Biodesign Institute Garners Top Honors for Environmental Excellence

Kimberly Ovitt, Director of Communication & Institutional Advancement
(480)727-8688 | kimberly.ovitt@asu.edu

At the annual Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Awards banquet on Friday, Sept. 9, the Biodesign Institute took home the top awards in the following two categories:

Buildings and Structures: Office & Retail; awarded to Gould Evans, architects, for the Biodesign Institute, Building A

Site Development & Landscape: Large Scale and Community Development; awarded to Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, for the 4.5-acre garden surrounding the Institute.

This year marked the 25th anniversary for the prestigious awards, which recognize projects in categories ranging from "Art in Public Spaces" to "Environmental Technologies." The Valley Forward Association established the awards to promote efforts within Valley communities that contribute to livable communities, conservation of natural resources and sustaining our unique desert environment for future generations. The judges consider both aesthetic and functional contributions to the environment.

Among the features emphasized in the entries for the Biodesign Institute were energy-saving exterior building louvers; use of natural light via the atrium; the design of the facility roof, which directs air-conditioning condensate and rain into landspaped areas; use of native landscaping materials; and limited exterior hardscape to increase water absorption.