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AIA honors integrated Design Excellence with Environmental Performance

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) is awarding ten design projects with its highest honor—the COTE Top Ten Awards— for their significant achievements in holistic sustainability and advancing climate action and equity.

The award, now in its 27th year, celebrates design projects that have expertly integrated design excellence with innovative performance in ten key areas. The COTE Top Ten projects illustrate the solutions architects provide for the health and welfare of our communities and planet.

To be eligible, project submissions are required to demonstrate alignment with COTE’s rigorous criteria, which include social, economic, and ecological values. The four-member jury evaluates each project submission based on the effectiveness of their holistic design solution and metrics associated with the ten principles of AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. This year’s COTE Top Ten Awards recipients are as follows:

Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom, San Francisco | Mithun with Y.A. Studio

Confluence Park, San Antonio | Lake|Flato Architects + Matsys

DPR Sacramento Zero Net Energy Office, Sacramento | SmithGroup

Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex, Boston | Behnisch Architekten

John W. Olver Transit Center, Greenfield, Mass. | Charles Rose Architects

RIDC Mill 19: Buildings A & B, Pittsburgh | MSR Design

Science and Environmental Center, Hillsborough, Calif. | Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects

UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood, San Diego | HKS, Inc & Safdie Rabines Architects

Watershed, Seattle | Weber Thompson

Westwood Hills Nature Center, St. Louis Park, Minn.|HGA Architects and Engineers

Visit AIA’s website for more information on the COTE Top Ten Awards program.