In the ever-growing realm of green building, what constitutes a noteworthy project? We offer one set of examples with the winners of the 2010 Evergreen Awards, eco-structure’s third-annual competition recognizing innovation in environmental performance and design. Showcased on the pages that follow, this year’s winners, plus one honorable mention, span four categoriesEcommercial, Greenhouse, On the Boards (which recognizes unbuilt work), and Perspective (which spotlights an industry champion). The winners share a core attribute: They make projects work both technically and aesthetically, marrying admirable environmental performance that pushes beyond baseline measurements with innovative and thoughtful architecture. These projects (or, in the case of our Perspective winner, his portfolio and industry leadership) are further support in striking down the argument that good design may need to be sacrificed for green design, or vice versa. As our jury discussed in mulling over this year’s entries, there should no longer be a viable excuse for not combining sustainability and outstanding aesthetics in any space. The industry and its clients deserveand should demandexcellence across the board.
Charged with filtering this year’s winners out of a sizeable entry field were Marc J. Cohen, director of sustainable design at MVE Institutional in Irvine, Calif.; Narada Golden, senior sustainability manager at YRG in Boulder, Colo.; Daniel J. Kaplan, senior partner at FXFowle Architects in New York; Patrick Thibaudeau, vice president at HGA in Minneapolis; and William J. Worthen, vice president at Simon & Associates in San Francisco and director, resource architect for sustainability for the American Institute of Architects.
The 2010 winners will be recognized at a lunch during Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.
The 2010 Evergreen Awards Jury
Meet the five green building professionals who judged this year's Evergreen Awards.
Marc J. Cohen
With more than 23 years of experience in architecture, facility planning and management, and sustainable design consulting, Marc J. Cohen joined MVE Institutional in Irvine, Calif., in January 2010 as director of sustainable design. As such, he leads the firm’s sustainable design program and oversees project planning, design, scheduling, cost estimating, specification preparation, subcontractor coordination, and client briefings. Cohen is a faculty member of the USGBC, and leads programs on green building basics, LEED core concepts and strategies, and LEED technical workshops.
Narada Golden
Senior sustainability manager and the design and construction team lead at YRG Sustainability in Boulder, Colo., Narada Golden has over 10 years of experience in architectural design, construction administration, LEED project management, and leadership in the field of green building, and has worked on commercial, educational, cultural, laboratory, and residential projects. Golden is currently an ambassador for the Cascadia Green Building Council, gives presentations on the Living Building Challenge, and is developing a toolkit to train a national network of Cascadia Ambassadors. He also is on the Rocky Mountain Earth Institute steering committee for the Northwest Earth Institute, has started over 100 courses on personal sustainability in Portland, Ore., and Denver, is trained in the Natural Step, and helped to organize Natural Step trainings in Portland.
Daniel J. Kaplan
Daniel J. Kaplan is a senior partner in the New York office of FXFowle Architects, and design director of the firm’s Urban Studio. He has more than 26 years of experience in the industry, 23 of which have been served at FXFowle. Projects currently under his direction include the HealthCare Chaplaincy’s palliative care campus in New York City that combines residential, medical, and educational uses; Eleven Times Square, a LEED Goldcertified corporate office tower in Manhattan; the Clinical Sciences Center at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.; Atasehir Renaissance Tower in Istanbul; and the Science Applications International Corp. headquarters in McLean, Va. Kaplan is a visiting critic at Cornell Universitys College of Architecture, Art & Planning New York center, where he is teaching a master’s design studio. In 2009, he co-taught a graduate-level course at Cornell that explored the marriage of design invention with environmental performance in the building envelope.
Patrick Thibaudeau
As vice president, sustainable design, at Minneapolis, Minn.based HGA, Patrick Thibaudeau is responsible for the firm’s sustainable design practice and also oversees cost estimating, construction administration, and operating councils. He was an early member of the AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE), worked on the AIA’s Environmental Resource Guide, and was instrumental in forming AIA Minnesota’s COTE. Under Thibaudeau’s leadership, HGA received the 2007 National Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Environmental Stewardship Award and the 2006 CSI MinneapolisSt. Paul Chapter Rebecca L. Foss Environmental Stewardship Award. He is a current member of s editorial advisory board.
William J. Worthen
William J. Worthen is director, resource architect for sustainability for the American Institute of Architects. In this role, he is a staff subject matter expert on sustainability to identify, guide, and facilitate smooth access to information, knowledge, and practice tools for architects. In addition, Worthen is a vice president of Simon & Associates in San Francisco. He is a member of the USGBC’s Implementation Advisory Committee (National LEED Advisory Board), sits on the San Francisco Mayor’s Task Force on Green Building, has advised California’s Attorney General on green building, and is a technical advisor on the implementation of San Francisco’s Green Building Ordinance and a member of the AIA California Council.
