Committee on the

Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022 Washington, D.C, USA
Edwin Hernández
Programs Coordinator

Eric W. Ellis
Senior Director of Operations and
Programs
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• The winners of the 2022 AIA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition have been
chosen by the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment
(AIA COTE), in collaboration with the Association of Collegiate Schools of
Architecture (ACSA). The competition top 10 outstanding studio projects that
show how designs can operate carbon-neutrally by creatively integrating solutions
for daylighting, passive heating and cooling, materials, water, energy production,
and sustainable systems. Students were challenged by the program to submit
projects that fully integrate technology, natural systems, and architecture to
produce architectural solutions that preserve and improve the environment.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Country
Washington, D.C, USA

• Organizer
The Committee on the Environment (COTE®) is an AIA
Knowledge Community working for architects, allied
professionals, and the public to achieve climate action and
climate justice through design. They work to advance,
disseminate, and advocate design practices that integrate built
and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and
environmental performance of the built environment.
Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022

The Association of Collegiate Schools of

Architecture’s mission is to lead architectural
education and research. Founded in 1912 by 10
charter members, ACSA is an international
association of architecture schools preparing future
architects, designers, and change agents
Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Founded Competition
in 1857, the American2022
Institute of Architects consistently
works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable
buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. The AIA provides
members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and
businesses. The AIA engages with civic and government leaders, as
well as with the public, to find solutions to pressing issues facing
our communities, institutions, nation, and world

BuildingGreen champions the changemakers in sustainable design

and building, with trusted insight, unparalleled education, and
communities that are transforming the industry.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• History

The Cote competition started in July 2015 until now they are still
continuing to discover different designs that will help the
environment. The American Institute of Architects Committee on
the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with the Association
of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), is pleased to
announce the first annual AIA COTE Top Ten for Students.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• History

The program challenges students, working individually or in teams,

to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to
architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide
architectural solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
The competition will recognize ten exceptional studio projects that
seamlessly integrate innovative, regenerative strategies within their
broader design concepts.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Important Dates

The registration and submission deadline for the COTE

Competition is January 12, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Following that was the judging of the contest, which was
announced in the spring of 2022, and finally, the announcement of
the winner. The winner was announced on April 20, 2022, in
conjunction with Earth Day.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
• Announcement
Competition 2022
An ACSA member school, faculty sponsor is required to enroll
students by completing an online registration form prior to
submission by January 12, 2022. Complete one online form for
each individual student or team of students participating. Students
or teams wishing to enter the competition on their own must have a
faculty sponsor, who should complete the online registration form.
There is no entry or submission fee to participate in the
competition.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Announcement
Please add the email address competitions@acsa-arch.org &&
ACSACompetition@mirasmart.com to your address book to ensure
that you receive all emails regarding your participation in the
competition.

During registration faculty will have the ability to add students and
create teams. Registration is required by January 12, 2022, but can
be changed, edited and added to until a student begins their final
submission.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission
SUBMISSION MATERIALS & REQUIREMENTS

The COTE Top Ten for Students Competition seeks compelling

design submissions that meaningfully address the future impacts of
climate change, imagine and illustrate a healthy, sustainable and
equitable future. Emphasis shall be placed on achieving zero
emissions, design for climate change and resilience, and addressing
social equity and ecology.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission
1. Graphics: No more than two (2) digital boards at 24”x36” (JPEG files, no more
than 20MB each), to include the following:
Documentation must adequately convey the project’s relationship to topography and
physical context, formal and programmatic organization, circulation patterns, and
experiential qualities. All drawings should be labeled; indicate scale and orientation
where necessary. At minimum, include the following:
– Site or context plan
– Floor plans
– Building / site sections
– Perspective or isometric view (digital rendering or model photograph)
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission

2. Abstract/Narrative: (100 words maximum for each sustainability measure for

a total of 1,000 word maximum). Project/concept statement
(approach/program/intentions/strategies). Narratives should answer as many
questions as possible posed in the ten measures, with deepest attention to
achieved measures most in alignment with the project. The specific questions for
each measure are meant to be a guide; each one does not need to be answered.
*During submission, simply copy/paste this text into the “Abstract” text field.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission

3. Program Brief: (500 words maximum) Submissions should

include a brief description the building type, gross square footage,
project location & climate zone.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission
ONLINE PROJECT SUBMISSION

Project authorship must remain anonymous. The names of student

participants, their schools, or faculty sponsors, must NOT appear
on the boards, narrative/abstract or project title. If authorship is
revealed on any submission materials the entry will be
disqualified.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Submission

ONLINE PROJECT SUBMISSION

Students are required to upload final submissions by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on

January 12, 2022. If the submission is from a team of students, all student team
members will have the ability to upload the digital files.
Submissions may be edited and updated until the submission deadline of 11:59
pm, Pacific Time, January 12, 2022. Once the final submission is uploaded and
submitted, each student will receive a confirmation email notification.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Judging
CRITERIA FOR JUDGING

