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Resolution on WTC 7 Collapse to Be Voted on at AIA Convention

Resolution 15-6 Calls for the AIA to Adopt a Position Statement Supporting a New Investigation of WTC 7’s Demise.

Among the matters to be considered by delegates at this year’s National Convention of the American Institute of Architects from May 14 to 16 will be a resolution calling for the organization to adopt a position statement supporting a new investigation into the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 (WTC 7) on September 11, 2001.

The resolution, entitled “Resolution 15-6: 7 World Trade Center,” was submitted in March by 55 AIA members affiliated with the group Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. The Berkeley-based non-profit has accumulated the signatures of some 2,350 architects and engineers who are petitioning for a new investigation into the collapse of the 47-story WTC 7 as well as the Twin Towers.

Focusing solely on the collapse of WTC 7, the resolution states that thousands of building professionals believe that the investigation conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology did not adhere to principles of the scientific method and that its findings are therefore “fatally flawed.” The resolution goes on to put forth the language of a position statement that the sponsors hope to see incorporated into the AIA’s official Public Policies and Position Statements. If the resolution passes, it will then need to be ratified by the AIA’s Board of Directors before becoming binding.

According to Daniel Barnum, a fellow of the AIA and the resolution’s lead sponsor, the group was careful in how it crafted the language. “We didn’t want to ask our fellow members to take a position on what caused the collapse, particularly if they haven’t studied it closely,” he said. “But we do ask them to recognize that many members of the profession hold this view and to state that it merits further study.”

Since submitting the resolution in March, the group has mounted a campaign to inform AIA members across the U.S. The outreach efforts include a landing page, WTC7Resolution.org, as well as mailings to hundreds of local AIA chapters and one-on-one conversations with chapter heads.

As in previous years, AE911Truth will have a booth in the Expo Hall—#4336—where they will provide educational materials and invite architects to sign their petition. They will also offer AIA members the opportunity to sign a statement of support for the resolution, and will be distributing “I Support Resolution 15-6” buttons that feature a three-photo montage of WTC 7’s symmetrical collapse.

“I look forward to being at the convention and building support for this important resolution,” said Jes Stafford, who is active in the Asheville, N.C. AIA chapter and a co-sponsor of the resolution. “As architects, we have an ethical responsibility to say something when a matter of broad societal importance involves our profession. In this case, the official story of WTC 7’s collapse doesn’t pass muster, and it’s our responsibility to say so.”

While there is already support from some chapters, the sponsors are prepared for a multi-year effort. “This is our first year submitting a resolution,” noted Barnum. “If it doesn’t pass, we will submit it again next year and work to build support in the meantime, just as sponsors of other resolutions have done.”

AE911Truth will mark the end of its trip to the convention with an event at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, at the nearby Georgia Tech Student Success Center, where AE911Truth founder and CEO Richard Gage, AIA, will deliver his “9/11: Blueprint for Truth” presentation. See AE911Truth-5-16-2015.eventbrite.com.