FSC US announces winners of Designing & Building with FSC Awards 2009
On 12 November 2009, FSC US announced the winners of the 5th annual Designing & Building with FSC Awards at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix, US, the world's largest green building gathering.
The awards celebrate the best in US and Canadian green architecture and construction using FSC certified materials – those sourced from forests managed to high environmental and social standards.
Las Vegas's new CityCenter earned first place in the commercial/institutional category. This LEED certified development, covering 67 acres, used more than $41 million worth of FSC certified wood – the greatest amount in a single building project in the US to date. CityCenter is a strong market driver for FSC: more than 10 wood suppliers received FSC certification in order to supply wood to the project. CityCenter will help spread the FSC message widely with the millions who visit Las Vegas each year.
"As far as a project that has driven the national demand for FSC chain of custody suppliers and products, CityCenter is it – and it deserves to be recognized for that," said Terry Campbell of Forest Products Solutions, in Portland, Ore., and a Designing & Building with FSC Awards jurist.
First place in the residential category went to Keith Waters & Associates and WD Flooring LLC, in Minneapolis, for their Portico on the Green residence, in Minnetonka, Minn. – the first home in the state to receive Silver Certification through the Minnesota GreenStar Pilot program.
"The exuberance of Portico on the Green's design is contained by a strong but simple composition of wood trim and roof," said jurist Thomas A. Fisher, Senior Project Manager with Sustainable Design Consulting, in Washington, D.C. "The Mission style wood detailing of the interior is also simple, extensive and tasteful, and almost all from sustainably managed forests."
The amount of FSC certified wood used in both of these top honors projects is 87% by cost.
Honorable mentions were also awarded in each category. Washington, D.C.-based Envision Design's project for Generation IM North America Headquarters in New York was recognized for its refined use of FSC certified wood in both the office and in the furniture. Led by its chairman, The Honorable Al Gore, Generation IM is dedicated to thought leadership on sustainability and capital markets.
In the residential category, an honorable mention was given to Allen Associates for Victoria Garden Mews, in Santa Barbara, Calif., which used FSC certified wood throughout its recreation of Victorian molding, dentils and trim profiles. The house received a 5 star rating from Santa Barbara's Built Green program.
Designing & Building with FSC Awards recognize and honor designers and builders who are committed to using FSC certified wood and creating a marketplace that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management – the mission of FSC.
The US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system awards points for FSC certified wood used in LEED building projects. According to McGraw-Hill Construction, FSC certified wood is the most specified green-building product in their database of 60’000 project specifications collected annually, surpassing even EnergyStar.
For more information about the winning projects and to see photos, visit www.fscus.org/green_building/2009_winners.php.
