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The “green” transformation and adaptive reuse of a decommissioned airbase, a1986 office building, and a neglected historic landmark are among the top 10 examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions, as interpreted by AIA and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).
The projects will be recognized at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition, scheduled for May 17-19 in Washington, D.C.
In its 16th year, the COTE Top Ten Green Projects program is the “profession’s best known recognition program for sustainable design excellence.” In announcing the winners, AIA said the projects reflect an integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technologies.
The descriptions below provide brief summaries of the projects. More information is available by clicking the linked project name.
The Top Ten
1315 Peachtree Street, Atlanta
Perkins+Will
This project is a civic-focused adaptive reuse of a 1986 office structure transformed into a “living laboratory” and educational tool for sustainable design. Rainwater from the roof and the fifth-floor terrace is captured and stored in an underground cistern which is then filtered, treated with ultraviolet light, then pumped to all flush fixtures in the building.
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Eduard Hueber |
Solar studies and energy modeling informed design decisions regarding daylighting, glazing replacement, glazing materials, and shading systems. Existing pavement was replaced by permeable paving and landscaping to help recharge the region’s aquifer.
ASU Polytechnic Academic District, Mesa, Ariz.
RSP Architects and Lake Flato Architects
The design for the Arizona State University Polytechnic Academic District transformed a decommissioned airbase into an inviting pedestrian campus that includes five high-performance LEED Gold-rated buildings.
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Bill Timmerman |
The design for the new campus creates a new identity that responds to its desert climate and context by using a dense network of linear buildings that maximizes shade and creates a vibrant pedestrian environment.
The building typology grew from the same objective by extroverting the circulation which also served to minimize the air-conditioned square footage and electricity for lighting.
Chandler City Hall, Chandler, Ariz.
SmithGroupJJR
This project is a low- to mid-rise government complex that responds to the harsh desert climate and at the same time provides for appropriate outdoor spaces that introduced much-needed green space.
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Bill Timmerman |
The building takes a comprehensive approach to reducing potable water use by employing interior and exterior strategies. Passive shading strategies along with a high-performance glazing were utilized to knock out as much of the solar heat gain as possible. This allowed mechanical systems to be appropriately sized and varied depending on building function.
Iowa Utilities Board Office of Consumer Advocate Office Building, Des Moines
BNIM
This project is an infill development on the six-acre site of a former landfill. The project captures and infiltrates 100% of the stormwater from the average annual rainfall event and diverts stormwater from six acres of adjacent streets for on-site treatment. Thermal mass captures “free heating,” modulates temperatures and thus reduces loads.
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AIA |
A year after opening, the project is reported to be performing at 68% energy savings beyond the energy-code baseline (ASHRAE 90.1-2004). The geothermal well field uses the earth’s constant temperature to offset heating and cooling loads. High-performance glass is tuned to the characteristics of each elevation’s exposures. More than 95% of the regularly occupied spaces in the building have daylight.
Mercy Corps Global Headquarters; Portland, Ore.
THA Architecture
This project involved the restoration of a 42,000-square-foot, neglected historical landmark.
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Bruce Forster |
The project includes a 3,800-square-foot green roof that filters water and slows stormwater discharge, and contributes to better air quality in this area of downtown Portland.
Potable water use was reduced by 40% with water-saving plumbing fixtures such as low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets. Landscape plants are xeriscaped to eliminate the need for irrigation water, resulting in a more than 50% reduction of potable-water consumption for irrigation. Onsite paving is pervious to encourage direct ground infiltration during rainfall.
Kensington High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Philadelphia
SMP Architects (in collaboration with SRK Architects)
The design team concentrated on making this project as transparent and inviting as possible. Since completion of the project truancy has dropped from 35% to 0%, test scores have quadrupled and graduation has gone from 29% to 69%—in one year. The faculty has embraced many of the visible sustainability features and used them as teaching tools for students.
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AIA |
A high percentage of recycled and rapidly renewable materials was incorporated into the project design. The design team also put emphasis on orienting classrooms for optimal daylighting, reducing artificial lighting and HVAC loads.
Music and Science Building, Hood River, Ore.
Opsis Architecture
The goal of this project was creation of a public building that fuses sustainable design with sustainability curriculum and carefully integrate the facility into the existing National Historic Landmark site.
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Mathers |
The project team worked closely with the school’s teachers to include and enhance building components that will be incorporated into the curriculum. The students have access to the heart of the building’s geothermal and water system—the pump room—which is labeled and metered specifically to be used for classroom demonstration and instruction.
Portland Community College (PCC) Newberg Center, Newberg, Ore.
Hennebery Eddy Architects
Designed to be the first net-zero-energy higher education building in Oregon, this project supports the college’s sustainable mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
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Stephen Miller |
Overall water use was reduced by 49.2% through the use of low-flow faucets and toilets. A weather-based irrigation system controller, drip irrigation and high-efficiency spray heads reduced irrigation water use by more than 50%.
Stretched out along the east-west axis, the design maximizes the north and south building exposures. Taking advantage of the Pacific Northwest’s climate, the building incorporates natural ventilation and passive cooling articulated by the ventilation stacks that organize the circulation spine.
University of Minnesota Duluth—Bagley Classroom Building, Duluth, Minn.
Salmela Architect
Serving eight different departments, this project incorporated the German passiv haus system in the design process to meet all the performance goals set forth by the client. Educational and pedagogical innovations were paramount throughout the design, construction and operation of the building.
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Paul Crosby |
The vegetative roof provides additional habitat, and the chives and flowering sedum attract butterflies and bees. It also keeps the building and surrounding area cool. Building orientation eliminates artificial cooling; the building is cooled by shading with existing tree cover in the summer towards the south, as well as shading devices designed for the building.
University of California, Merced 2009 Long Range Development Plan, Merced, Calif.
UC Merced
This project’s approach embraces economic, social and environmental sustainability in all aspects of its built environment, operations and approach to programming. The plan’s design standards include daylighting in 75% of interior spaces. The building employs energy-efficient lighting, daylighting controls and carbon dioxide sensors that adjust airflow depending on occupancy.
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Mark Luthringer |
Under the plan’s zero-net-energy approach, the campus generates as much electricity as it uses through a portfolio of solar, wind, waste-to-energy, and other energy efficiencies.
The Judges
The 2012 COTE Top Ten Green Projects jury included: Clark S. Brockman, AIA, SERA Architects Inc.; Steve L. Dumez, FAIA, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple Architects; Scott Shell, FAIA, EHDD Architecture; Laura Lee, FAIA, Carnegie Mellon University; Paul Schwer, PAE Consulting Engineers; and Sue Barnett, Sue Barnett Sustainable Design.
More information: www.aia.org.
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