2017 AIA COTE Top Ten Awards Emphasize Buildings That Teach

The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Awards recognize projects that achieve high levels of sustainable performance while providing for excellent architectural function, use, and experience—in other words, projects that exemplify truly great design. For 2017, in addition to design intent, the application placed increased importance on actual performance and required submitting firms to provide metrics related to impact on community, ecology, water use, energy use, occupant health, resilience, and economy.

Among this year’s winning projects are healthcare facilities, educational buildings, a municipal salt shed, and a district energy plant. In addition to challenging building types, many of these projects faced tight budgets or climate constraints. (Five projects are located in the Northeast region of the U.S.)