SBIC Accepting Entries for 2010 Beyond Green Awards

The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) announced an open call for entries for the 2010 Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards. In February 2011, SBIC will recognize buildings and initiatives that best exemplify the eight design objectives of a High-Performance building: sustainability, accessibility, aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, functionality, productivity, historical sensitivity, and safety and security.

SBIC will recognize award winners in the following categories:

• Category A: High-Performance Buildings acknowledges building and renovation projects completed within the past three years.
• Category B: High-Performance Initiatives recognizes policy programs, research and construction processes, educational initiatives and consumer awareness efforts.

New to this year’s awards, the Greg Franta Memorial Award celebrates a person or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to high-performance sustainable building design and construction in memory of long-time SBIC member, director, instructor and chairman, Greg Franta.

Entries will be accepted through October 29. A select jury, including Gregg Ander, FAIA, from Southern California Edison, Stephen T. Ayers, Architect of the Capitol, Earle Kennett of the National Institute of Building Sciences, Nancy Clanton of Clanton & Associates, and Dean Evans of the New Jersey Institute of Technology will review the entries.

Winners in each category will be invited to Washington, DC to present their projects on Capitol Hill as part of an educational briefing for lawmakers and the public, held in conjunction with the High-Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus. Following the Capitol Hill briefing, a second session will be held at Catholic University’s School of Architecture and Planning; area students and local building practitioners will have the opportunity to understand the winning projects in greater detail, ask questions and earn AIA CES credits. Finally, the winning projects will also be published on the Whole Building Design Guide website, managed by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

Since 2001, the Beyond Green Awards have recognized exemplary innovations and innovators in the sustainable building industry. The awards encourage building professionals to develop a more holistic approach to design and construction – an approach that promotes energy, water and material efficiencies, while ensuring indoor environments that are healthy, productive and comfortable. Additionally, the awards provide a platform to showcase forward-thinking buildings and initiatives that embody the definition of a high-performance building.