Sustainability Policy

What Institute members need to do


Architects can, and must, play a fundamental role in achieving a sustainable future.  The Institute encourages the architectural profession to take immediate action.  In doing so, Institute members should take the following action:


Climate Change and the Built Environment

  • Create design solutions that aim for best practice in progressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment.
  • Commit to work toward placing sustainability at the core of their practice structure.
  • Work toward reducing the carbon footprint of their practices.


Using global resources

  • Continually develop and improve practices and procedures that give holistic consideration to global environmental impacts of design decisions.  
  • Create design solutions that minimise the use of water and maximise the potential for water recycling and re-use.
  • Minimise the environmental impact of materials use by considering issues such as embodied energy, biodiversity, human health toxicity and the end of life fate of the material.


Creating sustainable communities

  • Promote the importance and substantial opportunities of sustainable design to clients and colleagues.  
  • Continually innovate in our practices and procedures to move progressively toward a built environment that positively contributes to natural systems.