This year’s recipients of the COTE Top Ten Awards were finally announced and five of the ten top sustainable projects are located in California. The American Institute of Architecture and Committee on the Environment evaluate the social, economic, and ecological value of each structure to determine the top buildings that excel in design and performance.
Sonoma Academy’s Janet Durgin Guild & Commons
Located right in Santa Rosa, this educational building was created with digital classrooms, productive gardens, and two floors of complete green initiative. It is equipped with automated shades and overhangs to help easily control the climate inside. The living roof allows for frequent pollinator, photovoltaics and also connects to hanging planters that filter and recycle storm water.
Sawmill: A sustainable single-family home
This new, self-sufficient model features concrete block and steel that allows the structure to thrive in the harsh climate of the Mojave Desert and Tehachapi Mountains. This net-zero home utilizes solar power, a ground-source heat pump and a passive cooling system.
Nancy and Stephen Grand Family House
This structure is home to Family House, a non-profit organization that provides temporary housing for families of children receiving treatment at San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital. It features highly efficient windows, lighting and appliances that conserve energy. The building also has a cool roof and solar hot water system.
Fort Mason Center Pier 2 for the San Francisco Art Institute
This historic army warehouse has been reinvented into a new hub for arts education and public engagement. The original building was preserved and a rooftop photovoltaic solar system was created. Additionally, the building is ventilated naturally and mechanically.
New United States Courthouse in Los Angeles
Located in downtown LA, this courthouse was designed with sustainability in mind. This structure takes advantage of the California sun with a skylight that’s surrounded by 900 photovoltaic panels. The energy management system has reduced energy usage and costs.
You can find the entire list of COTE Top Ten Awards here to see the innovation and sustainability that we have achieved in 2018. We don’t know about you, but at Rick’s Energy Solutions, we’re proud of California’s green building initiative. If you’re interested in following suit and would like to incorporate green building features and practices into your design, give us a call at 707-578-5380 today!