2024 CGBG Annual Award Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our CGBG Awards 2024! Thank you to all our nominees - your hard work and efforts are applauded and greatly appreciated by everyone in the community!

 

Senior Associate

Rodwin Architecture

 

Jocelyn Parlapiano - Leadership Initiative Award Winner

Sustainability Champion

  • Over a decade dedicated to sustainable building practices and environmental stewardship.

  • Senior Associate at Rodwin Architecture and Skycastle Construction.

  • Led the design of Net-Zero Energy homes and managed a LEED Platinum home recognized with prestigious awards.

CGBG Leadership and Impact

  • Volunteer for CGBG since 2015 and Board member from 2017–2019.

  • Key leader of the Green Home Tour for three years, securing sponsorships, sourcing projects, coordinating volunteers, and creating tour booklets.

  • Helped bring awareness to energy-efficient and sustainable homes for hundreds of attendees.

Mentorship and Education

  • Lead mentor in the ACE Mentorship Program, guiding high school students toward careers in green architecture, engineering, and construction.

Visionary Leader

  • Committed to creating innovative, responsible spaces that inspire industry-wide adoption of sustainable practices.

  • Passionate about leaving a positive legacy for future generations.

Go Electric

Colorado

Denver Electric vehicle Council

 

Julia Moravcsik - Green Champion Award Winner

Sustainability Advocate

  • Active leader in the sustainable movement across the Front Range, participating in events focused on EVs, heat pumps, electrification, green homes, and carbon reduction.

Leadership Roles

  • Co-Founder of Go Electric Colorado, leading presentations, tabling, and organizing monthly Green Home Tour events.

  • President of the Denver Electric Vehicle Council, running EV shows and advocating for charging infrastructure.

  • Previous volunteer roles with the Denver Tesla Club and the Electrification Action Group for the national Citizens Climate Lobby.

Education and Outreach

  • Engages with schools to inspire students about workforce opportunities in heat pumps, water heating, and electrification.

  • Provides coaching to homeowners interested in going all-electric through Go Electric Colorado.

CGBG Contributor

  • Played a vital role in this year’s CGBG Green Home Tour, furthering awareness of sustainable practices in the community.

Passionate Change-Maker

  • Tirelessly committed to building a sustainable future, connecting communities, and promoting clean energy solutions.

team information

 

Thorne Lafayette Nature Center | Caddis Collaborative - Green Building of the Year Award

“Thorne believes that all youth, regardless of race, ethnicity, or family income, deserve the opportunity to connect with nature.”

Equality is the heart of this project, so the architecture is a stage for the kids’ experience, fostering their emotional connection to nature.  The design marries the program with nature creating an experience of Coal Creek using play environments, intentional circulation patterns, and a gesture of openness.  The LNC is a national example, advancing the wider Nature Play educational movement, contrasting the surrounding office park as a restorative model for a more appropriate land ethic.

The program included support for off-site programs, offices, and a nature preschool.  Buildings screen the creek and playgrounds from the office park and drop off - designed for bike and pedestrian safety - and maximize sun for the pay areas while gathering daylight deep into the buildings.  The building split into two forms creating an outdoor gateway/lobby.  Generous canopies encourage four season nature play, supported with structures recalling tree forms.  The regenerative landscape flanks a well-used creek trail, with new trail connections welcoming community use of playgrounds, gazebos, and BBQ facilities as requested during Spanish-English community outreach workshops.

Innovative green building/resilience:

  • Form-factor: responsive to natural context, solar orientation, and program

  • ACC Block: reduced embodied energy, UL max 4hr fire exposure maintaining structural integrity, stucco/block/GWB, 12” R-14.3 (exceeds 2021 IECC requirements), inorganic - does not mold, porous structure provides excellent acoustic absorption

  • Alpen Windows: Zenith Zr-6, local, fiberglass, high performance, liquid flashing airtight/waterproofed

  • Mechanical: all electric ERV’s/heat pumps, 19kW PV

  • Non-toxic flexible interiors: building “learn” over time

  • Integrated art: cultural relevant community murals

  • LNC serves the community and regional schools. The design team donated substantial fees back to the non-profit organization.

“A bridge to nature is a bridge to a brighter future.”

Sustainability Coordinator

City of Boulder

 

Elizabeth Vasatka - David Johnston Lifetime Achievement

Chosen by the Colorado Green Building Guild board and given to any individual (CGBG member or nonmember) to recognize and honor those who have demonstrated sustained and exemplary dedication, leadership, advocacy, mentorship, and significant or innovative contributions to the advancement of sustainability within the building sector.

Pioneering Sustainability in Boulder

  • Boulder County Land Use Department (1996):

    • Developed and implemented internal and community-wide recycling programs.

    • Promoted national environmental celebrations like Earth Day and America Recycles Day.

  • City of Boulder’s Environmental Affairs Office (2001):

    • Advanced waste reduction policies for residential and commercial sectors.

    • Collaborated with local nonprofits and industry leaders to tackle construction waste and develop green building practices.

Key Leadership Roles and Contributions

  • Green Building Advocacy:

    • Managed the Green Points green building program.

    • Played a key role in founding the Boulder Green Building Guild (BGBG) in 2004.

    • Established Boulder as a national leader in green building codes and regulations.

  • Infrastructure Development:

    • Spearheaded the redevelopment of 6400 Arapahoe Avenue as a hub for material reuse (Resource Central and CHaRM).

  • USGBC Leadership:

    • Designed Boulder’s LEED building standards and supported LEED redevelopment projects, including the 29th Street Mall.

Legacy Programs and Policies

  • EnergySmart and SmartRegs:

    • Advanced energy efficiency and sustainability in residential and commercial sectors.

  • Cannabis Industry Regulations (2016):

    • Developed sustainability standards and the Carbon Offset Fund.

  • Racial Equity Leadership:

    • Advanced equity practices and education across the city organization.