Sustainable design frameworks and certifications

What defines good, sustainable design—and who verifies it? In this video, you’ll explore the leading frameworks and certification systems shaping contemporary architectural practice. You’ll be introduced to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and its ten principles, which expand design excellence beyond aesthetics and function toward outcomes that are integrated, equitable, resilient, healthy, resource-conscious, and low carbon—and you’ll see how the framework’s guiding questions help teams set priorities and connect early design choices to measurable goals.

From there, you’ll meet the certification side of sustainable design: LEED v5, organized around decarbonization, quality of life, and ecological conservation and restoration, and the Sustainable SITES Initiative for sustainable, resilient landscapes. Finally, you’ll see how early-design tools like Autodesk Forma Site Design generate the kind of evidence frameworks and certifications alike reward—setting the stage for the analysis workflows ahead.

After completing this video, you’ll be able to:

• Define the purpose of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and describe how it supports sustainable, resilient, and equitable design outcomes.
• Identify the ten principles of the framework and recognize how they expand the definition of design excellence beyond aesthetics and function.
• Describe how the framework’s guiding questions can help project teams evaluate design decisions, set priorities, and connect early design choices to long-term performance goals.
• Explain how green building certification systems—including LEED v5 and the Sustainable SITES Initiative—verify and reward sustainable design outcomes.
• Move the design principles into action with tools such as Forma Site Design, Revit, and Forma Carbon Insights.