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Awards Given for River-Friendly Watershed Development

The Friends of the Chicago River has recognized local ecological efforts with the third annual Chicago River Blue: Blue Ribbon Awards, at their Big Fish Ball gala. The awards honor building industry professionals for their creative approaches to river-sensitive design, native landscaping, stormwater management and water conservation practices throughout the Chicago River watershed. Categories include sustainable design for people (public access), water (hydrology) and wildlife (ecology), as outlined in the Friends’ Blue Principles for River Design.

This year’s winners include Gensler, for the Center on Halsted, which incorporates innovative stormwater treatment technology to create an educational LGBT community center; the Public Building Commission of Chicago, for the Ogden International School of Chicago, which integrates design systems for stormwater capture and reuse, providing an onsite habitat for local wildlife; Prassas Landscape Studio LLC, for Roscoe Village Retreat, a backyard that has been transformed into a Japanese-inspired garden oasis; Lohan Anderson, LLC, for the Chicago Public Library New Branch Prototypes—LEED Gold-certified designs to be built in multiple locations throughout Chicago; and Muller+Muller, Ltd., for West Ridge Elementary School, which achieved LEED for Schools Silver certification.


For more information, visit ChicagoRiver.org.