Dean Sakamoto appointed to AIA National Committee

President Mickey Jacobs, FAIA, of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has appointed Dean Sakamoto, FAIA, LEED AP to serve on the 2013 Committee on Disaster Assistance. Others on this committee include Rachel M. Minnery, AIA, LEED AP of Seattle, Washington; Michael D. Lingerfelt, FAIA, LEED AP of Orlando, Florida; Gregory R. Beste, AIA of East Providence, Rhode Island; James E. Butch" Grimes, AIA of Birmingham, Alabama; and Robert W. Thiele, AIA of San Diego, California. Dean Sakamoto's interest in this area is based upon his belief "...that our communities and buildings today must not only be sustainable, but they must also incorporate resilient design strategies." Resilient design has to do with the built environment's ability to absorb the effects of predicted and unpredicted changes and impacts due to natural or human-induced events. DSA's Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center, a LEED Gold building on Kauai, Hawaii, is designed for hurricane resilience.