COTE® Top Ten Award 2023

Explore the 2023 COTE® Top Ten Award winners—recognized for setting the standard in sustainable design excellence. 

South porch community plaza
Corey Gaffer
COTE Top Ten 2023 winner, RIDC Mill 19: Buildings A & B, South Porch Community Plaza

Setting the standard in design excellence

The 2023 COTE® Top Ten program is in its 27th year and highlights projects that meet the AIA Committee on the Environment's rigorous criteria for social, economic, and ecological value.

To view previous award winners, visit the award program page. 

Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom exterior view
COTE® Top Ten Award
Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom in San Francisco takes advantage of the walkable and transit-rich site to create infrastructure for social equity and a low-carbon

Confluence Park’s unique main pavilion is made of 22 concrete “petals” that form a geometry designed to collect and funnel rainwater
COTE® Top Ten Award
Confluence Park
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of Confluence Park creates a living laboratory designed to broaden visitors’ understanding of South Texas ecotypes and the impact of urban development on local

View from DPR Sacramento Zero Net Energy Office looking west on exterior terrace showing large operable window wall, solar shade trellis and view to existing trees and J street
COTE® Top Ten Award
DPR Sacramento Zero Net Energy Office
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the DPR Sacramento Zero Net Energy Office creates a sustainable work environment that fosters a greater collaboration among its employees and builds strong ties

With focus on the design of the outdoor space and integration into the university campus, a dynamic place for research and teaching is being created.
COTE® Top Ten Award
Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex helps shift the typology toward environmental stewardship to create one of the healthiest and most energy

The upper level houses the offices for the franklin regional transit authority and the franklin regional council of governments. the design optimizes massing, material selections, and on-site renewable energy.
COTE® Top Ten Award
John W. Olver Transit Center
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the John W. Olver Transit Center is the first net zero energy transit center constructed in the United States. 

South elevation of Mill 19 at night.
COTE® Top Ten Award
RIDC Mill 19: Buildings A & B
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of RIDC Mill 19: Buildings A & B transforms a former steel mill to welcome the sustainable future of advanced manufacturing. 

Flexible outdoor learning spaces along the west elevation engage the hillside.
COTE® Top Ten Award
Science and Environmental Center
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the Science and Environmental Center creates a net zero carbon learning center to foster social acuity and environmental citizenship in the imaginative young

The North Torrey Pines Living & Learning neighborhood (NTPLLN) at UC San Diego is designed to promote physical and mental well-being, support the school's environmental commitments, and foster community connections.
COTE® Top Ten Award
UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living & Learning Neighborhood is the most substantial project in the higher education sector to receive LEED Platinum

Watershed’s bioswales clean over 400,000 highly polluted gallons of water annually, much from the overhead aurora bridge, before that water flows into Lake Union, affecting migrating salmon.
COTE® Top Ten Award
Watershed
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of Watershed is a regenerative seven-story office building that cleans more than 400,000 gallons of highly polluted water before it drains into nearby Lake Union. 

The main lobby and exhibit space opens to a sheltered north terrace, expanding use for events, interpretation, and the public.
COTE® Top Ten Award
Westwood Hills Nature Center
April 20, 2023

The award-winning sustainable design of the Westwood Hills Nature Center creates a community teaching tool for St. Louis Park, MN shaped by the city’s forward-thinking climate action plan that strives

COTE® Top Ten Award

The COTE® Top Ten Award is the industry’s best-known award program for sustainable design excellence. Each year, innovative projects earn the prize for setting the standard in design and sustainability. 

Learn more