The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have just announced this week their selection of the 2014 Top Ten Green Projects, examples of sustainable architecture and ecological American design projects that protect and enhance the environment. The projects include new and adaptive re-use buildings, ranging from government offices to educational facilities and supportive housing. Some are LEED Platinum certified, others are pursuing the Net Zero Energy certification and the Living Building Challenge. Congratulations to all the winners who continue to raise the bar in high quality and green architecture. I would like to give a special shout out to one of the project winners, my friends at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, EHDD, and its entire design team.
The projects will be honored at the AIA 2014 National Convention and Design Exposition in Chicago this summer. The COTE Top Ten Awards program, now in its 18th year, celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as re-use of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact and regenerative site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.
Iowa Utilities Board/Office of the Consumer Advocate Office Building designed by BNIM
An exterior view of the Iowa Utilities Board/Office of the Consumer Advocate Office Building designed by BNIM and the Capital Building beyond. (Photo by Assassi)Courtyard view of the Iowa Utilities Board/Office of the Consumer Advocate Office Building designed by BNIM. (Photo by Sinclair)
The Top Ten Winners:
Arizona State University Student Health Services building designed by Lake|Flato Architects and orcutt|wilson
Exterior view of the Arizona State University Student Health Services. (Photo by Bill Timmerman)Rain chains with cisterns at the Arizona State University Student Health Services collect 138 cubic feet of stormwater and supply irrigation for adjacent native landscaping. All of the stormwater is managed on campus between the site adjacent to Health Services and the alumni lawn. (Photo by Bill Timmerman)
Bud Clark Commons designed by Holst Architecture
Bud Clark Commons’ public courtyard, sheltered from the traffic and street, provides a safe and dignified place for homeless individuals seeking services to wait, socialize, and experience nature within an urban environment. (Photo by Bruce Forster)View of the custom rainwater collection and stormwater treatment system at Bud Clark Commons in Portland, Oregon designed by Holst Architecture. (Photo by Sally Schoolmaster)
Bushwick Inlet Park designed by Kiss + Cathcart, Architects
View of Community Center entrance at Bushwick Inlet Park in Brooklyn, New York, showing wood louvers and rooftop canopy, phenolic panel rainscreens and custom stainless steel railings. (Photo by Paul Warchol)Top: Aerial view of Bushwick Inlet Park and Community Center. (Photo by Malcolm Pinckney) Bottom: Active Design usage, snowboarding on the roof. (Photo by Jeremy Moseley)
Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Modernization designed by SERA Architects Inc. and Cutler Anderson Architects
The primary design goal for the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building Modernization project was to transform the existing building from an aging, energy hog to one of the premiere, environmentally friendly buildings in Portland, Oregon, as well as the United States. (Left photo courtesy SERA and right photo by Nic Lehoux)At the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, greater than 60% water savings will be achieved through a dual strategy of incorporating water conserving plumbing fixtures together with a rainwater system. (Photo by SERA)
Gateway Center at SUNY-ESF College of Environmental Science & Forestry designed by Architerra
View of the Gateway Center – SUNY-ESF College of Environmental Science & Forestry designed by Architerra, featuring flipper walls, double-skinned facades, and roof monitors. (Photo by David Lamb Photography)A color-coded district energy plant serves as a classroom at the Gateway Center – SUNY-ESF College of Environmental Science & Forestry. (Image courtesy Architerra and Photo by David Lamb Photography)
John & Frances Angelos Law Center designed by Behnisch Architekten and Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners
An aerial view of the John & Frances Angelos Law Center from the Northeast showing the building’s urban context in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Construction Trades Services, Inc. / Theresa Tomasini)The John & Frances Angelos Law Center’s Entrance Lobby showcases the “butterfly” LED chandelier. The main entrance on level 01 brings users directly into the atrium, thereby promoting a sense of community within the school. (Photo by Brad Feinknopf)
Sustainability Treehouse designed by Mithun and BNIM
The Sustainability Treehouse in Glen Jean, West Virginia features immersive exhibit volumes connected through dynamic circulation experiences. (Photo by Joe Fletcher)The Ground Viewing Gallery in the Sustainability Treehouse designed by Mithun and BNIM provides interactive teaching opportunities and a focus on the forest floor ecosystem. (Photo by Joe Fletcher)
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters is set within a vibrant, regenerative ecosystem. (Photo by Jeremy Bittermann and courtesy of Joni L. Janecki & Associates, Inc.)A view towards the southeast façade of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters designed by EHDD and located in Los Altos, California. The large flex-space meeting room with a succulent green roof above it sits in foreground. (Photo by Jeremy Bittermann)
U.S. Land Port of Entry designed by Snow Kreilich Architects, Inc.
View of the Secondary Inspection Canopy at the U.S. Land Port of Entry located in Warroad, Minnesota and designed by Snow Kreilich Architects, Inc. (Photo by Frank Ooms)Native plantings planted at the U.S. Land Port of Entry designed by Snow Kreilich Architects, Inc. provide a vibrant backdrop/foreground for the building. (Photo by Frank Ooms)
Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse designed by Westlake Reed Leskosky and The Beck Group
The renovated West Elevation of the Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Junction, Colorado. (Photo by Kevin G. Reeves)The interiors of the Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse also underwent extensive renovation and preservation. (Photo by Kevin G. Reeves)
Mignon O’Young, Editor, is a California licensed architect, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Green Building Professional with more than 15 years of experience in the design, construction, green building, and affordable housing development industries.
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