VJAA building wins spot on AIA Top Ten green project list
Vincent James Associates Architects' (VJAA) Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life at Tulane University in New Orleans has been selected as one of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment’s (COTE) Top Ten Green Projects for 2008.

The selected Top Ten Green projects address significant environmental challenges with designs that thoughtfully weave architecture, technology, and natural systems. This year’s jury was convened in Seattle, Washington and included 2002 Pritzker Prize recipient Glenn Murcutt of Australia.

A VJAA press release says the design for the Lavin-Bernick Center "incorporated balconies, canopies, shading and courtyards to create layered spaces similar to New Orleans vernacular architecture, which permit variable exchanges of air, light, and programmatic activities. Natural ventilation was supplemented with custom fans and large solar vents."

VJAA is a Minneapolis-based firm. We wrote a lot about them in 2007. See here and here.