AIA condemns GSA mandating classical design for Florida courthouse

by sadia_badhon | August 24, 2020 10:46 am

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) condemns a recent mandate by the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) for a federal district courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to be designed in a classical style. Photo © BigStockPhoto.com — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) condemns a recent mandate by the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) for a federal district courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to be designed in a classical style.
*Photo © BigStockPhoto.com*

The American Institute of Architects[2] (AIA) condemns the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) recent mandate[3] for a federal district courthouse to be designed in classical style in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

“We reject the principle of any pre-ordained styles mandated for GSA projects,” said Robert Ivy, FAIA, AIA CEO. “Instead, the AIA emphatically supports the peer-reviewed Design Excellence Program, which has raised the quality of federal design in communities throughout the United States, with projects tailored to the people, the places, and the times we live in.”

While no Executive Order has been issued to date, the AIA believes this is GSA’s project-by-project replacement of the draft order, which was circulated earlier this year. Since last year, AIA has been working to stop the order[4], which attempted to establish classical architecture as the preferred style. This would have applied to all federal courthouses, federal public buildings in the Capital region, and other federal public buildings whose cost exceeds $50 million.

Last month, AIA expressed strong support for the “Democracy in Design Act[5],” which was introduced by Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) in July. The legislation would override the recent action by the GSA and prevent any future Executive Order by directing “the Administrator of General Services to ensure that the construction and acquisition of public buildings in the United States adheres to the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture.” By codifying the GSA’s Design Excellence Program[6] principles into statute, Congress will ensure the federal government maintains its current neutrality on architectural styles.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Opener-18.jpg
American Institute of Architects: https://www.aia.org/
recent mandate: https://beta.sam.gov/opp/6d758d00b4aa4c02943aa1aaf061c09e/view?keywords=architecture&sort=-modifiedDate&index=opp&is_active=true&page=3&opp_publish_date_filter_model=%7B%22timeSpan%22:%227%22%7D&date_filter_index=0&inactive_filter_values=false&notice_type=
stop the order: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/aia-staunchly-opposes-trumps-plan-to-impose-classical-architecture-on-federal-buildings/
Democracy in Design Act: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/proposed-act-will-thwart-trump-order-mandating-classical-architecture-on-all-federal-buildings/
Design Excellence Program: https://www.aia.org/Design%20Excellence%20Program

Source URL: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/aia-condemns-gsa-mandating-classical-design-for-florida-courthouse/