TEMPE, AZ — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) is awarding 10 design projects with its highest honor — the COTE Top Ten Awards — for their significant achievements in advancing climate action.

For the past 25 years, COTE has bestowed the award annually on 10 design projects that have expertly integrated design excellence with cutting-edge performance in 10 key areas. The COTE Top Ten projects illustrate the solutions architects provide for the health and welfare of the community and planet.

In order to be eligible, project submissions are required to demonstrate alignment with COTE's rigorous criteria, which include social, economic, and ecological values. The five-member jury evaluates each project submission based on the effectiveness of their holistic design solution and metrics associated with the 10 measures. This year's COTE Top Ten Awards recipient in the Rocky Mountain Construction area is:

The design team and university community shared a vision that Hayden Library needed to transform from a warehouse of books into a place for people while simultaneously celebrating the building’s historic legacy. Located in the heart of campus, Hayden Library anchors two highly utilized pedestrian malls. The new exterior design creates a ground-level plaza to reconnect the tower to campus and reinforces pedestrian connections with double-height glazing and new interior slab openings that create both visual and physical connections.

The decision to retain nearly all the existing structural and building envelope elements was born of the desire for historic preservation and maintained the embodied carbon of these enduring assets. Existing granite panels and stained glass are salvaged and reused in the project to elevate their contribution to the building’s architectural experience. Precise restoration and renovation of all existing stairs and guardrails honor the existing building while showcasing new and future uses and details.