AIA Announces Top 10 Green Projects

May 9, 2013 1352 Views Eastern U.S., Granger Construction Company, Inova Loudoun Medical Campus – Leesburg, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School

WASHINGTON — On April 22, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) announced the selected projects for the COTE Top Ten Green Projects program, a recognition program for sustainable design excellence now in its 17th year. The projects will be honored in Denver at the AIA 2013 National Convention and Design Exposition in June.

The projects are chosen based on their integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology. Plus, they make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through a variety of sustainable strategies.

The jury that chose this year’s top 10 projects included Fiona Cousins, PE, Arup; Lance Hosey, AIA, RTKL; Keelan Kaiser, AIA, Judson University; Sheila Kennedy, AIA, Kennedy & Violich Architecture Ltd.; Rod Kruse, FAIA, BNIM Architects and Gail Vittori, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems.

The Top 10 projects included eight commercial projects:
• Charles David Keeling Apartments in La Jolla, Calif.; designed by KieranTimberlake
• Clock Shadow Building in Milwaukee; designed by Continuum Architects + Planners
• Federal Center South Building 1202 in Seattle; designed by ZGF Architects LLP
• Marin Country Day School Learning Resource Center and Courtyard in Corte Madera, Calif.; designed by EHDD
• Merritt Crossing Senior Apts. in Oakland, Calif.; designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
• Pearl Brewery/Full Goods Warehouse in San Antonio; designed by Lake Flato Architects
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters (SFPUC) in San Francisco; designed by a joint venture of KMD Architects and Stevens & Associates
• Swenson Civil Engineering Building in Duluth, Minn.; the design architect was Ross Barney Architects and the architect of record was SJA Architects

On the same day, AIA and COTE also announced the Matarozzi/Pelsinger Multi-Use Building in San Francisco, designed by Aidlin Darling Design, as the first recipient of the Top Ten Plus Award. This award recognizes a past AIA COTE Top Ten Projects Award recipient that has quantifiable metrics to demonstrate the achievement of a sustainable design. This project was recognized with the award in 2010, and after 4.5 years of use, the office spaces still look new because of the durability of the materials used. Recycling and composting procedures have been carried out, with 40 percent of waste recycled, 40 percent composted within the on-site garden and only 20 percent going to landfill.