2013 USGBC Central PA Chapter
ForeverGreen Awards Program
Celebrating green building and sustainable innovation…
October 4, 2013 – Armstrong World Industries
This grand celebration will be our way of recognizing the local Green Building Industry in your journey to find
sustainability. Throughout the last couple years we have made great strides in how we do business, in the communities
in which we live, and in the buildings where we work. Let’s celebrate our achievements collectively and raise the bar for
future projects.
USGBC Central Pennsylvania Chapter is pleased to invite you to submit entries into the 2013 ForeverGreen Building
Awards Program. Entries will be judged and the winners recognized at a dinner and celebration event to be held again
this year at the prestigious Armstrong Avenue Building and Auditorium in Lancaster, PA on October 4, 2013.
We encourage you to nominate your projects for the various awards found in this information packet. Projects can be
entered into more than one category with discounts available for additional entries for the same project.
CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA FOR AWARDS:
The following Categories from the 2012 Awards Program will again be recognized…
□Innovative Project of the Year – judged upon:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Ground-breaking – non-LEED® technologies, processes, and design features
At least one aspect of the building that is not typically used in conventional design or construction of buildings.
At least one aspect of the building that is not typically found within our marketplace
Indication of how the technology, process, or design feature will change existing practices within the market and
provide opportunities for substantial changes that protect or improve the acceptance of green buildings
□Sustainable Project of the Year – Non-LEED – judged upon:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Sustainable features of a project that is not a LEED® registered or certified project
Demonstration of a truly sustainable process within the structure or project
Integration of multiple sustainable processes within one project
Indication or demonstration of savings produced or anticipated by the sustainable features or practices employed
□LEED Project of the Year - judged upon:
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Project must be occupied and operational.
Certification can be pending but the project must have been completed within the last two years
(2012-2013).
Projects from any of the following categories are eligible: EB, BD+C, CS, Healthcare, Retail and Neighborhood
Development
e. Points obtained will be taken into consideration but will not be the sole criteria for awarding the recognition; the
final LEED® Scorecard should be submitted for the project
f. The appropriateness of the use of LEED, and the process taken to convince the property owner to pursue and obtain
LEED certification will also be taken into consideration
□Renewable Project of the Year – judged upon:
a.
b.
c.
d.
The project must include at least one of the following: Wind, Solar, Bio-Mass, or Hydro Electric Power
Projects utilizing combustion/fossil fuels may be considered for this category if in a back-up or similar capacity
Combining more than one-renewable resource will be considered a bonus
The structure or ultimate use of the renewable energy source will also be taken into consideration, with the
application or integration of the source within the project as the major criteria
□Green Home of the Year – judged upon:
a. Including only single family residences (no apartments, condos, duplex, etc. – these can be submitted under other
project categories)
b. The home can be a renovation or a new build; if renovation, extra credit will be given to the difficulty of including
green practices
c. The integration of different green applications within the structure to obtain maximum efficiency
d. The evaluation of all aspects of the home (energy usage, material usage, IEQ)
e. Additional credit earned for LEED® for Homes Certification (or Registration)
f. The appropriateness of the use of LEED, if applicable, and the process taken to convince the property owner to
pursue and obtain LEED certification will also be taken into consideration
□Green School of the Year – judged upon:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Includes K-12 schools only. Specific buildings in higher education can be submitted within other categories
The full integration of various green or sustainable techniques or processes within the structure or project
How the school is integrated into and has impact on the community
The integration of the following aspects with the green or sustainable aspects will be considered:
 General curriculum –use of the building as a learning tool
 Transportation – how impacted
 Food – how lunch programs impacted by the green aspects on the building
e. Additional consideration will be given to entries that comply with with the US Department of Education Green
Ribbon Schools Program criteria found on their website
Please note that the Green Business of the Year will still be recognized at the Celebration, but nominations and the
determination will be handled through a different process.
In an effort to recognize the work of other professionals involved in moving sustainability forward, we have added
these additional categories for 2013:
□Sustainable ideas in site design, habitat conservation and storm water management project of the year – focused
specifically on the work of Civil Engineers, Landscape Architects, and Land Planners, this category will be judged upon:
a. Includes any site development completed in the last two years
b. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, etc.)
c. Site Lighting design meet or exceed “Dark Sky” criteria
d. Landscape design utilizing non evasive native species with limited use of irrigation and fertilizers.
e. Minimize impervious cover and maximize green space
f. Innovative storm water/groundwater recharge management solutions (innovative BMP’s)
g. Harvest and re-use of storm water run-off that meet or exceed DEP/EPA storm water quality standards
h. Promote pedestrian use and neighborhood connectivity
i. Limit grading/earthmoving activities (position site favorably within natural contours)
j. Mitigate thermal impacts with innovative landscaping/shading/solar reflectance
□Sustainable ideas with energy efficiency in building lighting and electrical systems project of the year – focused
specifically on the work of Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, and Electrical Contractors, this category will be
judged upon:
a. Any system incorporated in an occupied building completed in the last two years
b. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, energy star, etc.) [a plus but
not required ]
c. Incorporation of innovative technologies that reduce energy use and improve interior lighting levels and
controllability by occupants (LED lighting, day lighting controls, automatic lighting controls etc.)
d. Incorporation of renewable and/or alternative energy (wind, solar, day lighting, Co-Gen etc.)
e. Percentage of improvement over industry baseline standard (COMCHEK, PPL E-power, Energy Star, etc.)
