Every year, the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) invites electronic submissions of built projects and announces ten (10) award winners. I’ve included direct links to each project below — after the links, you’ll find detailed case studies and background information. Here they are …
Soon there could be a new, sustainable tower rising in the Sydney skyline at 8 Chifley Square. Subject to council approval, the colorful building would seek both a six-star Green Star and five-star ABGR rating, the highest level of certification available under both systems. With design like that, it won’t surprise many that 8 Chifley is expected to use 50% less energy than a comparable Sydney CBD building.
In the process of digging the huge Diamond Valley Lake Reservoir in Southern California, some significant fossils were discovered. The fossils have been sitting around for several years waiting for a super-modern museum to call home, so The Center for Water Education Foundation and the Western Center Community Foundation commissioned Lehrer Architects to design such a place. The result is the Water + Life Museums, a complex that just so happens to claim a right to being the world’s first LEED Platinum certified museum.
Sure, this New Zealand home is heavy on the industrial, nuclear reactor look, but it has a certain draw to it, don't you think? I was pointed to these images in a flickr photoset owned by petraalsbach and was struck by the interesting use of containers — as you can tell, the home was built right up to, and possibly into, the hill. Containers are strong and stackable,and it seems like lots of people are using them right now in home design. Container homes may just become more popular than modern prefab …
I used to drive by Buzz Lofts all the time and check out the construction progress. It's a modern, green, and affordable condo-loft community immediately south of downtown Dallas. The development is in what you may call an up and coming neighborhood, but the location is great: near the DART rail and all those downtown jobs. Buzz has been popular, too, with most units nearly sold out.
Project Profiles
