#GBCSAwards 2016: juries' special mentions for the Green Building Solutions Awards

The 4th edition of the Green Building Solutions Awards revealed many buildings and eco-districts whose solutions are remarkable and inspiring for practitioners and industries of the sector. That is why, this year, the various juries chose to give a second and third prizes in some categories when the deliberation between candidates was difficult.

Thus, eleven other buildings were noticed and highlighted by our experts during the deliberations.

Energy & Temperate Climates

2nd Prize: Edificio Zaramaga

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

In the Energy & Temperate Climates category, the Spanish building Edificio Zaramaga won the second prize. This residential building was renovated to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while optimizing its energy efficiency and comfort. In order to do that, the building was equipped with a complete thermal envelope, and a ventilation system with heat recovery. Moreover, the installation of photovoltaic panels is an exemplary solution and easily replicable on other buildings. The renovation of this building is remarkable for the resulting cost management of the operation with a lesser impact on inhabitants, making it a good example of how buildings in Spain should be renovated.

3rd Prize: Taft School Faculty House

Watertown, USA

The Taft School Faculty House, located in Watertown, USA, came in third. This energy-efficient residence also serves as a learning laboratory for students. It incorporates many exemplary solutions, such as the installation of high-performance windows that allow passive solar energy, or the installation of a heat pump for water. A smart home user interface is also integrated so that the occupants can control the ventilation. This is a good example for single-family homes.

Energy & Hot Climates

2nd Prize: Guadeloupe national park headquarter

Basse Terre, France

The Guadeloupe national park headquarters were mentioned by the thematic jury as a very interesting building in terms of energy efficiency and building logic. Based on Negawatt principles of sobriety of needs and equipment performance, the building is part of a concrete approach combining the use of local materials and adaptation to the local tropical climate. Concerning the equipment, the building is complete with the presence of air brewers, motion sensors and a solar generator in self-consumption to cover 100% of the electrical needs. Moreover, the building is exemplary for the complete absence of heating or air conditioning systems. Natural ventilation and solar systems (photovoltaic and thermal) make this office building a structure to be presented as an example for buildings located in hot climatic zone.

Low Carbon

2nd Prize: Administration of nature and forests

Diekrich, Luxembourg

For the Low Carbon category, Luxembourg was honored by the jury with the Administration of Nature and Forests. Located in Diekrich, the building was built with certified wood, which reflects a real monitoring of used materials. The structure also includes a system for the recovery of river water for heating and cooling. For lighting, powerful LED bulbs have been installed, as well as motion sensors. The building is also equipped with a heat pump and photovoltaic panels. On the other hand, the Administration of Nature and Forests fits perfectly into its environment, with an architecture consistent with the landscape.

Smart Building

2nd Prize: CoRI “Paint it Green”

Limelette, Belgium

The CoRI "Paint it Green" building received a special mention by the jury. Located in Limelette, Belgium, CoRI is an extension and renovation of offices and laboratories. First of all, the building is smart by its design phase, which has accumulated several studies, on the dynamic simulation of overheat, the level of natural lighting, the life cycle analysis... A BMS (Building Management System) allows to manage the technical systems,and to communicate on the technical characteristics of consumption of the building. On the other hand, CoRI has a communicating and modulable pre-programmed controller, allowing the exchange of information on temperatures, time programs, energy demands, faults, etc. Moreover, the building is Smart Grid Ready.

3rd Prize: HSB Living Lab

Gothenburg, Sweden

The thematic jury awarded the third place of the podium to the HSB Living Lab building. Located in Gothenburg, Sweden, HSB Living Lab is actually a collective housing building for students, which is part of a co-creation process to encourage research and open innovation. It is presented as a mean to test the techniques and practices of construction and sustainable habitat on a small scale. Meeting rooms, laboratories and community life make it possible both to strengthen the social bond and to encourage reflection on these subjects of sustainable construction. The building is equipped with nearly 2,000 sensors to evaluate the impact of uses on energy performance.

Sustainable Construction Grand Prize

2nd Prize: City Hall Venlo

Venlo, Netherlands

The City Hall Venlo building in the Netherlands won the second place in the Sustainable Construction Grand Prize podium. This office building stands out for its high-energy performance, due to the combination of numerous remarkable solutions integrated within the structure, such as natural ventilation, solar thermal or the installation of a geothermal heat pump. In addition, the building has a green façade that filters out polluted air. The construction of the building showed a good cost management, with a return on investment visible within three years.

3rd Prize: Administration of nature and forests

Diekrich, Luxembourg

The Administration of nature and forests, a Luxembourg-based company, was also awarded the Sustainable Construction Grand Prize category. The building combines energy performance and monitoring of materials used to build a sustainable building both in its design and in its use.

Sustainable renovation Grand Prize

2nd Prize: Alzingen School and Kindergarten

Alzingen, Luxembourg

A special mention has been given to the Alzingen school and kindergarten, in Luxembourg. Built in 1968, this school needed to be renovated to meet current standards. The renovation was done to respect the site and to allow an optimization of the functioning of the school complex. The underlying idea of this project is to create a positive educational framework to raise awareness and train students on the issues of sustainable construction. The building has green facades. There are integrated solar thermal, solar photovoltaic panels and a heat pump. Moreover, an interactive screen, accessible to all, allows to visualize the consumptions of the building. It is an economically affordable project that involves low energy consumption.

User’s Choice Award

2nd Prize: Agua

Toulouse, France

The second building with the most votes of Internet users is the new headquarters of the GA group: Agua. Built to be Smart Grid Ready, Agua has been designed to ensure the comfort and well-being of its occupants. With a real energy consumption of less than 25kWh / m² / year, Agua has been BEPOS-Effinergie and HQE excellent certified. The renewable energy production of this tertiary building is realized thanks to a photovoltaic and geothermal power station. The structure is also equipped with a BMS (Building Management System), MyGapeo, used by the energy managers and the regular users of the building, integrating an artificial intelligence module. Thanks to the Smart Grid, the building redistributes its surplus energy to surrounding buildings.

3rd Prize: China Academy of Building Research NZEB

Beijing, China

The third prize of the User’s Choice Award is a Chinese building: the China Academy of Building Research NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building). This office building is located in Beijing, China. It is equipped with a geothermal heat pump, a low temperature heating floor. Photovoltaic solar panels are integrated within the structure. The building is smart because it includes a building automation system - Automation Building System (BAS) - which allows both to manage the energy consumption and guide the optimization of the building. In addition, on the roof of the west façade of the building, a garden has been installed which has a dual function: on the one hand, it contributes to the comfort and well-being of employees and, on the other hand, the cooling load in summer.

Download the winners' brochure

Relive the Green Building Solutions & City Awards 2016 by consulting the brochure in French or English. Photos, information on buildings, eco-neighborhoods and find sponsors ... all the key points of the contest for download or in hard copy on request. Download the brochure 2016 - Download the Press Release