Washington D.C.—The Top 10 examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions have been selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE), and were honored at this year's AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco from April 30 to May 2.

The honorees are made up of mainly domestic projects that keep both performance and design in mind. The Top Ten Green Projects program always celebrates projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology, making a positive contribution to their communities. These projects also significantly reduce environmental impact by reusing existing structures, connecting to transit systems, through energy and water conservation, as well as through use of renewable construction materials and beyond.

Members of this year's jury included: Michelle Addington, Yale School of Architecture; Brandy Brooks, Assoc. AIA, Community Design Resource Center of Boston; William Leddy, FAIA, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects; Nadav Malin, BuildingGreen; Kim Shinn, LEED AP, LTLC Engineering for Architecture; and James Timberlake, FAIA, Kieran Timberlake Associates.

Listed below in alphabetical order are the 2009 Top 10 Green Projects:

• Charles Hostler Student Center in Beirut, Lebanon, by VJAA, Minneapolis

• Chartwell School in Seaside, Calif., by EHDD Architecture, San Francisco

• Gish Apartments in San Jose, Calif., by OJK Architecture and Planning, San Jose, Calif.

• Great River Energy Headquarters in Maple Grove, Minn., by Perkins+Will, Minneapolis

• Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston, Ill., by Ross Barney Architects, Chicago

• Portola Valley Town Center in Portola Valley, Calif., by Siegel & Strain Architects and Goring and Straja Architects, Emeryville, Calif.

• Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Orange, Texas, by Lake|Flato Architects, San Antonio, Tex.
• Synergy at Dockside Green in Victoria, B.C., by Busby Perkins+Will Architects Co., Vancouver

• The Terry Thomas in Seattle, Wash., by Weber Thompson, Seattle

• World Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in Yarmouth Port, Mass., by DesignLAB Architects, Boston