AIA Calls for Security Taskforce to Include Architect

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has urged Congress to include an architect on a joint taskforce that will look at Washington, D.C., security. House Administration Committee Chair Bob Ney (R-OH) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) are proposing the taskforce in response to security measures put in place in the nation’s capital following last month’s report that terrorists may be targeting the World Bank and other financial institutions.

The taskforce will include federal and local security officials and will develop a coordinated security plan that protects the city and its people while not disrupting traffic, commerce and government business.

In an August 19 letter, AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Norman L. Koonce, FAIA, lauded Reps. Ney and Norton for their efforts to coordinate security and said the taskforce "would benefit from the advice of an architect with experience in urban planning and designing security measures for federal buildings in Washington and elsewhere."

The AIA recommended that an architect be included on the panel to provide a crucially important perspective that will combine design, public health and safety.

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