Annapolis, Maryland
Smith Group

Photography © Prakash Patel

The greenest office on the bay

In designing a new headquarters for the largest nonprofit regional environmental organization in the U.S., Smith Group created an icon for sustainability. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters, the Merrill Environmental Center, a building with a number of environmentally "green" features, embodies the culture of the organization and is the only building to have received a platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy Efficient and Environmental Design program.

The 32,000-square-foot office building, located on 31 acres near the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, includes solar panels, natural ventilation, a geothermal heat pump with a desiccant dehumidification system, and roof and wall enclosures of Structurally Insulated Panels. Clad in galvanized siding made from cans, cars, and other recycled metal objects, Smith Group designed the building to use 10 percent of the potable water and 70 percent less energy than a typical office building. All wood was from renewable sources. A number of technologies are brought together in one building—a demonstration building of sorts for green technology.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters raised crucial questions for the jury beyond simple aesthetics and matching building program with business mission: Does green design necessarily mean good design? And is green design necessarily good for business?

For more on this project please see the October 2001 issue of Architectural Record.

The Winners: Chesapeake Bay | Corning Museum | Dulwich Galllery | Kuhonji Temple Gate | LVMH Tower | Pedestrian Bridge | Phillips Plastics | Saitama Arena | SAP Headquarters | Chiller Plant | Wieden + Kennedy Headquarters

The Finalists: Allegheny Jail | Hansen Construction | Helmut Lang Perfumerie | Herman Miller Showroom | Lincoln St. Garage | TBWA/Chiat/Day | U.S. Courthouse | Westpac Stadium

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