreements between owner and architect and between owner and contractor. They will incorporate concepts from AIA's free Guide for Sustainable Projects, published in the spring.AIA previewed the forms at the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, which drew 23,000 registrants to Toronto on Oct. 4-7. The objective of the agreements is to “make sure that roles and responsibilities are correctly defined” and to “allocate risk

It costs on average $4.01 per sq ft to get a building certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system for green buildings, according to recent market research. That figure translates to $830 million in LEED-related construction spending from 2000 to 2008, says a study by USGBC and consultant Booz Allen Hamilton. The 52-page “Green Jobs Study” estimates $12.5 billion in LEED-certification-related spending will occur over the next five years, an amount that would sustain 230,000 jobs. In the same period, energy savings are expected to total $6 billion, with $4.8 billion directly

If a new professional designation catches on, designers and contractors involved in sustainable buildings could soon be seeking still another set of initials to put after their names. Early last month, Toronto-based Green Roofs for Healthy Cities launched a green-roof professional accreditation exam. The 100-question, multiple-choice test was offered on June 5 for the first time at the group’s annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities conference, in Atlanta. The exam focuses on knowledge areas such as green-roof design, contract management and maintenance. These topics are covered in four full-day workshops offered by the sponsoring group. Though completion of the

It is not surprising that architects in the earthquake-prone San Francisco Bay Area incorporate robust and sophisticated seismic technologies into their buildings. Some of the earthquake-resisting strategies in the region’s high-profile new-construction projects, such as the coupled shear-wall system inside the twisting and turning tower at the de Young Museum or the base isolators below the just-completed Oakland Cathedral, naturally attract attention because of their unusual design. But older, more conventional structures are continuously being subjected to seismic retrofit and they require at least just as much engineering finesse. Slide Show A seismic retrofit is part of plans to transform