□Sustainable ideas with energy efficiency in building HVAC and ATC systems project of the year – focused specifically
on the work of Mechanical Engineers and HVAC Contractors, this category will be judged upon:
a. Any system incorporated in an occupied building completed in the last two years
b. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, energy star, etc.) [a plus but
not required ]
c. Incorporation of innovative technologies that reduce energy use and improve interior environmental air quality
d. Incorporation of renewable and/or alternative energy (wind, solar, evaporative chiller, variable refrigerant, Co-Gen
etc.)
e. Provides occupant or remote monitoring and controllability of systems
□Sustainable ideas and efficiency in building plumbing systems and water use reduction project of the year focused
specifically on the work of Mechanical Engineers and Plumbing Contractors, this category will be judged upon:
a. Any system incorporated in an occupied building completed in the last two years
b. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, energy star, etc.) [a plus but
not required ]
c. Incorporation of innovative technologies that reduce water use and improve the quality of and/or reduce the
release of waste water
d. Incorporation of renewable and/or alternative energy to produce building domestic hot water (preheat solar,
geothermal, Co-Gen etc.)
□Sustainable ideas in commercial interiors, building reuse, recycled content and regional materials project of the
year focused specifically on the work of Interior Designers, Space Planners, Architects, Developers, and owners, this
category will be judged upon:
a. Any operational building completed in the last two years
b. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, energy star, etc.) [a plus but
not required ]
c. A minimum adaptive reuse of 50% of the existing building
d. Any addition or combination of additions to the building cannot exceed the total square footage of the existing
building.
e. Substantial use renewable and regional materials
f. Phase one report confirming the absence or remediation of hazardous materials (asbestos, lead, etc.)
g. Incorporation of innovative technologies that reduce water and energy use
h. Site selection, neighborhood conductivity (proximity to essential services, transportation, creation of green spaces
etc.)
i. Incorporation of renewable and/or alternative energy (wind, solar, evaporative chiller, variable refrigerant, Co-Gen
etc.) a plus but not required
□Sustainable green industrial, manufacturing or warehouse project of the year – focused specifically on the
work of Engineers, Facility Managers, Architects, Manufacturing Companies, Product Distributors, and
warehouse Managers, this category will be judged upon:
a. Any operational warehouse space, manufacturing or industrial building completed in the last two years
j. LEED certified, submitted for LEED certification or other rating systems (green globe, energy star, etc.) [a plus but
not required ]
b. Incorporation of innovative technologies that reduce water and energy use
c. Innovation in the reduction of negative community and environmental impact
d. Employee safety, comfort and efficiency
e. Reduce impact the processes taking place in the building on the environment compare to industry standards
f. Site selection, neighborhood conductivity (proximity to essential services, transportation, and/or brown field
remediation)
Note: Although the new categories may be specifically focused on the work of specific professionals, they are open to any qualified
project and the individuals involved.
Special additional recognition… there is no cost for schools and students to enter this category
□Innovation in sustainable ideas, its design and real life use from middle school, high school,
or university
students project of the year – judged by:
a. Any project or idea by an individual or group that was completed and tested or put into use in the last two years
b. Provide data that identifies its contribution to sustainable practices that is quantifiable and measurable.
c. Include the original project criteria, scope and goals (what inspired the project or idea and what need it fulfills or
problem does it solve)
d. What inspired the project or idea (National or local competition, class requirement, to fulfill a need of the
school, etc.)
Bonus Criteria for All Categories – In addition to the basic criteria listed for each category above, judges may
choose to award bonus credit for any or all of the following when, in their opinion, the project shows superior
innovation in ways to achieve project goals:
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Non mechanical criteria (building orientation, passive solar, natural ventilation, shading etc.)
Sustainability (fuel source, material type, renewable resource)
Energy use reduction (all categories)
Water use reduction (HVAC, landscaping, storm water)
Occupant comfort (HVAC, electrical)
Project difficulty
Aesthetics of the entire project or general improvement of the quality of the area
Educational aspects of the project to assist in showing or explaining green features
Waste management
Collaboration demonstrated on the project among design, trades, sub-contractors, owners, and eventual users of
the space
Submission of Entries…
Either mailed or electronic submissions will be accepted. Files can be uploaded to a Dropbox account or submitted on a
CD or Flash Drive mailed to the organization. Each nomination must provide the following:
● Narrative (no more than 2000 words) ● Minimum of 4 photographs (maximum of 10) ● Project credit form.
The required payment (see below) must be submitted before the nomination is complete. An educational YouTube
video is optional for all awards (no more than 10 minutes long). You may nominate a project for more than one category
(additional entries discounted). There must be at least two nominees in an award category to award a winner. A First
and Second Place Recognition will be made in each qualifying category. Additional credit will be received for a
collaborative submission involving multiple members of the building owner/designer/construction team.
Winners will receive recognition on our chapter’s website and through additional recognition opportunities throughout
2014, until the next awards program, and will receive a plaque for display. Our intent is to recognize the entire team’s
efforts, as much as possible, in designing and building green buildings.
Photos that are submitted with the award nominations may be used to promote the awards gala and chapter events
both on the web and in print.
Fees for Entries…
$250 Corporate Partner/member submission and $500 for Non-Partner/member submission for the following: LEED
Project of the Year
$200 Corporate Partner/member submission and $350 for Non-Partner/member submission for the following:
Innovative, Sustainable, and Industrial/Manufacturing/Warehouse Projects of the Year
$150 Corporate Partner/member submission and $250 for Non-Partner/member submission for the following: Green
School, Green Home, and Renewable Projects of the Year, Site Design/Storm Water Management, Building
Lighting/Electrical, HVAC/ATC, Plumbing/Water Usage, and Existing Building Remodeling Projects of the Year
Discount for additional submissions in the same category - The cost of $100/$250 (Corporate Partner/member vs.
Non-Partner/member) if a second submission of the same project is made in any of the categories. No Charge for
Student Sustainable Ideas or Designs