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Toxic content AIA’s new push for materials transparency might help the planet, but it could also put design firms up against the wall should cases go to court.
O n April 8, 2016, the American Institute of Architects announced the release of its new white paper on “Materials Transparency and Risk,” part of an AIA effort to equip the entire profession with what they call “consensus-driven guidance” on the issue of toxins and other health hazards in building materials. AIA calls this “an issue of critical importance” to the profession, its suppliers and clients. “Whether in politics or in building design, transparency is an increasingly necessary element of modern life,” said AIA CEO Robert Ivy. “And when it comes to materials – the very substances of our built environment – it’s more important than ever for architects to be able to communicate openly about what they contain.”
William Quatman
ethics while managing professional liability risks , was created by materials specialists but is aimed at all architects. It provides a backdrop on the necessity for materials transparency and the steps architects should be taking to bring about change, promote openness, and increase collaboration between themselves, their suppliers and their clients. This initiative has resulted in a series of published Health Product Declarations, which are product data sheets listing all of the hazardous contents of the material. The HPDs are a voluntary disclosure
The white paper is the product of more than a year of effort by the AIA’s Materials Knowledge Working Group, pursuant to a Position Statement approved by the AIA Board of Directors in December of 2014. In that statement, the AIA recognized that “building materials impact the environment and human health before, during and after their use,” and it encouraged architects “to promote transparency in materials’ contents and in their environmental and human health impacts.” The white paper, Materials transparency & risk for architects: An introduction to advancing professional
See WILLIAM QUATMAN, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER August 8, 2016, ISSUE 1163
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