Just in time for Earth Day, The American Institute of Architects announced the Top Ten Green Projects for 2003. Winning entries include residential, commercial, and educational projects. The awards program was cosponsored this year by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Building Museum, and hosted online by BuildingGreen, Inc. Full project descriptions are on DOE’s High-Performance Buildings Database at:
Photo: David Bushnell This preschool meets the needs of local children while supporting San Francisco’s largest community garden. Strong community advocacy led to the inclusion of passive-solar design and a photovoltaic system as well as a focus on natural ventilation and indoor air quality.
Architect: Farr Associates Architecture and Urban Design
Contact: Doug Farr
doug@farrside.com, 312-408-1661
Photo: Kevin Pierce Located on an urban brownfield site, this mixed-use building incorporates photovoltaic panels, a geothermal heating and cooling system, a vegetated roof, a rainwater collection system for on-site irrigation, and a variety of green building materials. Tenants include Spire Corporation, a solar-panel manufacturer; GreenCorps Chicago, a community gardening and job-training program; and a Chicago Department of Environment satellite office.
Colorado Court
Affordable Housing
Santa Monica, California
Architect: Pugh Scarpa Kodama
Contact: Lawrence Scarpa
larry@pugh-scarpa.com, 310-828-0226
Photo: Marvin Rand This 44-unit apartment building brings affordable and special-needs housing to the heart of Santa Monica. An extensive building-integrated photovoltaic system and a natural-gas turbine cogeneration system generate energy for the building, while a rainwater collection system allows runoff to penetrate the ground. See project profile in
Photo: Barry Halkin Located in Philadelphia’s John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, the Cusano Environmental Education Center promotes environmental awareness by providing visitors an opportunity to study wildlife in the Tinicum marsh. Energy conservation, responsible water use, and healthy building materials were the focus of sustainable design efforts. Explained in interpretive signs and programs, the buildings’ green design contributes to Cusano’s educational mission.
Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center
Seattle, Washington
Architect: Miller|Hull Partnership
Contact: Ronald Rochon
rrochon@millerhull.com, 206-682-6837
Photo: Steve Keating Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion is a multipurpose exhibition hall open year-round for concerts, festivals, and general recreation. It replaces a pavilion constructed 40 years ago for the Seattle World’s Fair. Buried into the hillside, the new building relies on thermal mass to reduce heating and cooling needs. Water demand was significantly reduced from existing conditions both inside the building and on the site.
This commercial office space was designed to support Herman Miller’s focus on sustainability. The 95,000-square-foot (8,800 m2) speculative office building was designed according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ standards and has been certified Gold in version 2.0. Designed and constructed on a tight budget, the building nonetheless uses 40% less energy than a minimally code-compliant building.
Hidden Villa Youth Hostel & Summer Camp
Los Altos Hills, California
Architect: Arkin Tilt Architects
Contact: David Arkin
info@arkintilt.com, 510-528-9830
Photo: Ed Caldwell Sited on a farm and wilderness preserve in the coastal hills between San Francisco and San Jose, Hidden Villa was designed to demonstrate the intimate link between humans and their surroundings. The buildings incorporate materials salvaged from the original 1937 hostel. Natural ventilation and thermal mass moderate temperature swings, and a ground-source heat pump heats both water and the radiant-floor system.
Photo: Cesar Rubio The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Forensic Laboratory and Coroner’s Office offers state-of-the-art laboratory space while meeting stringent security requirements. The building is more than twice as efficient as California’s Title 24 Standards mandate, and a huge rooftop photovoltaic system powers all non-HVAC needs. An aggressive waste management plan diverted over three quarters of all construction waste from the landfill.
Steinhude Sea Recreation Facility
Steinhude, Germany
Architects: Randall Stout Architects and Archimedes GmbH
Contact: Jason Marshall
marshall@stoutarc.com, 310-827-6876
Photo: Peter Hubbe Located on an island at the south shore of Germany’s Steinhude Sea, this small facility houses a cafe, lifeguard facilities, a boathouse, restrooms and showers, an exhibition area, and an observation deck. Photovoltaic panels, solar hot-water collectors, and a cogeneration microturbine fueled by rapeseed oil power the entire facility as well as a fleet of eight solar-powered boats. As automobiles are not allowed on the island, the facility is designed to accommodate bicyclers and pedestrians.
Photo: JD Peterson This single-family home was designed to connect its occupants to the outdoors. A covered but otherwise open “dogtrot” separates the living, dining, and kitchen space on one end from a bedroom and bathroom on the other. The home relies on natural ventilation, thermal mass, and good insulation for cooling in place of mechanical air conditioning.
(2003, May 1). AIA Committee on the Environment's 2003 Top Ten. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/aia-committee-environments-2003-top-ten
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