Introduction xxvii

Richard Rogers (The Pompidou Centre in Paris, France); and Malaysian

architect KennethYeang (the Menara Mesiniaga in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).
In 1987, the UN World Commission on Environment and Development,
under Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Bruntland, suggested a defi-
nition for the term “sustainable development,” as that which “meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future genera-
tions to meet their own needs.” This was followed by numerous alternative
definitions of sustainable development.
President George H.W. Bush took a personal interest in energy issues and
in 1991 issued a National Energy Policy, after which AIA President James
Lawler convened an advisory group to issue a response and resolution. The
resolution which the board passed a month later, called on all AIA members
to undertake environmental reforms within their practices, including the
immediate cessation of ozone-depleting refrigerants. President Bush reau-
thorized the Clean Air Act, which requires cleaner burning fuels.
In 1992, Brazil hosted a UN Conference on Environment and
Development (also known as the “Earth Summit”) that was held in Rio de
Janeiro and which proved to be a great success, drawing 17,000 attendees
and delegations from 172 governments and 2400 representatives of nongov-
ernmental organizations. The conference witnessed the passage of Agenda
21 which provided a blueprint for achieving global sustainability. This
resulted in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the
Statement of Forest Principles, the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, and the United Nations Convention on Biological
Diversity. Following on the heels of the Rio de Janeiro Summit, the AIA
chose sustainability as its theme for the June 1993 UIA/AIA World Congress
of Architects held in Chicago, in which an estimated 10000 architects and
design professionals from around the world attended the event. Today,
this convention which had the theme of “Architecture at the Crossroads:
Designing for a Sustainable Future.” is recognized as a milestone in the his-
tory of the green building movement.
In the Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future, it states, “We
commit ourselves, as members of the world’s architectural and building-
design professions, individually and through our professional organizations, to:
• Place environmental and social sustainability at the core of our practices
and professional responsibilities
• Develop and continually improve practices, procedures, products, cur-
ricula, services, and standards that will enable the implementation of
sustainable design