Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Friday, October 27, 2006
Contact: Mary Curtius 703-228-7943 (voice) 703-228-4611(TTY)
Updated: Paul Ferguson Recognized for Promoting Sustainability in Arlington County
Northern Virginia Chapter of American Institute of Architecture Honors County Board Vice-Chair
ARLINGTON, VA – Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Paul Ferguson has received the 2006 Allied Professional Award from the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture.
In making the award, the chapter noted Ferguson’s “efforts in promoting sustainability in the County of Arlington,’’ and said his work has “produced a better environment for the County in particular, and the region as a whole.”
Ferguson received the award at the group’s annual awards banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
“This is an honor for Arlington to be recognized as a leader in encouraging sustainable architecture,” Ferguson said. “Arlington is proud to assist the AIA in its goal of reducing carbon emissions from buildings, with the ultimate goal of carbon-free buildings by the year 2030.”
Northern Virginia Chapter of AIA
The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects includes more than 1,000 members. Each year, the chapter honors persons in the community who make significant contributions to the built environment and to the profession of architecture.
Arlington’s Efforts to Promote Sustainability
For nearly a decade, Paul Ferguson has encouraged the use of green building techniques in Arlington County. Green building is a loosely defined collection of land-use, building design and construction strategies that reduce the environmental impacts that buildings have on their surroundings.
The County began by promoting green building in public facilities. This effort produced the first silver LEED certification awarded in Virginia, to the Langston Brown School and Community Center, completed in 2003.
Two other public facilities have been completed and are awaiting final certification, and several other green public projects are in the planning phases.
Ferguson also worked to include LEED components in private development in the County, and the County now requires that all site plan projects include LEED components. Arlington’s innovative green building density incentive program has created incentives for private developers to seek LEED certification.
By building public facilities green and by encouraging private developers to build green, Arlington hopes to provide models for green design and construction, reduce the environmental impacts of buildings in the County, and set an example for other jurisdictions in the region and across the nation.
For further information on the County’s efforts to build green, contact Joan Kelsch at 703-228-3599 or visit the County’s Web site.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
