MIA
develops its first AIA-approved Sustainable Design CES course
The
Marble Institute of America (MIA) has announced the development, and approval
by the American Institute of Architects, of its first AIA Continuing Education
System (CES) course that also qualifies for the Sustainable Design ("SD") credit.
The course, entitled
“Genuine Stone: A Natural Choice for Sustainable Design” provides architects with
one CES-HSW/SD Learning Unit. The AIA Board of Directors recently
modified the AIA-member continuing education requirement to include four hours
of education in sustainable design as part of the existing 18-hour annual
requirement. This sustainable design requirement became effective in calendar
year 2009 and extends through 2012.
The one-hour course provides an introduction to sustainable
design and the sustainability movement, plus descriptions of how natural stone
makes an appropriate and natural material design choice that contributes to a
sustainable design solution over a project’s life cycle. Learning objectives
for the course include:
A
review of the objectives of sustainable design
A
look at the characteristics of natural stone and their relevance to sustainable
design
Identification
of ways to reduce environmental impacts when selecting and sourcing natural
stone
An
explanation of how natural stone can be,
and has been, used to support sustainable design goals, including case study
examples
“This
new course provides another great opportunity for MIA members to educate local
architects and designers about the attractiveness of natural stone as a
preferred building material,” commented MIA executive vp and ceo, Gary
Distelhorst. “We currently have over 100 approved instructors from 45 member
firms that have provided CES Learning Units credits for some 1,300 architects
already, and this new course will be a very strong addition to the list of
courses now available through the MIA for them to use.”
The course was developed by MIA’s sustainability consultant, Stephanie Vierra, LEED AP,
for the MIA utilizing content she originally developed for VeronaFiere and
Marmomacc, but customized and expanded for MIA member use in providing
continuing education for architects/designers. In addition, a task force of MIA
members provided industry information and advice for the course. Funding for
the development of the course was provided by MIA members supporting the
association’s Natural Stone Sustainability Fund.
