Local materials, 100% wind power, "zero carbon," are all features of the new visitor center in Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The GSBS Architects structure is among the winners of the 5th annual Sustainability Leadership Award for Design and Development, announced at the CoreNet Global Summit. The Escalante Science Center (ESC) project and its 42 green construction features won along with Liberty Property Trust's $21 million warehouse for JohnsonDiversey, Inc., and Perkins+Wills' Sustainable Design Initiative (SDI) Strategic Plan and the Green Operations Plan. This year's nominations were a testament to the level of seriousness corporations and their service providers are taking sustainable design and development. Going beyond standard LEED certification, this year's winners asserted scientific innovation and strategic thinking behind their corporate strategies. Joining Harris, senior vice president of Global Business Service for Sun Microsystems, in the awards presentation were Steven McCollom, AIA, IIDA and associate partner with Gary Lee Partners on behalf of the American Institute of Architects, and Mitchell Sawasy, FIIDA, AIA, co-founder and design principal of Rothenberg Sawasy Architects and president-elect of the International Interior Design Association. Three winners were announced: 2008 Winner For Achievement in Design in Not-For-Profit Organizations: GSBS Architects with the Escalante National Monument. GSBS architects worked on the Escalante Science Center (ESC) project keeping sustainable innovation at the very core of the design. The building is LEED Gold Certified and one of the first to be labeled "zero carbon." The facility employs a number of measures to reduce energy use, including evaporative cooling and radiant heating. The building utilizes local materials and labor. The building is a learning tool showcasing sustainable design. The building harvests rain and daylight, houses a photovoltaic array and is powered 100% by wind. Accepting the award was David Brems, FAIA, Architect, GSBS Architects. 2008 Winner For Achievement in Development in For-Profit Organizations: Perkins+Will on their Sustainable Design Initiative (SDI) Strategic Plan and the Green Operations Plan. When Perkins+Will began applying LEED to projects, they realized it wasn't enough to make the significant positive impact that they wanted. Combining the knowledge from the firm's thought leaders with the passion of their 1,300-person staff, sustainable design has become part of the corporate culture. This cultural shift has been accomplished by crafting two living documents that codified goals and tactics: the Sustainable Design Initiative (SDI) Strategic Plan and the Green Operations Plan. The implementation of these strategies has made Perkins+Will an industry leader of sustainable design, in practice and in operations. Accepting the award were Paula Vaughn, AIA, LEED AP, senior associate and co-chair, Sustainable Design Initiative, Perkins+Will and Greg Williams, RA, principal, Perkins+Will. 2008 Winner For Achievement in Design in For-Profit Organizations: Liberty Property Trust presenting JohnsonDiversey, Inc. Liberty Property Trust broke ground on the warehouse and distribution center for JohnsonDiversey, Inc. and created the largest green distribution building in the U.S. The project achieved LEED Gold certification and continues to be a "classroom" for high performance warehouse construction to architects and distributors nationwide. In 2006 it received the "Green Build" Award from the USGBC for being the first building to incorporate LEED NC (new construction) and LEED EB (existing buildings) in the same process. Accepting the award was Dave Jellison, VP and city manager, Minnesota Office, Liberty Property Trust. Award underwriters are: * Johnson Controls Inc. * Tandus * Peoplecube A group of leading industry professionals served on the Award Steering Committee and as judges. * Nick Axford, Ph.D., head, Research and Consulting Department, CB Richard Ellis * Holley Henderson, IIDA, LEED, AP, principal, H2EcoDesign * Gail Lindsey, FAIA, LEED AP principal, Design Harmony * Richard Logan, AIA, Gensler, retired * Mike Napier, head of real estate, Shell International * Sanford "Sandy" Smith, manager, corporate manager, Real Estate and Facilities, Toyota Motor Sales USA * Ken Wilson, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, principal, Envision Design