Successful responses should demonstrate design moving towards

carbon-neutral operation through a creative and innovative
integration of design strategies such as daylighting, passive heating
and cooling, materials, water, energy generation, and other
sustainable systems, through a cohesive and beautiful architectural
understanding.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Judging
JURY

Jennifer Traci Rider Prem Sundharam Mahsa Hedayati Pauline Souza

Cutbill North DLR Group Perkins&Will WRNS Studio
Lateral Carolina State
Agency University
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Target Participants

The competition is open to students from all ACSA member

schools around the world. You can find a listing of all ACSA
member schools online. Students are required to work under the
direction of a faculty sponsor. Submissions will be accepted for
individual as well as team projects. Teams must be limited to a
maximum of three students.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

Architects play a crucial role in addressing both the causes and effects of climate
change through the design of the built environment. Innovative design thinking is
key to producing architecture that meets human needs for both function and
delight, adapts to climate change projections, continues to support the health and
well-being of inhabitants despite natural and human-caused disasters, and
minimizes contributions to further climate change through greenhouse gas
emissions. Preparing today’s architecture students to envision and create a
climate adaptive, resilient, and carbon-neutral future must be an essential
component and driving force for design discourse.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

Given their long lifespan, new buildings must be designed to address solutions to
climate change and to respond to its projected impacts, well into the second half
of the 21st Century and beyond. As with the COTE Top Ten award for built work
by design professionals, COTE Top Ten for Students allows designs to be
characterized in terms of 10 measures ranging from Community to Water to
Wellness.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary
Washington, D.C., April 22, 2022 – The American Institute of Architects,
Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with the Association
of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), are pleased to announce the
winners of the 2022 AIA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition.

The competition recognizes 10 exceptional studio projects that integrate creative

and innovative design strategies. These projects are designed to achieve carbon-
neutral operations through daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems,
sustainable materials, water conservation, energy generation, and other
sustainable systems.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

The program challenged students to submit projects that use a

thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems,
and technology to provide design solutions that protect and
enhance the environment. Award recipients for this year’s COTE
Top Ten for Students Competition are:
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 1
Epimorphic
Student: Claudette P. Bryan
Faculty Sponsors: Joel Towers &
Kayeon Lee
Parsons School of Design
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 2
Farmscape: A Modern Farm for the
Anthropocene
Students: Devin Costello & Marina
Berenguer
Faculty Sponsors: Joel Towers &
Kayeon Lee
Parsons School of Design
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 3
Green Convergence – Resilient
Corridor for Jaipur
Students: Chaoming Li & Xuefei
Yang
Faculty Sponsors: Maria Gonzalez
Aranguren & Pankaj Vir Guptar
University of Virginia
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 4
Reimagine Textile & Paper Industry
Students: Xian Wu
Faculty Sponsors: Maria Gonzalez
Aranguren & Pankaj Vir Guptar
University of Virginia
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 5
Relook Overlook | Living Water
Recycling Architecture
Students: Ashley Beard
Faculty Sponsors: Mona Ghandi
Washington State University
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 6
The Connected Farm
Students: Gauge Bethea & Jesse
Blevins
Faculty Sponsors: Ulrike Heine,
David Franco, George Schafer, &
Andreea Mihalacher
Clemson University
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 7
Transformation of Waste
Students: Curran Zhang
Faculty Sponsors: Hal Hayes
Carnegie Mellon University
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 8
Tumi
Students: Mia-Kim Bouchard, Alice
Corrivault-Gascon, & Roxane Gagnon
Faculty Sponsors: Claude Demers &
André Potvin
Université Laval
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 9
Under[surface] Upcycle
Students: Nithyashree Balachandar
Iyer
Faculty Sponsors: Erik Hemingway
University of Illinois, Urbana-
Champaign
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Brief / Competition Summary

TOP 10
Uqumuujuq – Arctic greenhouse in
Cambridge Bay
Students: Florence Bouchard-Bédard,
Daphné Garon-Rioux, & Coralee
Tremblay
Faculty Sponsors: Claude Demers &
André Potvin
Université Laval
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards

2015
CENTENNIAL MILLS
RECYCLED
Students: Gabrielle Steffel
Faculty Sponsors: Ihab Elzeyadi
University of Oregon
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2015
CENTENNIAL MILLS RECYCLED

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Centennial Mills re[CYCLE]d is a revitalization project of an abandoned site. Located along

the Willamette River, the project site is at 10th Ave and NW Naito Pkwy. The project is the
final connecting park in a series of park blocks which reach from downtown Portland to the
Willamette River. The project creates a destination for the city of Portland, activating the
river and refurbishing a neglected site.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards

