The 11th Awards of Excellence Winners Announced: Celebrating outstanding green roofs and walls across North America by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC).

“GRHC is very pleased to celebrate this year’s Awards of Excellence winners for their outstanding contributions to the world of living architecture. Everyone involved with these projects should be proud of this recognition, as over 35 of North America’s most innovative new examples of living architecture were submitted, making for very tough competition.” ~ Steven Peck, Executive Director, GRHC

Selected to evoke the theme of CitiesAlive 2013, “Securing Urban Resiliency with Living Architecture: Food – Water – Energy,” these are the 2013 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS:

Extensive Institutional Award
Project: Kauffman Performing Arts Center & District Garage, Kansas City, MO
Award Recipient: Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company
The green roof atop one of the most architecturally advanced arts centers in the U.S. beautifully complements the building, and is the largest stormwater detention facility in the State of Missouri.

Small-Scale Residential Award
Project: Skyhigh Residence, Fairfax, CA
Award Recipient: SYMBIOS eco-tecture
Built on a steep hillside that gives the inhabitants gorgeous views of the surrounding wildlands and nearby mountains, the Skyhigh Residence green roof offers a direct connection to the area’s ecosystem.

Exterior Green Wall Award
Project: Sam Cuddeback Assembly Wing, Drew School, San Francisco, CA
Award Recipient: ROMA Design Group
Besides being an extraordinary educational resource for the high school, this living wall brings a vibrant lushness to the public environment of the city.

Interior Green Wall Award
Project: Papadakis Integrated Science Building, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Award Recipient: Diamond Schmitt Architects
This living wall, the largest on a U.S. university campus, invites a more full engagement with the university experience while cleaning the building’s air and reducing energy consumption.

Intensive Residential Award
Project: The Visionaire, New York City, NY
Award Recipient: MKM Landscape Architecture
The roof terrace at The Visionaire maximizes the productive capabilities of this certified LEED Platinum building, combining urban agriculture, stormwater retention, and impressive plant variety.

Intensive Institutional Award
Project: Vancouver Island University, Duncan, BC
Award Recipient: Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture
The green roofs at VIU successfully connect the university to both the ecosystem of the Cowichan Valley and the values and culture of local Cowichan Tribes.

Extensive Commercial/Industrial Award
Project: Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility, Petaluma, CA
Award Recipient: SYMBIOS eco-tecture
Situated along the Petaluma River, this green roof helps the water recycling facility it sits on provide clean water for the community, while also demonstrating the sustainable aspects of building integrated vegetation.

Special Recognition Award
Project: Olive Street Residence, Winchester, MA
Award Recipient: Recover Green Roofs, LLC
Bringing green roofs to a suburban residential location where they frequently are not seen, the judges chose to recognize this project for the example it sets for lower density development across North America.

In addition to these projects being honored, three individuals have also been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the green roof and wall industry:

Research Award
Winner: Dr. Maureen Connelly, British Columbia Institute of Technology

President’s Corporate Award
Winner: Douglas York, Ewing Irrigation Products, Inc.

Civic Award
Winner: Scott Potter, Director, Nashville Metro Water Services

See each one from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities here.  For additional information, please contact Rebecca Black, Director of Business Development, GRHC at: rblack@greenroofs.org or 416.535.2586.

Make sure to join the celebration to honor the GRHC winners and highlight these outstanding individuals and projects at CitiesAlive at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis on Friday, October 25, 2013 at the Awards of Excellence Luncheon.

Kudos to all!  See you there!

~ Linda V.