Architecture at Zero 2015 winners propose zero-energy student housing building

As time passes, the need increases for feasible innovative technology in architecture. In response to this, the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) launched the Architecture at Zero competition to encourage ongoing research on zero net energy design.

For its fifth edition, professional and student participants designed a mixed-use student housing building for a site on the University of California - San Francisco Mission Bay campus. Without a doubt, achieving zero energy is a big feat in large-scale residential buildings — let alone for a college campus.

The jury awarded two Honor Awards, three Citation Awards, and a Special Recognition.

Scroll down to see the winners.

↑ HONOR AWARD: Estuary
by MITHUN | San Francisco, CA (Professional)

Project Architects: Brendan Connolly, Dioni Rey & Martha Cox
Project Landscape Architect: Susanna Burrows
Engineers: David Mead & Allan Montpellier, PAE Consulting Engineers

↑ HONOR AWARD: Conspicuous Consumption
by Weber Thompson | Seattle, WA (Professional)

Project manager, designer: Kirsten Clemens
Project designers: Cody Lodi & John Stout
Research and design assist: Rebecca Reinhold
Project mentors: Myer Harrell & Amanda Keating
Principal in charge: Scott Thompson
Energy consultant: James Saywell, WSP
Renewable Energy specialist: Claire McKenna, WSP
MEP engineer: Tom Marseille, WSP

↑ CITATION AWARD: ALVEO
by AXIS Architecture + Design and EBS Consultants | San Francisco, CA (Professional)

Architect: AXIS Architecture + Design (Cory Creath, Byung Kang, Jiamin Liang)
Energy Engineer: EBS Consultants (Michael Hummel, Will Gorrissen, Derek Wong, Nicol Berinstein, Hushian He)
Landscape Designer: GLS Landscape/Architecture (Gary Strang)
Structural Engineer: DCI Engineers (Jeff Brink)

↑ CITATION AWARD: Breeze Block
by Cornell University | Ithaca, NY (Student)

Design Leads: Peter Williamson & Emily Moore
Research Lead: Shannon Hush
Visualization Lead: Henry Gao
Representation Lead: Christopher Ray
Design Consultant: Octavio Guitierrez, Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Energy Modeling Consultant: Duane Carter, Solomon Cordwell Buenz

↑ CITATION AWARD: TRANSFORMER
by University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH (Student)

Project analyser, designer: Guande Wu
Main project designer: Michael Zhao

↑ ZERO EMISSION - SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD: BAR Architects | San Francisco, CA (Professional)

BAR Architects: Mark Kelly, Tom Nelson, Stephanie Amend, Zach Prowda, Jung Suh, Jestin Wolin, Dino Vajarca, Alessandra Jones, Nicolette Mastrangelo, Cynthia Strawn  MEP Engineer, daylighting, and energy analysis: Andrea Traber, Neil Bulger, Michael Martinez

All images courtesy UCSF + Architecture at Zero 2015 competition.