2016
REGENERATING WATER
AVENUE
Students: Lacey Aley, Alex Collins,
& Addison Estrada
Faculty Sponsors: Bill Leddy,
Marsha Maytum, & Roger Ota
University of Oregon
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2016
REGENERATING WATER AVENUE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Located directly between to the newly constructed Tilikum Crossing and OMSI (Oregon
Museum of Science and Industry) in Portland, Oregon lies an undeveloped riverfront lot.
The proposed building strives to make a positive impact on the environment on a large scale
by providing “incubator spaces” that will be home to companies whose impact far surpasses
that of a singular building. The building and site live and possibly die by their
encouragement of cross disciplinary creative collisions.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2017
A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL IN
ANDHRA PRADESH
Students: Karin Bjorkman
Faculty Sponsors: Sandy Stannard &
Daniel Wiens
California Polytechnic State
University & Journeyman
International
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2017
A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL IN ANDHRA PRADESH

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

For the children born in the rural areas of India, life does not seem to present many options.
High incidence of child labor, low quality of education, and public disinterest create
unsupportive conditions. A residential primary school offers these young minds a quality
education and a refuge from child labor, while seeking to maintain in them a passion for their
local identity rather than spurring them to participate in urban migration.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2018
ENERGY COMMONS: A
HYPOTHETICAL
REPLACEMENT FOR GAS
STATIONS
Students: Buddy Burkhalter
Faculty Sponsors: David Strauss &
Louisa Iarocci
University of Washington
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2018
ENERGY COMMONS: A HYPOTHETICAL REPLACEMENT FOR GAS STATIONS

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposal consists of the design for a small-scale urban amenity node, or “Energy
Commons” in Seattle in climate zone 4C. At 36,000 square feet, The “Energy Commons”
will combine utilitarian functions with a contextual neighborhood-based program through
personal vehicle recharging, neighborhood co-working offices, cyclist and pedestrian
amenities, and solar energy and water harvesting and storage. The goal is to transform the
former car-centered and consumptive structure into a new public urban asset that is human
focused and energy-resource resilient.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2019
COOLTH CAPITALISM
Students: Peter Lazovskis, & Thomas
Schaperkotter
Faculty Sponsors: Matthew Soules
University of British Columbia
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2019
COOLTH CAPITALISM

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project extends beyond notions of operational fuel efficiency, focusing instead on
embodied energy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the global trade of carbon. Beyond
the building, the project intends to create social and ecological feedback cycles in
employment, forestry practices, material sourcing, and construction methods. Ultimately, the
project seeks to harness tendencies of real estate investment by directing them toward public
benefit and an ecologically powerful expression of urban habitation.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2020
ELEVATED INTEGRATION
Students: George Sorbara & Hunter
Harwell
Faculty Sponsors: Ulrike Heine,
David Franco, & George Schafer
Clemson University
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2020
ELEVATED INTEGRATION

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

“Elevated Integration” is a direct response to Portland, Oregon’s growing number of families

facing homelessness. The project includes a two story public market, three story workforce
development sector, public library, residential plinth, and a public park. Integration occurs
along two ecologies within the project, environmentally and socially, to ultimately reverse
the hindering elements that homeless families encounter and transform those setbacks into
opportunities.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards

2021
DIRECTION
Students: Morgan Weber & Robert
Conway
Faculty Sponsors: Robin Puttock
The Catholic University of America
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2021
DIRECTION

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Direction is a reuse project of Drew Elementary School. The goal of this project is to not
only expand upon the existing structure but to also focus on embodied carbon neutrality,
water reduction, net positive operational energy, and wellbeing. Drew Elementary also
happens to share spaces with a community center, meaning the entire community must be
thoughtfully considered.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards

2022
EPIMORPHIC
Student: Claudette P. Bryan
Faculty Sponsors: Joel Towers &
Kayeon Lee
Parsons School of Design
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Previous Winners and Boards
2022
EPIMORPHIC

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Epimorphic articulates the need for the well developed program and beautifully designed
adaptive reuse project. The appealing repurposing of the spaces and the use of recycled
materials from existing buildings are very well considered. The innovatively thought-out
user environment with flexible space and well incorporated solutions for heat stack are
wonderful solutions. The critical need for well designed solutions that address universal
design, homelessness and differently abled populations are at the core of this project and its
success.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Links/Website and Social Media Accounts
Websites

• https://www.acsa-arch.org/programs-and-events/competitions/

Social Media Accounts

• https://www.facebook.com/ACSANational
• https://www.instagram.com/acsanational/
• https://twitter.com/acsaupdate
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/association-of-collegiate-schools-of-architecture
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLd0Fa7WvbiD_FS2ImtDN4w/featured
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Other Important Details

Ten projects will be chosen for recognition at the discretion of the

jury. Winners and their faculty sponsors will be notified of the
competition results directly. Winning projects will be announced
and displayed at the 2022 AIA National Convention. Winning
projects will also be promoted on the ACSA website at www.acsa-
arch.org & the AIA COTE® website at www.aia.org/cote.
 Committee on the Environment (COTE)
Competition 2022
• Other Important Details
Winning projects will be recognized during the 2022 AIA National Convention at
the COTE reception. Winning students and their faculty sponsors will receive cash
prizes totaling $13,500 with each of the 10 selected winners receiving:

Student(s)

$1,000

Faculty Sponsor(s)

$350