Each spring, the AIA and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) select ten examples of leading sustainable architecture to be honored at the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition. The 2009 COTE Top Ten Green Projects were judged not only on their technical prowess and advanced green design but also for their aesthetics. One juror noted that “other awards and organizations look strictly at performance without care for how a building looks.”

This year’s panelists included Michelle Addington, Brandy Brooks, William Leddy, Nadav Malin, Kim Shinn of TLC Engineering for Architecture, and James Timberlake. What else did the jury have to say about the winners? Click here to launch the slide show.