Signed on February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides billions of dollars in spending for improvement of buildings owned by the Federal Government. Spending will begin immediately and continue for several years. Architects will have an important role in this economic recovery and investment program. In this course, Professor Paul Romano of the New Jersey Institute of Technology outlines the Government's spending plans, discusses the long-standing Federal focus on sustainable building and renovation practices, explains the Federal approach to integrated design, and examines the interactions among key building systems in achieving energy efficiency and sustainability in building construction and building operation.