Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the panel of jurors for its Natural Talent Design Competition, which gives students and young professionals the opportunity to apply sustainable design concepts to local community building projects. The competition, now in its eighth year, will take on a special format with the competition convening in New Orleans during the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Winners will be announced at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago, Ill., November 16-19, 2010.

In collaboration with Salvation Army’s EnviRenew Initiative, the 2010 competition will focus on continuing the rebuilding effort in New Orleans, La. Competitors will be divided into students and young professionals groups and will be given the challenge of designing an 800 square foot LEED for Homes project that is priced affordably and is functional for elderly occupants. Up to four designs will be selected to be showcased at Greenbuild 2010 and, for the first time, the designers will see their projects built in New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood.

Once the homes are built, they will enter a measurement and verification phase in which they will be graded on energy efficiency, water reuse and indoor air quality among other categories. The design team whose home performs best during measurement and verification will be awarded the final grand prize at Greenbuild.

“In recent years, our country has withstood some of the most unimaginable crises of any generation. From the earthquake in Haiti to the Gulf Coast oil spill, USGBC is placing the utmost importance upon making the 2010 competition one that will not only benefit the environment through high performance design, but will truly improve the lives of those most affected by these tragedies, particularly in the Gulf Coast Region,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Hosting the competition in New Orleans will address the current sustainability and environmental challenges in the Gulf Coast and celebrate the innovation that will drastically improve the lives of residents who want to move back home.”

Eleven jurors were chosen based upon their unparalleled commitment to sustainable design and their devotion to rebuilding the Gulf Coast. The esteemed panel of jurors includes:

Bob Berkebile, principal, BNIM

Valerie Casey, founder & CEO of Designer’s Accord

Walter Isaacson, president & CEO of the Aspen Institute

Lindsay Jonker, executive director of Salvation Army’s EnviRenew

Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architecture for Humanity

Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council

To learn more about all of the 11 jurors, read their bios here. 

To further engage the community in the design and construction process of these homes, residents of the Broadmoor neighborhood will have the opportunity to review the final design options and provide feedback for the jury to consider. Additionally, and for the first time in the history of the competition, the designers will see their projects built by EnviRenew and Broadmoor Development Corporation. “Engaging the Broadmoor residents to help determine which projects will be built in their

 neighborhood is a wonderful opportunity. It provides the chance to demonstrate that local knowledge, international creativity, and innovation can be reconciled with the development of sustainable housing and resilient communities,” said Lindsay Jonker, executive director of Salvation Army’s EnviRenew. “The Salvation Army is very excited and proud to be engaged in this expression of social equity in action. This is one of the first instances the voice of a community is being fully integrated into an international architectural competition."

The competition engages young designers in a unique way by presenting them with the opportunity to have a hands-on learning experience designing with the principles of LEED in mind including integrated design, sustainability and innovation.

For more details about the 2010 Natural Talent Design Contest, visit:www.usgbc.org/designcompetition.


U.S. Green Building Council
The USGBC community is transforming the way we build, design and operate our buildings for healthier places that save precious resources for people to live, work, learn and play in.  UGSBC is helping create buildings and communities that regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Council is the driving force of the green building industry, which is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2013. USGBC leads a diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials, concerned citizens, teachers and students.  The USGBC community comprises 80 local chapters, 17,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 150,000 individuals who have earned LEED Professional Credentials. Visit www.usgbc.org for more information.