Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i Sustainable Architecture & Building

Toronto, ON Mixed Use Award JURY COMMENT: “After standing idle for a decade, the adaptive reuse of this 1928 heritage structure is worthy of recognition. Within the context of the large mixed-use development that occupies the remainder of the site, it has catalyzed the revitalization of a section of Toronto's waterfront. Conserving the embodied carbon in existing buildings is an increasingly important strategy in combating climate change.” The 1928 Loblaws Groceteria warehouse was listed on the Toronto Register of Heritage Properties in 2001, but sat abandoned for over a decade. The 2020 restoration and adaptive re-use has preserved a remarkable example of Toronto's waterfront industrial heritage, while introducing healthy food options, local retail and community services into a neighbourhood experiencing rapid intensification. Perched on the south edge of a site…

Montreal, QC Interior Design Award JURY COMMENT: “This LEED Platinum certified interior fit out was impressive; addressing multiple quantitative and qualitative criteria including: efficient water and energy consumption, biophilia and diversity of spaces, low-emitting materials, enhanced air quality, occupant comfort and carbon neutral energy. The LCA documentation was comprehensive and the result refined and elegant.“ Ædifica is a multi-disciplinary design practice whose mission is to enrich human lives by creating sustainable, carbon-neutral and inspiring interiors, buildings and urban environments. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a review of the firm's culture and how best to deliver its services moving forward. Ædifica decided to relocate to smaller premises and adopt a hybrid work policy which included teleworking and unassigned physical workplaces. The location in Old Montreal was chosen for the…

St. Catherine's, ON Institutional (Small) Award JURY COMMENT: “A very elegant solution that achieves high standards of environmental performance without compromising aesthetics. The form is simple and the material palette robust. The thought processes required to resolve the detailing of the mass timber roof and to ensure there was no thermal bridging through the envelope were thoroughly and convincingly documented.” This project demonstrates how simple, elemental, and respectful design can support a broad spectrum of uses and enhance the identity of a venerable place, while achieving both Net-Zero Energy and Zero-Carbon Emission benchmarks. The NCRC was a key venue for the 2022 Canada Summer Games and will host the 2024 World Rowing Championships. Beyond this, it will provide year-round fitness and rowing training for Canadian athletes, continuing the site's rich…

Hamilton, ON Technical Award JURY COMMENT: “This precast concrete structure is a great example of an industry adapting to the challenges it faces in regard to sustainability. Creating a high performance building that is quick to construct and has a long service life is in itself commendable; that the building also serves the most vulnerable sectors of our community makes its contribution all the more valuable.” This project is Hamilton's first affordable housing residence for women and children, prioritizing those from Indigenous and marginalized groups. The six-storey building comprises five floors of apartments above a ground floor podium. The podium, flanked by a community garden, includes a gathering space, an Innovation Centr and health and wellness programming for seniors. Architecturally, the intent was to reflect the tradition of Hamilton as…

Winnipeg, MB Institutional (Large) Award JURY COMMENT: “This project successfully resolves a complex program that includes the integration of a brick and beam heritage structure. It incorporates a variety of well thought out details and design solutions, achieving a harmonious relationship with its historic context, providing engaging communal spaces, and setting a technical precedent with its ’ shape-shifting’ photovoltaic cladding.” Manitou a bi Bii daziigae is a post-secondary learning hub that unites a repurposed brick and beam heritage building with new construction, creating an engaging crossroads in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District – the city's Innovation Alley. Targeting LEED Gold Certification, the 9,300 sq.m. building provides flexible, high-tech, and interactive spaces that nurture creativity and collaboration, and connects students with education and industry professionals to facilitate social innovation, enterprise and pioneering…

Burnaby, BC Residential (Large) Award JURY COMMENT: “Providing much needed affordable accommodation for previously under-served sectors of the student population, this project is notable for its strong community focus, the multiple opportunities it creates for interaction between residents, and its strong connection with nature. Attention to detail and comprehensive data supported impressive energy performance.” Simon Fraser University (SFU) Affordable Housing is a high-performance, community-oriented housing project that strives to promote connection—people to one another, students to university, residents to neighbourhood, and everyone to nature. Located near a daycare and elementary school in the UniverCity neighbourhood at SFU's Burnaby campus, the project provides 90 below-market student rental apartments that prioritize underserved communities with accessible, adaptable, and family-oriented housing—demographics with modest incomes and limited access to transportation, amenities, and community support. Consisting…

Hamilton, ON JURY COMMENT: “This project creates an important precedent, given the prevalence of this high-rise residential typology throughout North America. Achieving Passive House (EnerPHit) certification is a remarkable achievement. The loss of individual balconies is unfortunate, given the demographic of the occupants; a challenge for PH projects we hope may be overcome in the future.” The transformation of 500 MacNab is a ground-breaking project rehabilitating a post-war apartment tower to the Passive House EnerPHit standard. This has reduced the associated greenhouse gas emissions by 94% and created a template for industry-wide housing renewal throughout North America. BACKGROUND The tower was originally constructed in 1967 and by the start of this project had fallen into a state of disrepair to the point of being uninhabitable. An early consideration was whether…

Soo Valley, BC Residential (Small) Award JURY COMMENT: “This off –grid project provides an object lesson in how to address the imperatives of carbon neutrality, energy self-sufficiency, occupant health and more efficient, low-impact construction materials and methods: in short, how to future proof our built environment. Realized in a remote area, these lessons could nonetheless be applied in urban locations.“ SoLo house is a 380 sq.m, self sufficient, off-grid home with a 40 sq.m ancillary building, sitting lightly on a forested knoll overlooking the spectacular Soo Valley north of Whistler in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. Reflecting the client's expressed intention to ‘Set a new benchmark for environmental performance, health and well-being’, SoLo is not a typical alpine home. Rather, it is a prototype that demonstrates a unique approach…

Winnipeg, MB Institutional (Small) Award JURY COMMENT: “This project clearly articulated the social and cultural focus that has become the primary role of community libraries. Taking visual cues from the Metis village that occupied the site, the building evokes the traditional ‘Big House’. The social, cultural and educational agenda is underpinned by the low embodied carbon and operating energy of the building.” Located on a busy recreational campus, the 1,300 sq. m library unites the physical energy of the broader site with engaging social spaces to create a home-away-from-home for the community. Inspired by the Métis heritage and dense residential context of the site, the library is conceived as a ‘big house’, reflecting diverse experiences of home — reading on the porch, playing in the backyard or gathering around the…

Burlington, ON Commercial/Industrial (Large) Award JURY COMMENT: “This project is notable for setting and pursuing high environmental performance goals: achieving net Zero Carbon and awaiting confirmation of LEED Gold certification. The interior addresses the health and wellbeing of employees through its socially focused program organization and brightly lit interior spaces. The positive response has catalyzed broader changes at its parent company in Switzerland.” The ZCB Certified, LEED Gold pending Endress+Hauser Customer Experience Centre in Burlington was designed as a gift for its employees from the Swiss-owned company. The 4400 sq. m, $24 million environment is a sunlit, open concept space, uniquely tailored for the employees and engaging for visitors who have come to experience its Process Training Unit (PTU) and calibration labs. The glass enclosed PTU is prominently positioned at…