AIA Supports City of Glendale’s Building Electrification Initiative

By Winston Thorne, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, CSBA – President, AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter

We support City of Glendale’s initiative to adopt local amendments to the 2022 Edition of the California Building and Energy Code Pertaining to Building Electrification, Solar Photovoltaic, and Electric Vehicles.

With continued local advocacy for Cites addressing environmental issues in the built environment, we as design professionals are well positioned to conduct the business of architecture at intersections where public and private stakeholders attempt to find common ground. A case for decarbonization at the local level advocates that “Big things have small beginnings”.

Last Tuesday evening, I had the opportunity to speak at the City of Glendale’s Council meeting with the intent to convey the importance to adopt the proposed reach codes to include the following items:

• building electrification,
• solar photovoltaic,
• electric vehicle charging

This action item on City Council’s agenda was to further refine the proposed amendment as presented. A lot of discussion regarding perceived economic hardships for quick service restaurants (QSR) as they transition to an all-electric cook line; which may in turn change the patron’s experience of the food and the establishment’s brand identity. I emphasized to Council, staff, and business owners that they should rely on the design professionals to address some of these valid concerns – “belief in the process”. As the building/equipment technology evolves, so will the procurements process to meet the demand, and validation with a design professional will support the Owner’s efforts to a solution.

Leading up to this meeting, earlier this summer, local coalitions, in concert with AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter, attended workshops, meetings, and worked diligently to realize the City of Pasadena’s approved local ordinance for building electrification. Proving that advocacy works with the right intent and clarity of purpose.

It will only be a matter of time before the City of Glendale too will join the +50 Cities in California that adopted reach codes. With the intent of heading in the right direction.

“It is the way forward for all of our Communities.”

Winston Thorne, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, CSBA – President, AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter

Winston is President of Winston Thorne Architect, an architecture and planning firm based in Pasadena serving the growing California and Arizona markets. Works include single and multi-family residential, restaurant, laboratory, historic structures, and commercial type developments. President of Thorne Construction, LLC, a licensed general contracting business in Arizona. His accolades include awards from AIA Central Arizona Architecture Foundation, Resolution Award with Historic Preservation Advisory Committee to RED Awards, and design competition accomplishments. He is currently, serving as a Subject Matter Expert for NCARB and appointed to the City of Pasadena Mayor’s Central Library Technical Advisory Committee.

Growing up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; he excelled in athletics, leadership, and music. Attended Ryerson University’s School of Architecture in Toronto, where his design interest in the built environment was founded in architecture. Following his curiosity with American architecture, it led him to Phoenix, Arizona where he spent the last seventeen years working on notable historic preservation, luxury condominium project types to the tallest hotel in Arizona. Actively participated with the design community, associations, and volunteered with charitable organizations.