Architecture

AIA highlights best new sustainable architecture by US-based studios

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The University of Washington - Life Sciences Building is one of the sustainable projects highlighted in the 2021 COTE Top Ten Awards
Kevin Scott
Arizona State University Hayden Library Reinvention was designed by Ayers Saint Gross and is located in Tempe, Arizona
Gabe Border
The Arizona State University Hayden Library Reinvention involved completely remodeling the existing building's exterior to make it more accessible and better connected to the surrounding campus
Gabe Border
The Arizona State University Hayden Library Reinvention received new high-performance insulated glazing, an efficient cooling system, and a 249.5-kW rooftop solar array, which reduces its draw on the grid. It has been awarded the LEED Platinum green building standard
Gabe Border
Civitas is a family home that was designed by Archimania and is located in Memphis, Tennessee
Alan Karchmer/OTTO
The construction of Civitas made use of recycled and local materials. The interior is designed around maximizing natural light and the team also created a new habitat on the site to attract pollinators, specifically hummingbirds
Alan Karchmer/OTTO
Civitas features solar power and rainwater collection systems. Thanks to its energy efficiency, it has received the LEED Platinum green building standard
Alan Karchmer/OTTO
Lafayette College Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center was designed by Payette and is located in Easton, Pennsylvania
Robert Benson Photography
Lafayette College Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center is described by the AIA as one of the lowest energy use academic laboratory buildings in the US
Robert Benson Photography
Lafayette College Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center has received the LEED Platinum building standard. It includes green roofs, was built using sustainably sourced timber, and features water-saving low flow fixtures that reduce water usage by 41 percent
Robert Benson Photography
Market One was designed by Neumann Monson Architects and is located in Des Moines, Iowa
Integrated Studio
Market One involved a sustainable renovation of a manufacturing facility that was constructed in 1901. The building was turned into energy efficient offices while retaining its historic character
Integrated Studio
Market One received the LEED Platinum green building standard. Its grid-based electricity use is reduced by solar panels on the roof and a separate solar canopy that shades an adjacent parking lot. LED lighting and efficient ventilation systems were installed and it's topped by a green roof
Integrated Studio
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MIT.nano was designed by HGA and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Anton Grassl
MIT.nano plays host to very ambitious research that aims to find sources of sustainable energy and a cure for cancer
Anton Grassl
MIT.nano achieved the LEED Platinum green building standard. Notable sustainable features include rainwater capture for irrigation, the planting of trees, a glass facade that has been etched to mitigate bird collisions, and extensive air filtration systems
Anton Grassl
Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus was designed by WRNS Studio and is located in Mountain View, California
WRNS Studio
Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus involved the extension and sustainable renovation of Microsoft's Silicon Valley facility, boosting employee capacity and improving their wellbeing with a focus on natural light and outdoor spaces
WRNS Studio
Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus is slated to receive the LEED Platinum green building standard for its sustainable design, which includes solar panels, rainwater capture systems, and green roofs
WRNS Studio
Rainier Beach Clinic was designed by Mahlum Architects and is located in Seattle, Washington
Mahlum Architects
Rainier Beach Clinic is a kidney center that offers dialysis care with a patient-centric approach
Mahlum Architects
Rainier Beach Clinic is focused on creating a comfortable and energy efficient interior. Daylight is maximized, while solar heat gain is also mitigated. A solar panel array is installed to reduce its grid-based electricity use, and rainwater is captured and used for irrigation. It's slated to receive the LEED Silver green building standard
Mahlum Architects
Ryerson University Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex was designed by Perkins & Will and is located in Toronto, Canada
Tom Arban Photography
Ryerson University Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex is conceived as a vertical campus with Nursing, Midwifery, Nutrition, and Occupational and Public Health classrooms
Tom Arban Photography
Ryerson University Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex was built with excellent insulation and has a high level of airtightness. Rainwater is captured and reused for toilet flushing and irrigation, and efficient heating, cooling, and lighting is installed
Tom Arban Photography
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design was designed by Lord Aeck Sargent in collaboration with The Miller Hull Partnership. It's located in Atlanta, Georgia
Jonathan Hillyer Photography
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is defined by a large west-facing "Regenerative Porch" which riffs on traditional southern design and provides shading
Jonathan Hillyer Photography
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design receives all of its required electricity from solar panels installed on its Regenerative Porch
Gregg Willett Photography
The University of Washington - Life Sciences Building was designed by Perkins & Will and is located in Seattle
Kevin Scott
The University of Washington - Life Sciences Building is one of the sustainable projects highlighted in the 2021 COTE Top Ten Awards
Kevin Scott
The University of Washington - Life Sciences Building features building integrated photovoltaics installed on its southwest facade, reducing unwanted solar heat gain in the offices and producing enough electricity to light the offices on all four floors of the building, year-round
Kevin Scott
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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has revealed its pick of the best sustainable new architecture by US-based firms for its annual Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Awards. Highlights include a sustainable renovation of Microsoft's Silicon Valley facility and a solar-powered light-filled educational building.

