Press Releases

The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (AIA–COTE) has announced its Top Ten projects for 2012. Dominated by limited-budget public and institutional projects, this year’s Top Ten winners include an unusual number of adaptive reuse projects and highlight community ties, social equity, and attentiveness to water issues on par with what we’ve customarily seen for energy performance. “These projects really demonstrate that you don’t need a client with bottomless pockets or a purely pedagogical mission related to sustainability,” wrote one juror. Another juror emphasized the enduring importance of buildings that inspire people and connect neighborhoods: “It is the true measure of sustainability—the fact that a project becomes so embraced by its community that its value far exceeds the value of a conventionally designed building.” The winners include one building designed to Passive House standards, a number of projects striving for net-zero energy consumption, and others additionally striving for net-zero water and waste consumption. AIA-COTE Top Ten Winners