The Top 10 Green Buildings

"The American Institute of Architects celebrates the best examples of sustainable architecture and environmental design in its presentation of awards to the Top 10 Green Buildings."

"The winners in this competition show that a lot of energy-efficient design innovations do not add a lot to the cost of a building, especially when spread over the expected lifetime of the building, according to an AIA spokesperson."

This year's competition had more than 90 entries, compared with an average of 45 in past years.

Some winning buildings include "Global Ecology Research Center, Stanford, California, by EHDD Architects, a low-energy laboratory and office building that cut carbon emissions associated with building operation by 72 percent", and "Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse, Eugene, Oregon, by Morphosis & DLR Group, featuring raised courtrooms and an air distribution system under the floor".