Dive summary:
- Working through its Committee on the Environment, the American Institute of Architects has named its 2013 Top 10 Green Projects, many of which achieve net-zero or nearly net-zero energy use.
- Big budgets did not guarantee winners: juror Fiona Cousins of Arup said she found that projects with financial constraints sometimes beat out ones with deeper pockets behind them.
- Much of the green creativity came in water use, another juror said, noting that the buildings are helping to drive code changes by showing local officials that non-potable water can be used without posing a health hazard.
From the article:
“This group of projects underscored the social value of providing high functioning buildings for people who are often without the benefit of that,” notes juror Gail Vittori....