Now in its 25th year, the 2021 COTE Top Ten Awards is a prestigious award that consists of completed buildings designed by firms that are licensed to practice in the United States. All but one project is in the US this year, with the exception being in Toronto, Canada. Each one is a model of sustainable performance and superb design.

"The Committee on the Environment presents the COTE Top Ten Awards, the industry's best-known award program for sustainable design excellence," says the AIA. "Each year, ten innovative projects are recognized for their integration of design excellence with environmental performance."

Microsoft's new Silicon Valley Campus is one highlight. The project was designed by WRNS Studio and involved the extension and renovation of the software giant's Mountain View facility. A 20 percent increase in building size supports a 40 percent increase in employee count, by improving the interior layout and adding more efficient office spaces.

Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus involved the extension and sustainable renovation of Microsoft's Silicon Valley facility, boosting employee capacity and improving their wellbeing with a focus on natural light and outdoor spaces
WRNS Studio

The building's potable water use has been reduced by 57 percent by incorporating rainwater capture and filtration systems, while a 476.3-kW solar panel canopy is installed to reduce its grid-based electricity usage. Operable glazing maximizes both natural light and passive ventilation, green roofs add insulation and multiple courtyards and terraces encourage outdoor working and relaxation. The project is slated to receive the LEED Platinum green building standard.

Another project that caught our eye is the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, by Lord Aeck Sargent and The Miller Hull Partnership, is an eye-catching new multidisciplinary education building for the Georgia Institute of Technology. It has received LEED Platinum for its energy efficiency.

The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is defined by a large west-facing "Regenerative Porch" which riffs on traditional southern design and provides shading
Jonathan Hillyer Photography

The project is defined by a large west-facing "Regenerative Porch" which is inspired by traditional southern architecture and provides shade. The roof also sports an unspecified number of solar panels that produce enough electricity to meet its entire needs. At the building's heart lies a large atrium space which brings daylight deep into its interior, while rainwater collection systems reduce the building's draw on mains supply.

You can view all of this year's winners in the gallery, but we'll take one more stop to have a brief look at the University of Washington - Life Sciences Building in Seattle, which was designed by Perkins & Will. It provides a light-filled new biology building for research and teaching and received LEED Gold for its sustainable design.

The University of Washington - Life Sciences Building features building integrated photovoltaics installed on its southwest facade, reducing unwanted solar heat gain in the offices and producing enough electricity to light the offices on all four floors of the building, year-round
Kevin Scott

The building's eye-catching exterior is actually quite interesting. According to the AIA, it features "first-of-its-kind" building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs), which are installed on the southwest facade, and both reduce solar heat gain and provide enough electricity to light the offices throughout the building. The roof also sports solar panels and Perkins & Will added energy efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as rainwater capture and greywater recycling systems too.

Source: AIA

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2 comments
ljaques
ALL GLASS buildings are extremely low in efficiency, glass having an R value of 0.9 or so. Using six times more "renewable/sustainable" resources to make up for it doesn't make it sustainable. Wide-open buildings are prettier, but require ten times more air to be conditioned [heated/cooled/(de)humidified], requiring much more energy expenditure.
Miro
It looks like ship building industry, but object will sink if dropped in sea. Sustainability is the last word, this type of architecture to be called with.