School Projects Selected for AIA COTE Awards
WASHINGTON — The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment selected two schools as part of its top 10 green projects list for 2009.
The Charles Hostler Student Center on the campus of the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, submitted by VJAA of Minneapolis, and the Chartwell School campus in Seaside, Calif., submitted by EHDD Architecture of San Francisco, were selected by the committee and honored at the AIA national convention this year.
The single-building, 21,200-square-foot Chartwell School campus, completed in October 2006, serves first through eighth grades and is LEED Platinum certified.
The school, which serves students with learning differences, was designed to incorporate strategies proven to improve learning outcomes, according to planners.
The design uses tall, north-facing windows and clerestories to harness daylight. Sloping shed roofs support photovoltaic energy systems and radiant heat allows for a quiet learning environment by reducing the size of mechanical equipment and spaces.
The structure was framed at two feet on center, which reduced the amount of lumber used on the project and construction costs. The school also aims to achieve a net-zero energy goal.
The 204,000-square-foot Charles Hostler Student Center, completed in February 2008, includes a variety of recreation and athletic facilities including a swimming pool and basketball, volleyball, handball and weight training areas.
Planners designed multiple building volumes that connect a continuous field of habitable space with gardens on multiple levels, according to the AIA. The volumes are arranged around a network of radial streets that are oriented to the nearby seafront with courtyards, circulation paths and other features.
The placement of structures forms a symbiotic relationship with the region’s climate to redistribute air, shade and activity, according to designers. The movement of human traffic through the facility naturally condenses at different locations that are designed with microclimates to reduce the need for energy and water consumption.
The vegetated rooftops help reduce exposure to sunlight and provide activity space.
Other award-winning projects include:
• Gish Family Apartments, San Jose, Calif. (OJK Architecture and Planning): This downtown 35-unit apartment complex is designed to provide public transit-oriented housing for households earning 35 percent to 50 percent of the median income in the area. The mixed-use building was constructed on a brownfield site and features a rooftop solar array, high-performance insulation, double-glazed windows and high-efficiency mechanical systems.
• Great River Energy Headquarters, Maple Gove, Minn. (Perkins+Will): The 166,000-square-foot, four-story building for Minnesota’s second-largest electric wholesale supplier features a concrete frame with a glass curtainwall. The facilities combine energy efficiency measures with on-site renewable energy and grid-supplied green power to cut fossil fuel consumption by 75 percent and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent.
• Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Evanston, Ill. (Ross Barney Architects): This new synagogue balances the limitations of a small site with worship, education and community objectives. Stormwater management is a major component of the project, along with reduced floor-to-ceiling heights, and environmentally friendly and low-emitting materials.
• Portola Valley Town Center, Portola Valley, Calif. (Siegel & Strain Architects): The project provided replacement facilities a library, community hall and town hall at a surplus public school site. Materials from deconstructed buildings at the site were used during construction, concrete was mixed with 70 percent slag and energy-efficient systems were installed.
• Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, Orange, Texas (Lake\Flato Architects): This 252-acre nature center provides hands-on learning activities with a variety of facilities. The project included land restoration, a wetlands demonstration garden and buildings that are designed to have a minimal impact.
• Synergy at Dockside Green, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Busby Perkins+Wills Architects Co.): This 1.3 million-square-foot mixed-use development is located on a former brownfield site. The first phase includes four buildings with residential and commercial spaces designed for energy efficiency. Green roofs are designed to reduce the heat-island effect and stormwater mitigation. The project features a greywater system and an on-site water treatment plant.
• The Terry Thomas (Weber Thompson), Seattle: This office space is located in a former light industrial area along a streetcar line. The facility is designed to improve the quality of life and productivity of building occupants. Natural light, ventilation and community connections were a priority during the design process.
• World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Yarmouthport, Mass (DesignLab Architects): This building serves nearly 200 people in three connected buildings with 54,000-square-feet of space. The design team re-established a natural habitat on the brownfield site and used siting, orientation, natural light and high-efficiency systems.