ATX Green Awards
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Recognizing six outstanding projects.

In its sixth year, the Austin Green Awards opened with Kurt Stogdill, representing Headline Sponsor Austin Energy Green Building. Kurt gave his introductory remarks where he issued a call to action to the audience: “The February 2021 winter storms brought unimaginable challenges to Austin. The City and Travis County are making efforts to ready the community for future impacts of the climate crisis and other potential hazards. The Austin Green Awards provides an excellent forum to view innovative projects helping to better prepare Austin. If you’re looking for a way to stay or become more engaged in finding these solutions look no further than the City of Austin, which is undertaking a number of initiatives such as its Climate Equity Plan. The Plan is just beginning to move into the implementation phase and is an excellent opportunity to help make a difference.”
 
Mr. Stogdill’s remarks were followed by climate liberation organizer Emma Galbraith’s compelling keynote. Ms. Galbraith, an Austin native and currently a student at Occidental College, eloquently and passionately spoke of the urgency to address the climate crisis:

“The work that designers, builders, and architects do to reimagine and better our cities is irreplaceable, especially in this century of crisis that we’ve never seen before. Right now this work is needed more than ever. Designers hold incredible power to shape how humans interact with each other and with the natural environment. If global temperatures are allowed to rise 2º or 4º Celsius, we’re not going to have a civilization when the hurricanes, freezes, floods, heatwaves, pandemics, and wars are through with us. So, who must sustainability work for in order to give us a fighting chance at building any kind of lasting society? The principle of sustainability that design must rest on now is that which sustains human life above any industry or profit. Sustainable design has to nurture, support, and be forgiving of both human life and our climate.”
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2021 Judges.

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Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette
Huston-Tillotson University - President

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Milton Hime, AIA
Studio8 Architects - Principal
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Greg Weaver
Catellus - Executive Vice President
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Donna Carter, FAIA
Carter Design Associates - President

Awardees.

PROJECT OF THE YEAR:
Whisper Valley

SUBMITTED BY : ANDERSON HANSON BLANTON
OWNER : TAURUS INVENSTMENT HOLDINGS

The vision for this community is to be the most affordable large-scale, sustainable master- planned community in the US, to change the way residential development is done in the US and to encourage sustainable development on a mass scale. To do that, the project team had to create a way for builders to easily and affordably meet strict building  codes in order to bring zero energy capable homes to the mass market, greatly reducing a  community’s carbon footprint and preserving our planet for future generations. By using renewable energies and creating a new highly efficient energy infrastructure – using existing  proven technologies in a new way – the project team was able to do just that.
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The project created a scalable approach to sustainable development that is now being embraced  by other developers in TX and CO. Many more residential developers across the nation are  interested in the EcoSmart Solution demonstrated in Whisper Valley. This project has truly changed the paradigm for sustainable development.
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Colony Park District Park Playground and Fitness
SUBMITTED BY : KOMPAN, INC.
OWNER : CITY OF AUSTIN

This park contributes to the culmination of decades of community involvement. It offers a  much needed public outdoor play and fitness opportunity not seen elsewhere east of I35.  It is inclusive, accessible to all, offers educational, health, fitness, and nature experiences for  all of its users, and it enhances the center of this long-planned community.
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Kompan worked with the City, the community, local artist, Tyson Davis, who created a custom  mural for the community complex. Equipment and custom colors were selected based on  the mural to provide a cohesive design. The fitness trail was completed in 2017. Kompan collaborated with the City to provide  an exercise center for the neighborhood. State of the art fitness equipment is used in  conjunction with a running/walking trail and sports fields to provide a high-quality fitness  opportunity for all abilities.
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The Holdsworth Center
SUBMITTED BY : LAKE | FLATO
OWNER : THE HOLDSWORTH CENTER

Founded in 2017 by H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt, the Austin-based nonprofit works with  38 school districts across the state. A multidisciplinary team of administrators, educators,  planners, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, ecologists, and engineers  collaborated to envision the Holdsworth Center. The campus was designed to promote  reflection, thought and dialogue in an environmentally responsible environment. This vision  of a sustainable campus setting has become reality: 84% of the site is dedicated to beneficial  open spaces that support water, wildlife and ecological conservation, as well as recreation  and wellness opportunities. 22 of the 44 acres remain undisturbed.

The impact of the Center’s first months of use is encapsulated by Ellen Moi of the New Teacher  Center: “I see educational leaders learning together in an environment that embodies  creativity, inspiration and hopefulness. Educators are surrounded by beauty and encouraged  to open their hearts and minds to lead in new ways that empower teachers, staff, and all  students to do their best work. Educators are treated with respect, professionalism and a  belief that what they do every day matters.”

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City of Austin Permitting & Development Center
SUBMITTED BY : GENSLER
OWNER : CITY OF AUSTIN

At Highland, acres of former surface parking have been transformed into an inviting new  neighborhood tied together through a network of pedestrian-friendly streets and open  spaces. The building engages into the framework and provides an exciting mix of outdoor  rooms and showcases the interior active uses through large open windows.

The project goal is to create a Permitting and Development Center that inspires staff,  citizens, and community experts to work together in building Austin’s future by providing  an environment with inviting outdoor spaces and flexible and healthy interior planning. The  indoor-outdoor experience will foster collaboration, teach sustainable best practices, and  will serve as a community forum for creative problem-solving in development and design.  Everything was designed around the user experience with a focus on health, comfort, and  joy. PDC is a public building designed to compete with privately developed facilities.
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Travis County Cooling Tower Reclaimed Water Project
SUBMITTED BY : TRAVIS COUNTY FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
OWNER : TRAVIS COUNTY FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

The project team saw that Climate Change was making this region hotter and drier, and that they needed to pursue significant water conservation. When the city of Austin constructed reclaimed  water pipelines in the streets around their downtown buildings, the project team saw the opportunity to use the treated wastewater in their evaporative cooling towers in lieu of using potable water.  The project is estimated to save approximately 10 million gallons of potable water annually at four buildings when the reclaimed water project becomes fully operational.

The Travis County Commissioners Court led this vision. They directed and funded the design and construction of the Reclaimed Water Addition project. The actual usage per year is 9,263,594 gallons  of reclaimed water which is very close to the projected usage. The project has so far used 27,960,530 gallons of reclaimed or treated wastewater.
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DPR + Integral Group offices at The Foundry
SUBMITTED BY : INTEGRAL GROUP
OWNER : DPR CONSTRUCTION

From the beginning, the project’s goal was to promote healthy living and energy efficiency.  Both Integral Group and DPR wanted offices that were reflective of their shared core values  and operational approaches.

The initial vision morphed into the project becoming a “living lab” for sustainable design,  with an emphasis on humans and the need for interaction with nature, achieved through  the implementation of biophilic elements. The completed office spaces provide clients,  visitors, and even employees, with a visual of a next-generation, energy-efficient, sustainable  workplace.
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Keynote Speech

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congratulations to the awardees and thank you to all the teams that have submitted to tHE awards!

The Austin Green Awards is conceived and convened as an independent initiative of Travis Albrecht, AIA of Gensler; Dirk Kestner, P.E. of Walter P Moore; Bungane Mehlomakulu, P.E. of ICON Technologies; Lisa Storer LEED AP BD+C, and Gail Vittori and Pliny Fisk of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems; with support from Kyle Dunning, P.E. and Kristine Walker, LEED AP. The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems serves as fiscal sponsor.
  • Past Awards
    • 2024 Awards
    • 2023 Awards
    • 2022 Awards
    • 2021 Awards