Interest in green buildings has grown tremendously over the years as consumers recognize that a number of energy-efficiency strategies can save money and reduce impact on the environment. Not surprisingly, the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) is encouraged by this recognition.
However, because Americans spend more than 90% of our time indoors, our buildings should possess other attributes to keep us safe, healthy, productive and they should be accessible to all. Our annual The Beyond Green TM Awards program is just one way we inspire building stakeholders to incorporate desirable high-performance feature into buildings: Sustainability, Accessibility, Cost-Effectiveness, Functionality, Productivity/Health, Historic Preservation, Safety and Security, and Aesthetics.
Winners of the 2010 program had the opportunity to share their projects recently with two distinct audiences that have an interest and ability to help the nation achieve better building performance. The first event was held on Capitol Hill, and the second at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture.
While all of the projects shared cutting-edge thinking and aspirations, several themes emerged from among the winning entries. For example, the two Grand Prize winners, one in Buildings Category, and one in the Initiatives Category, inspire observers to improve the built environment though changes in policy or behavior.
The Grand Prize building winner was LOTT Clean Water Alliance Regional Services Center, a non-profit that provides wastewater services for nearly 85,000 people. Led by the Miller-Hull Partnership, this new building, located in Olympia, Washington, is blocks away from the state capital. The center is home to a research lab, treatment plant, office headquarters, and educational facility.
The facility’s educational center features an array of interpretive exhibits all of which reinforce LOTT’s motto of “Right Water for the Right Use.” Additionally, the facility makes prudent use of water and energy by meeting the 2010 goal of the 2030 Challenge. The site also captures and uses methane from the waste treatment process and features an onsite cogeneration plant.
The Grand Prize initiative winner; NYC Active Design Guidelines City of New York is the result of a joint collaboration between several government agencies in New York City. Inspired by the 19th century building improvements that dramatically decreased infectious diseases in New York, the Active Design Guidelines seeks to combat the present-day epidemic of obesity.
The guidelines are beginning to impact New York, and city officials are looking to share their experiences with other municipalities. In the meantime, plans are afoot to open a Center for Active Design Practice and Policy based in New York City.
Two projects by Gensler demonstrated that sustainable design can also be business-friendly. Gensler’s first place award was given for their work on the Johnson Controls Incorporated Headquarters, a renovation and expansion of Johnson Controls’ corporate campus. The site, which doubled their available office space, reduced the firms overall energy use by 21%. The complex features Wisconsin’s largest solar PV array and more than 13 acres of native prairie vegetation that has helped attract wildlife back to the site. Attention to corporate detail was also present, as the Gensler team incorporated copper-colored vertical fins on the battery-division’s building, which brand the building and manage sunlight.
Gensler also received a special citation for ‘Corporate Commitment for Going Beyond Green’ for their work with PNC Place, in Washington, DC. The team helped create a polished, sleek, and leasable office building while also incorporating demonstrable green features to reflect PNCs commitment to the environment. The eco-lobby includes a vertical vegetative wall that extends the lobby below grade helping to increase rentable space. It also features a three-story water wall of re-circulated water flowing over steel mesh that manages humidity and reduces demand for conditioning.
Two small projects demonstrate how thoughtful design can provide potent change to a community. Receiving the award for Second Place was the Magnify Credit Union, in Lakeland, Florida. The project embodies the client’s mission of responsible, accessible and flexible service to the community. Straughn Trout Architects created a net-zero energy building that collects rain water in two large cisterns, eliminating the need for new water infrastructure to the property.
The site continues to be utilized off-hours by neighborhood events in the community room and on the reconfigurable plaza, adjacent to a popular ice cream parlor that remained on-site while the credit union was built around it.
In contrast, a citation for ‘Exemplary Community Involvement’ was given to the Third Street Center in Carbondale, Colorado, which serves as a non-profit incubator. The project did not have a single guiding vision but rather a community-wide level of input. Energy and Sustainable Design Inc. preserved a decommissioned school building on a shoestring budget. Project managers were able to adhere to their mantra that “a building is not sustainable if you cannot pay for it.”
The location of the project site provided inspiration for the next three groups of winners. SmithGroup used the site designated for the Clemson University’s Sandhill Research and Education Center, as aesthetic inspiration for the building’s design. Built into the side of a hill, the project’s material palette draws its clues from the surrounding forest and mountains.
Similarly, the ‘Integrated Design Concepts’ winner, Pine Jog Elementary School, uses its 150 acre site as an outdoor classroom. Zyscovich Architects reinforced connections to the site by placing the building at the head of a nature trail. Outdoor learning porches, which straddle the trail entrance, feature columns that imitate adjacent pine trees. The focus of the buildings, as well as the instruction, is nature.
A citation for ‘Innovative Envelope System’ was awarded to William Rawn Associates for its work on the Cambridge Public Library. The project features an innovative double-wall façade, which maximizes views to its park setting while creating an insulated airspace with vents that regulate air flow. Also incorporating movable sunshades, the façade allows for complete transparency while ensuring protection from excessive heat gain, heat loss, and glare.
Finally, the 2010 program also featured the presentation of the first annual Greg Franta Memorial Award, which was named after the late Mr. Franta, an early pioneer in the field of sustainable architecture. Presented to Harry Gordon, FAIA, LEED AP, for his “outstanding contribution to high-performance building design and construction,” Mr. Gordon’s impressive 37 year career proves that the design, creation, operation and deconstruction of high-performance buildings is more than just a passing trend; it is vital to ensure our buildings are mindful of the people they serve, and the environment they impact.
Written by: Bud DeFlavis, Executive Director, SBIC
Bud DeFlaviis is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, an educational non-profit dedicated to the advancement of sustainable, high-performance buildings. Prior to his position with SBIC, Mr. DeFlaviis served as the Director of Government Affairs for the U.S. Fuel Cell Council as the association’s first lobbyist. He also served as Press Secretary for Congressman Curt Weldon from Pennsylvania. Bud is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and a minor in Political Science.