Now in its second year, the Austin Green Awards recognizes inspirational green building, landscape, and infrastructure projects in Central Texas. The 2017 judges included Christine Skaglund of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects; Lance Hosey, FAIA, of Harley Ellis Devereaux; Chris Krager, AIA, of KRDB; and Greg Mella, FAIA, of SmithGroupJJR. Award winners were honored at a celebration held at the Waller Ballroom in Downtown Austin on October 25. For more information about the program, visit atxgreenawards.org.
Project of the Year
Michael + Susan Dell Foundation Learning Center at Lakeline Station Apartments
h+uo architects
The first fully inhabited “net zero” commercial building in Austin, the Learning Center hosts after-school and summer learning programs for children, and offers financial coaching, exercise and nutrition classes, and assistance with health insurance enrollment for adults.
Judges’ Comments
“It’s incredibly admirable for the not-for-profit Foundation Communities to set that high benchmark, including pursuing the Living Building Challenge, with such limited resources. If a small fraction of projects that architects take on would be that ambitious, we would be doing well. I didn’t find a fault in the project — top scores.”
Milagro Springs Retreat
Miró Rivera Architects
Located on a meadow in Wimberley, this private residence is a prototype for a sustainable rural community, featuring off-grid water and energy systems, daylit spaces, straightforward materials, and outside spaces that welcome community gatherings.
Judges’ Comments
“A compelling design that manages to be unique while at the same time honoring the regional vernacular, and this lends to its ability to perform well in this place. The water story alone is exceptional.”
Bluebonnet Studios
Forge Craft Architecture + Design
This affordable, multi-family infill project, composed of 107 efficiency units, is located on a heavily trafficked street in south Austin. The high design quality, coupled with a social and education program available to residents, engenders a sense of pride and stewardship, yielding enduring benefits.
Judges’ Comments
“We need more examples of projects with high ambition on modest budgets. The project is a good example of holistic social, economic, and environmental value.”
Electric Drive
Austin Energy and SOL Design Lab
Electric Drive is the new name for West 2nd Street, celebrating its innovative approach to mobility’s future in downtown Austin and featuring an ADA-accessible solar kiosk, designed to recharge mobile electronic devices and electric bicycles, with a visual display showing solar production and CO2 reduction.
Judges’ Comments
“A great example of resilience and providing for the community a sustainable way to get power. It also offers the opportunity to track patterns of consumption of ebikes and ecars, monitoring stations, and encourages people to work outside!”