America’s crumbling roads, decrepit bridges, aged water systems. Our deficient dams, underserved levees, and woeful wastewater treatment plants. For nearly three decades, the American public has heard ad nauseam about the dreadful condition of the nation’s infrastructure—from airports to railways to hazardous waste facilities.
Since 1988, the American Society of Civil Engineers, through its Infrastructure Report Card, has shone a spotlight on the alarming shortfall in funding and resources to operate, maintain, and modernize the country’s infrastructure network. ASCE’s latest report card, released in March, scores the nation’s overall infrastructure at a D+ (it’s never scored higher than C). The price tag to modernize the country’s infrastructure systems: a whopping $4.59 trillion over 10 years, more than triple the cost from the 2001 report.
Of the 16 infrastructure sectors that ASCE evaluates quadrennially, only one—K-12 schools—is buildings-focused. The trade group scored the nation’s 100,000 public school buildings at a collective D+, citing an annual investment shortfall of $38 billion to maintain and upgrade facilities and a backlog of necessary improvements (53% of schools require upgrades to reach “good” condition).
Left out of this ongoing national debate over infrastructure—and the trillions of dollars of public funding that is expected over the next few decades—are the nation’s other public buildings: the libraries, community centers, courthouses, community college buildings, affordable housing developments, and justice facilities.
These, too, are critical to the safety, security, and vibrancy of cities and communities. And as is the case with the nation’s public schools and major infrastructure sectors, these so-called “social infrastructure” buildings are being neglected, with years of deferred maintenance, patchwork repairs, dwindling CapEx and OpEx budgets, and even the weakening and repeal of building codes—especially those related to resiliency and sustainability.
Thrusting the nation’s social infrastructure into the spotlight has been a recent crusade of the leadership at the American Institute of Architects. AIA kicked off this initiative in November 2016 with a national poll of 2,108 U.S. adults to assess the importance of public buildings to their communities. The findings: more than 80% see public buildings as part of the nation’s infrastructure, and 94% agree that well-supported buildings are important to their communities (whether they’re willing to open their wallets to help fund such
efforts is another question).
AIA has had its share of controversy during the past 12 months, most notably the post-election statements that riled some of its members. But AIA leadership deserves a pat on the back for its efforts with this campaign. Let’s just hope their proclamation resonates with the nation’s policymakers.
Related Stories
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Is the road to the future the path of least resistance? Sasha Reed, Bluebeam (sponsored)
Bluebeam’s Sasha Reed discusses why AEC leaders should give their teams permission to responsibly break things and create ecosystems of people, process, and technology.
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: Incubating innovation through R&D and product development, Jonatan Schumacher, Thornton Tomasetti
Thornton Tomasetti’s Jonatan Schumacher presents the firm’s business model for developing, incubating, and delivering cutting-edge tools and solutions for the firm, and the greater AEC market.
| Jun 13, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: The future of computational design, Ben Juckes, Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign
Yazdani’s Ben Juckes discusses the firm’s tech-centric culture, where scripting has become an every-project occurrence and each designer regularly works with computational tools as part of their basic toolset.
Industry Research | Jun 13, 2017
Gender, racial, and ethnic diversity increases among emerging professionals
For the first time since NCARB began collecting demographics data, gender equity improved along every career stage.
Architects | Jun 7, 2017
Build your very own version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum with this new LEGO set
744 LEGO bricks are used to recreate the famous Wright design, including the 1992 addition.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 7, 2017
Multifamily visionary: The life and work of architect David Baker
For 35 years, architect David Baker has been a spirited voice for affordable housing, in San Francisco and beyond.
Architects | Jun 5, 2017
NCARB launches second alternative path to architect certification
Architects without a professional degree in architecture can now earn NCARB certification through an alternate path.
Architects | Jun 2, 2017
NELSON joins forces with Cope Linder and KA
More growth ahead, as NELSON expects to double its workforce and revenue this year.
Office Buildings | Jun 2, 2017
Strong brew: Heineken HQ spurs innovation through interaction [slideshow]
The open plan concept features a Heineken bar and multiple social zones.
| Jun 2, 2017
Accelerate Live! talk: How maker culture is transforming Sasaki’s design practice
Sasaki’s Pablo Savid-Buteler and Brad Prestbo talk about how the firm’s maker initiatives are changing the way Sasaki goes to market, and how they are helping the firm win new business.