commentWe all love to ooh and aah over the latest LEED Platinum architectural masterpieces. But when it comes to reducing the environmental impact of the built environment, the rubber hits the road with existing buildings—and the Urban Green Council has decided it’s high time some of the “unsung heroes” who own and manage these buildings got some praise and recognition. The group has just announced the finalists for the first EBie Awards (EB for existing buildings), which recognize significant improvements in environmental performance.
Eligible buildings could be commercial or residential projects anywhere in the U.S. They had to be at least five years old and must have achieved significant performance improvements over time through improved operations and maintenance or renovations—but not gut renovations. The original 67 entries were judged primarily on actual energy, resource, and cost savings, but less-tangible criteria such as “project innovation and originality” were also considered. While the awards began with 12 categories, some have been combined after the first round of judging.
The All-Rounder acknowledges progress in several sustainability categories:
- Deutsche Bank 60 Wall Street
- Johnson Braund Offices
- Prominence in Buckhead
Smooth Operator combined with All Revved Up to recognize improved performance in two or more categories through operations and maintenance or retrocommissioning (not renovations):
- Deutsche Bank 60 Wall Street
- Fountainhead Business Park II
- The Greening of Team Detroit
- St. Mark’s Medical Center
The Reformed Drinker combined with Take Me to the River highlights potable water savings:
- Deutsche Bank 60 Wall Street
- Johnson Braund Offices
The Reformed Gas Guzzler awards the highest energy savings:
- 145 Talmadge Road
- 201/210 Woolverton Street
- Dallas Museum of Art
- Rosa Parks Elementary School
- Williamsburg Court
Shine a Light on Me rewards the best lighting retrofit:
- Fountainhead Business Park II
- The William Beaver House
Verdant Brainiac recognizes the most innovative project, particularly one that overcame significant barriers:
- 2311 4th Street
- Carlyle Towers
Building owners and operators, engineers, consultants, retrocommissioning agents, lighting designers, landscape architects, and tenant groups are eligible for the EBie in different categories.
Jury members for this year’s EBies are: Ron Auriana, director of global facilities and design at Bloomberg; Dana Bourland, vice president for green initiatives at Enterprise Community Partners; Duane J. Desiderio, vice president and counsel of the Real Estate Roundtable; Constantine Kontokosta, P.E., director and clinical associate professor of real estate at NYU Center for a Sustainable Built Environment; Sukanya Paciorek, vice president for corporate sustainability at Vornado Realty Trust; Chrissa Pagitsas, green initiative program manager for multifamily risk at Fannie Mae; Rafael Pelli, AIA, partner at Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; and Mike Zatz, chief of market sectors group at the Energy Star Commercial & Industrial Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Final winners will be announced June 28 at an awards ceremony at the Hard Rock Café in New York City.
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