Next week continues four weeks of new sustainable building coverage in honor of Earth Day 2009. (Photo: NASA/ Visible Earth)

GREEN OF THE CROP

The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its Top Ten Green Projects for 2009. These annual awards recognize highly sustainable projects that demonstrate an integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology. One of the honorees is the Portola Valley Town Center in Portola Valley, California (photo: César Rubio). Designers Siegel & Strain Architects and Goring & Straja Architects concentrated the structures in a corner of the project site, restoring continuity between open spaces and preserving existing redwood groves and oak savanna. Next week, writer Brian Libby will look at the variety of design strategies implemented in these green exemplars.

TOOLS FOR GREEN DESIGN

In March, Autodesk rolled out Ecotect Analysis 2010, which predicts and analyzes building energy performance and environmental impacts, complementing Autodesk's existing BIM solution, the Revit platform. The software combines capabilities previously found in Ecotect and Green Building Studio, two third-party offerings acquired by Autodesk in 2008. Next week, writer Kenneth Wong will probe the software tools and features that enable architects to foretell the environmental consequences of their designs. (Image: Courtesy Autodesk)