Top 10 Green Buildings 2009

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Joyce Benson Add a Comment |
Tag(s): Green Building

For the past 10+ years, the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA-COTE) has passed its judgement on various buildings constructed using sustainable design concepts. This year’s top 10 winners include a variety of structures, from affordable housing units and mixed use developments to a nature center and synagogue.

Charles Hostler Student Center, at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, touts efficient energy and water systems.
Chartwell, located in Seaside, CA, is a net-zero energy school that incorporates natural ventilation, daylighting strategies, radiant heating, and photovoltaics.
Gish Apartments of San Jose, CA, is a high-density, affordable housing complex featuring passive heating and cooling strategies and a photovoltaic system.
Great River Energy Headquarters, situated in Maple Grove, MN, highlights an on-site renewable energy system, highly efficient mechanical systems, and many water-reuse strategies.
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, IL. This synagogue utilizes a passive-solar design and many salvaged materials.
Portola Valley Town Center of Portola Valley, CA is a group of civic buildings that features a small construction footprint, passive solar design, and restoration of the site’s environment.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Orange, TX, was constructed to have minimal impact on its ecologically sensitive site. (pictured here)
Synergy at Dockside Green, located in Victoria, BC, is a high-density, mixed use development featuring district heating and onsite treatment of wastewater.
The Terry Thomas mixed-use building in Seattle, WA, plays up its passive cooling, natural ventilation and daylighting techniques.
World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare located on Cape Cod, MA, uses high-tech and low-tech water-management strategies.