The Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL), an education, research and administration facility at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA, was recently selected as one of the Top Ten Green Projects of 2016 by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).
Designed by The Design Alliance Architects to be the greenest building in the world, the CSL generates all of its own energy and treats all storm and sanitary water captured on-site. The CSL is the first and only building to meet four of the highest green certifications: the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, WELL Building Platinum, and Four-Stars Sustainable SITES. As an integral part of the Phipps visitor experience, the CSL focuses attention on the important intersection between the built and natural environments, demonstrating that human and environmental health are inextricably connected.
Nationally lauded for being one of the most sustainable buildings in the world because of its impressive performance and groundbreaking design features, the CSL has also won awards from such organizations as the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Urban Green Council and more. AIA COTE projects are exemplary in their sustainable architecture and ecological design, and prove that manmade structures can protect and enhance the environment while also benefiting human health.
Richard Piacentini, executive director of Phipps said, “It took an integrative design process with great partners and a talented design team led by The Design Alliance Architects, to create a place that would meet the highest standards related to health, buildings, people, and the environment.”
For more information, visit phipps.conservatory.org or aiatopten.org.
