by Brianna Crandall — February 11, 2013—The National Institute of Building Sciences Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) recognized the winners of the 2012 Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards at a luncheon held in their honor during Building Innovation 2013, the Institute’s annual conference and expo.
The Beyond Green Awards recognize those initiatives that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance building market, as well as the real-world application of high-performance design and construction practices. Winning entries were selected based on each project’s ability to integrate and optimize the high-performance attributes of sustainability, accessibility, aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, functionality, productivity, historical sensitivity, and safety and security. The annual awards program is open to all who apply.
Category A: High-Performance Buildings
Honor Award—First Place: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District Headquarters
The result of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), this U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) project transformed a brownfield industrial warehouse site into the Corps’ Seattle Headquarters. The building had to be designed to comply with numerous requirements, including sustainability and anti-terrorism standards. The project made extensive use of building information modeling (BIM) and incorporated an incentive compensation structure to encourage meeting of performance targets. The 200,000-square-foot facility is anticipated to be in the top one percent of U.S. buildings for energy performance. The judges noted the “impressive integration of systems” across conventional boundaries, as demonstrated by the building’s phase-change materials, an interesting and innovative combination of foundation piles, and geothermal, reclaimed timber and unique chilled “sails.”
Award of Merit: The George D. Aiken Center at the University of Vermont
The Aiken Center reportedly demonstrates the possibilities to transform an existing building to meet current needs. The project team, led by Maclay Architects, “took a dark and unfriendly campus icon and converted it to be an energy-efficient building, as well as a healthier and friendlier feature of the University of Vermont and a model for a national sustainable future,” according to the judges. The $13 million renovation serves as the home for the Rubenstein School for the Environment and Natural Resources. This net-zero-energy-ready building is said to embrace both its past character and its role as an educational demonstration. Over 200 sensors and meters provide data and the EcoMachine cleans 100% of the building’s wastewater in full view of occupants.
Award of Merit: The Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology
This 42,000-square-foot facility submitted by the Gilbane Building Company was designed and built to match the important clean energy sciences work that would go on inside. Through a lean construction approach, the laboratory was delivered on time and nearly achieved net-zero energy. The design incorporates daylighting and natural ventilation in the lab space, and groups spaces of similar needs together.
Category B: High-Performance Initiatives
Award of Merit: Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes Synergy Rewards Program
This program engages more than 4,000 military community residents in active pursuit of energy-saving opportunities through feedback and incentives. The program features fun and interactive opportunities for residents to learn and receive credits towards rewards. So far, the program has resulted in energy savings of nine percent, with benefits accruing to both the residents and Mountain Community Homes. According to the judges, “Lessons learned from this program can be applied across the country and should help inform future initiatives aimed at reducing community energy use.”
In addition to their prizes and recognition, Beyond Green High-Performance Building Award winners have the opportunity to showcase their projects as case studies on the Institute’s Whole Building Design Guide Web site. The 2011 award winners’ case studies are available on the site now.
