The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, or TNACI, is a 14,000-square-foot freshwater research center on the banks of the Tennessee River. Anticipated to be LEED-Gold certified, the facility provides a central location for researchers across the Southeast to bolster the mission of restoring the region’s natural ecosystems and educating the public on conservation. The entire site serves as a living classroom, showcasing how sustainable design can protect ecosystem health while creating connections between people and the natural environment.

Built for a family who desires to retreat into the natural landscape of rural Tennessee from their hurried lives in the dense metropolis of Houston, Texas, Holston River Cabin is designed entirely around the site and its surroundings. The steep slope of the watershed required  a long, linear plan. This was a gift to the design, as it allowed the entire main living space to open up to the river below. A wall of glass sliding doors and ceiling height clerestory blur the lines of outdoor and indoor. Additionally, natural materials and finishes were used to bring nature into the space.

The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, or TNACI, is a 14,000-square-foot freshwater research center on the banks of the Tennessee River. Anticipated to be LEED-Gold certified, the facility provides a central location for researchers across the Southeast to bolster the mission of restoring the region’s natural ecosystems and educating the public on conservation. The entire site serves as a living classroom, showcasing how sustainable design can protect ecosystem health while creating connections between people and the natural environment.

During the summer of 2014, EPB engaged multiple nonprofit and government entities in building a collaborative, inclusive strategy for a TVA funding opportunity, Extreme Energy Makeover.  TVA committed $10 million dollars for energy efficiency improvements for low income homes.  The goal of the program was to reduce home energy consumption by at least 25% by spending $10 per square foot in upgrades.   EPB secured funding from the Lyndhurst, Footprint, and Benwood Foundations to carry out a ten home pilot strategy based on the requirements of EEM.  The pilot was named Home Energy Upgrade. 

Sustainable Business of the Year: Whiteboard:

We believe design shapes the world and the people who make it. That's why our mission is to design the world that ought to be.

We work with people and organizations who share this conviction and are committed to tangible outcomes that positively shape the world around us.

Sustainability Professional of the Year:

Hugh Morrow Jr., president of Ruby Falls LLC., has lead the transformation of an 80-year-old natural attraction, listed in the National Register for Historic Places, into a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business operation. “As a lifelong Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain resident, I am fully aware of the history and tradition that Ruby Falls has with the past visitors to the Mountain. It is a true pleasure to work to continue these traditions,” Morrow stated.