The work of Canadian consulting engineering firms was celebrated virtually this year during the 2021 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Awards.
A total of 24 awards were presented to consulting engineering firms from across Canada for their work on projects that connect communities, improve safety and enhance the quality of life in Canada and around the world. Twenty projects, in a range of categories, were honoured with Awards of Excellence.
“These awards showcase incredible projects and accomplishments by consulting engineering firms across Canada” said ACEC president and CEO John Gamble. “They demonstrate how ACEC members use ingenuity and innovation to connect communities, grow the economy, and improve safety and sustainability. The impacts and benefits of their work are long-lasting, often immeasurable, and deserve to be celebrated.”
Four firms also received additional recognition with Special Achievement Awards. Recognized as the industry’s highest honours, the Special Awards are presented to projects by Canadian firms that illustrate the most remarkable engineering feats.
SCHREYER AWARD
Trans-Canada Highway Avalanche Mitigation
Glacier National Park, located 650 kilometres east of Vancouver, is home to a unique transportation corridor containing the Trans-Canada Highway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and a concentrated cluster of high-frequency avalanche paths. Parks Canada Agency engaged McElhanney to improve the corridor’s safety and reliability by implementing industry-leading avalanche mitigation solutions. These solutions, integrated with the complex existing avalanche control program, reduced the avalanche risk to roadway users and the Canadian Pacific Railway, and helps keep Canadians moving year-round.
AMBASSADOR AWARD
Taiyuan Botanical Garden Domes
The city of Taiyuan in central China looked to StructureCraft to create three long span gridshell domes covering a world class botanical garden. To achieve a more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing garden, the innovative architectural design from DMAA called for the domes to be supported using wood instead of steel. StructureCraft was both structural engineer and builder for an entirely unique paraboloid scheme which, at 88 metres, creates one of the longest span non-triangulated timber gridshells in the world.
TREE FOR LIFE AWARD
MacKimmie Complex Redevelopment
As part of its strategic vision towards a carbon neutral campus by 2050, the University of Calgary commissioned a consulting team that included Entuitive for a retrofit of the existing 1970 MacKimmie Tower. The goal was to transform it into a leading edge, high-performance, net-zero carbon building. The Tower is now 85 per cent more energy efficient and has been recognized by the Canadian Green Build Council with a provincial and national Green Building Excellence Zero Carbon Award. It serves as a model of what can be done to existing buildings to help achieve our carbon neutral goals.
ENGINEERING A BETTER CANADA AWARD
Curé-Paquin Primary School
The first project in Quebec (and the first primary school in Canada) to receive Zero Carbon Building – Design certification from the Canada Green Building Council, the Curé-Paquin school is a flagship initiative for other school service centres. gbi acted as the lead engineering contractor for building mechanical and electrical services and for energy conservation in the innovative design of this project, which promotes academic success and prioritizes comfort.
