Kristiansund Opera and Culture Centre will house Norway's oldest opera, dating back to 1805, which every year arranges the Opera Festival Weeks - Norway's largest and most comprehensive presentation of opera and musical theatre and one of Scandinavia’s largest opera festivals.

In light of the increasing significance of environmental and ecological programs in the new economy, the Arizona Board of Regents had established the interdisciplinary Center for Sustainable Environments (CSE) at Northern Arizona University. The Center serves as a catalyst for many on and off campus projects, and has a direct and immediate impact on the community and the regional economy.

Since its initiation, CSE has developed over twenty partnerships, and this rapid expansion has created a need for additional research space on the Northern Arizona University campus. Infrastructure needs include space for developing applied research projects, as well as the technology and infrastructure needed to disseminate environmental knowledge to the region and the nation.

Given these needs, the administration at Northern Arizona University developed a plan to design and build a unique building that would meet the expanding research needs of the Center for Sustainable Environments and its public and private partners.

One of the recipients of the AIA 2010 Housing Awards, this single-family house is situated along the Connecticut shoreline of Long Island Sound. It is conceived of as an extension of both its natural and social contexts. Building on the site is regulated not only by the implied aesthetic expectations of a neighborhood association, but also by town zoning regulations on height and yard setbacks, as well as FEMA regulations requiring structures to be raised above base flood zones.

Photograph Ⓒ David Sundberg/Esto

Located in Gurgaon, the office hub in the suburbs of New Delhi, the building moves away from the typical office typology, provides an alternative with interweaving open social spaces, and closed workspaces.

Selected as one of the 2010 COTE Top Ten Green Projects, the new Watsonville Area Water Operations Center supports the larger Water Recycling Project, a joint effort of the City of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency to provide recycled water to farmers throughout the coastal areas of South Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties.

By treating wastewater and making it available to the $400 million local agricultural industry, the Water Recycling Project protects groundwater that is being consumed more quickly than it is replenished, resulting in saltwater intrusion into coastal wells. In addition, the plant significantly reduces wastewater discharges into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Photographs by Bruce Damonte