Collection by Miyoko Ohtake
Top Ten Green Projects 2010
This week, the American Institute of Architects' Committe on the Environment (COTE) announced its Top Ten Green Projects. The program, in its 14th year, applauds structures that incorporate sustainable systems in its architecture, natural systems, and technology and extend beyond the skin of the building and use strategies that incorporate existing buildings, place the structures close to public transit systems, and more.
View our slideshow of COTE's Top Ten Green Projects 2010.
Project: Manitoba Hydro Place
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
View: Exterior
Architect: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and Smith Carter Architects and Engineers
AIA summary: "Manitoba Hydro Place was designed utilizing a formal integrated design process to achieve daunting goals of energy efficiency, healthy workplace environment, urban revitalization, sustainability and architectural excellence. A model for bioclimatic design in an extreme climate that fluctuates 70°C annually, the ‘Capital A’ form is site specific to harness the maximum amount of passive solar and wind energies and to provide 100% fresh air, 24/7. At 88 kwh/m2/annually, from a demand side, it is the most energy efficient large office tower in North America, with a 66% improvement over the standard. While targeting LEED Platinum certification, Manitoba Hydro Place has, more importantly, achieved its ultimate goal of a superior indoor environment for the health and well-being of its employees."
Photo by Eduard Hueber/Arch Photo Inc.
Project: KAUST
Location: Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
View: Exterior, campus
Architect: HOK
AIA summary: "King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is a new international, graduate-level research university established to drive innovation in science and technology and to support world-class research in areas such as energy and the environment. KAUST's new campus is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's first LEED certified project and the world's largest LEED Platinum project. By integrating sustainable measures into the site planning, the community, the building design and the campus operations, the university is demonstrating new ways to build in the region and promoting responsible stewardship of the environment."
Photo by JB Picoulet.
Project: Kroon Hall, Yale University
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
View: Exterior at night
Architect: Hopkins Architects and Centerbrook Architects & Planners
AIA summary: "Replacing a brownfield site, Kroon Hall was charged with being a net zero energy building. The architects and the University wanted Kroon Hall to set a new standard for schools around the country. It had to function not simply as a sustainable overlay that offset unsustainable practices in people’s everyday lives but as something that inspired and encouraged people to alter their lives and become more sustainable citizens. This was accomplished through a mix of active and passive design measures and visible, invisible and interactive building features."
Photo by Morley Von Sternberg.
Project: Omega Center for Sustainable Living
Location: Rhinebeck, New York
View: Exterior
Architect: BNIM Architects
AIA summary: "The Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) is a very purposeful building and site, designed to clean water, return the clean water to the local systems, and educate users about the process. Eco-Machine™ technologies were selected to clean the water utilizing natural systems including the earth, plants and sunlight. The entire building and water process utilize site harvested renewable energy achieving a net zero energy system. This required the facility to be free of waste (volume, material, energy), organized and carefully tuned to harvest solar energy for passive heating and lighting, utilizing the entire mass for thermal comfort. The resultant design’s simplicity and elegance fit its noble purpose."
Photo by Assassi.
Project: Special No. 9 House
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
View: Exterior
Architect: KieranTimberlake
AIA summary: "The Special No. 9 House was designed for the Make It Right Foundation to provide storm-resistant, affordable, and sustainable housing options for the residents of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward displaced by Hurricane Katrina. To support Make It Right’s goal of building 150 homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, this single-family home is poised for mass production, anticipating a shift from on-site to off-site fabrication as more homes are scheduled for construction. Key goals were to create safe, healthy and dignified housing to residents in a flood-prone area, and to empower residents to return to improved living conditions that take advantage of New Orleans’ climate and express its deep cultural heritage."
Photo by John Williams Architects.
10 more saves