April 2016

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Committee on the Enviroment

Letter from the Chair

Hello COTE Community!

April has been a big month for us with many exciting releases! On April 4, COTE released Lessons from the Leading Edge, an in-depth look at 200 COTE Top Ten Award winning projects over the last 20 years. One key takeaway is that many project examples show extraordinary performance at very low or average costs, dispelling the misperception that higher building performance requires higher costs.

Paula McEvoy, AIA, LEED Fellow

On Earth Day, April 22, COTE announced the 20th Anniversary Top Ten Awards recipients. We were thrilled with the variety of projects submitted! And over 30% of projects voluntarily submitted actual performance data in addition to Predicted EUI. We also awarded 10 student teams in the COTE Top Ten Student Competition and the COTE Top Ten Plus Award for a previous recipient which is still performing beautifully. Catch up with all of the Top Tens on the website, during our live COTE Tweet Chat on May 4th or in Philadelphia at the AIA Convention.

Also on Earth Day, representatives from 175 countries met at the UN in New York to formally sign the Paris Agreement. Wait, wasn’t this done last December? Not quite. At the COP21 U.N. climate summit in Paris, 195 countries agreed to text limiting global warming to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. On Earth Day, 175 countries signed, showing that they agreed with the Agreement. Now, at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions must ratify the agreement and establish it as law in their countries. On Earth Day, 34 countries, including the US and China, stated that they either had or this year will formally ratify the agreement. That’s almost 49% of global GHG emissions. With over 140 countries remaining to help push it over 55%, the goal, and the Agreement, seems more like reality. And if you or your clients are more a company than a country, there’s news there too. Over 100 major global companies have also agreed to do their part. It was a good week!

Regards,

Paula McEvoy signature

Paula McEvoy, FAIA, LEED Fellow
2016 Chair, AIA Committee on the Environment Advisory Group

In this issue

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2016 Sponsors

Top Ten Program Sponsor:

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Presenting Sponsor:

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Green Sponsor:

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Feature

Lessons learned from COTE Top Ten sustainable design projects

project types

Figure 5: Top Ten project types by percentage, 1997-2015.

Over the course of the Top Ten program, the diversity of project types has grown. Early on, office buildings were the largest single category, representing 30-40% of all winners. Recent years have seen more balance between project types, with residential and public projects especially growing. This trend could signal wider adoption of green building across various markets. Take a look at other trends in the program over the last 20 years with the COTE report, Lessons from the Leading Edge. After reading the report, you can take a short quiz to earn 2.5 AIA LUs.

Read more


In the News

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the COTE Top Ten/Top Ten Plus Awards

Biosciences Research Building

Biosciences Research Building; Payette with Reddy Architecture + Urbanism. Photo credit: Warren Jagger Photography.

Every year, COTE highlights 10 projects that push the boundaries of both sustainable and beautiful design. It continues this year continues as a jury comment suggests, "In a field of submittals where there are multiple net zero energy and/or water projects, Living Buildings and numerous LEED Platinum projects, it’s great to see the trend toward deeper integration of performance and design excellence.'

Check out this year's recipients featured in several online publications:

Learn More

COTE Top Ten for Students award recipients announced

Regenerating Water Avenue

Regenerating Water Avenue by Lacey Aley, Alex Collins & Addison Estrada | University of Oregon.

Out of 378 student and 56 faculty sponsor participants, 10 projects were chosen to receive the COTE Top Ten for Students award in it's second year of existence. The selected projects seamlessly integrate innovative, regenerative strategies within their broader design concepts. Check out the recipients featured in Architect Magazine "AIA and ACSA Award 2015-2016 COTE Top Ten for Students."

Learn More

Make an impact on the AIA 2030 Commitment

Check

On behalf of LFRT Sustainable Design - Energy Reporting Subcommittee members, we invite you to take part in this short survey regarding AIA 2030 implementation in large architecture firms. Your views are appreciated and will assist in the development of a guideline to enhance participation in the AIA 2030 commitment. The result of the survey will also be used to provide feedback to AIA regarding the reporting tool. Your individual response will remain confidential and please do not include any name or firm name in any part of the survey.

Complete the survey


Upcoming Events

AIA Convention 2016

Finalize your schedule with some great COTE, sustainability and design & health sessions

WE205 - WELL Workshop
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 118A
Earn 7.50 LUs/HSW/RIBA | $400 | Learn more

Can you harness the built environment as a vehicle to support human health, well-being, and comfort? This one-day intensive workshop will introduce you to the WELL Building Standard, the world's first building standard focused solely on the health and wellness of people in buildings.

WE304- Energy Modeling for All: 2030 Commitment for Small Firms!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 120A
Earn 3.75 LUs/HSW/RIBA | $225 | Learn more

Interested in energy modeling but don’t know where to start? This comprehensive session will help you incorporate energy modeling into your design process and explore benefits and resources available to firms through the AIA 2030 Commitment. 

TH110 - The New Gold Standard: Health Design Metrics
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 109
Earn 1.00 LU/HSW/RIBA | Learn more

The link between design and health is becoming stronger by the day. In this session, you'll learn how a public/private collaboration, national health agency, and for-profit company are working to improve health outcomes for building occupants.

TH303- COTE Top Ten: Performing Beautifully...a Restorative Future
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 113AB
Earn 1.00 LU/RIBA/HSW | Learn more

The AIA COTE Top Ten and Top Ten Plus Awards are the profession's foremost recognition for integrated, holistic design. This program celebrates projects that exemplify high-performance architecture with stories from the winning design teams. Join your peers in celebrating how beauty and performance create holistic architecture.

SA105- Lessons from the Leading Edge: COTE Top Ten Research Project
Saturday, May 21, 2016 | 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 103BC
Earn 1.00 LU/HSW/RIBA | Learn more

The highly anticipated Top Ten Research Project illuminates the work of nearly 200 Green Projects Awards winners, and the Committee on the Environment's groundbreaking report sets the stage for a new era in design.

SA214- Building Energy Literacy: The 2030 Commitment's Transformation of Firm Culture
Saturday, May 21, 2016 | 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 109
Earn 1.00 LU/HSW/GBCI/RIBA | Learn more

The AIA 2030 Commitment has impacted both how architects design and how firms practice. Come explore the impact on firm culture as experienced by four different firms. See the 2030 Commitment through a new lens - and envision your role in its future.

Sustainability Enthusiast Journey Map

sustainability

As a sustainability enthusiast you understand that being “green” is more than energy modeling alone. It's about specifying healthy materials, helping individuals to thrive, and supporting more resilient communities. Connect with other enthusiasts building a sustainable future. Pick up a copy of the sustainability journey map with recommended courses and events at Convention registration.

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