Last week, Tien Peng, NRMCA’s senior director of sustainability, codes and standards, presented "Resilience is the New Sustainability" at the Iowa American Institute of Architects'  (AIA) Spring Meeting in Ames. The program also featured sessions on civic engagement in the Detroit metro area and the rebuilding of New York City after Hurricane Sandy. Approximately 25 design professionals, including architects, landscape architects, contractors and planners attended the session on resiliency and risk reduction of our infrastructure. The architectural community in Iowa is a strong supporter of robust structures which celebrate long life cycles and local heritage.

Peng was invited to speak at the event by Nathan Kalaher, the president-elect of the AIA Iowa Chapter. Kalaher is an organizer of the convention and arranged the education sessions. NRMCA encourages its members to participate in their local professional efforts and offer topics and speakers for education programs. For those who feel comfortable presenting, NRMCA has a number of prescribed presentations ranging from specifying sustainable concrete to LCA of concrete structures. For the most complex topics, NRMCA can also provide technical staff to present at USGBC chapters.