Canadian buildings account for nearly two-thirds of the Clean Air Awards that the U.S. based National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) has bestowed for 2017. The annual awards recognize building owners/managers’ efforts to enhance indoor air quality. Recipients are assessed in 10 specific categories, collectively representing best practices for air filtration and HVAC system hygiene, and must submit inspection data each year in order to retain the Clean Air Award and the building signage that goes with it.

University of Alberta leads the pack, receiving honours for 10 buildings on its Edmonton campus: Administration Building; Agriculture/Forestry Centre; Agri-Food Discovery Place; Fine Arts Building; HUB Mall; Natural Resources Engineering Facility; Newton Place; South Academic Building; Telus Centre; and Timms Centre for the Arts. Two building at University of Calgary — Aurora Hall and Crowsnest Hall — were also recognized, while an award for the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning in Calgary further signifies many Alberta students well placed to enjoy good IAQ.

Other Calgary-based winners include the Kahanoff Conference Centre and Five Ten Fifth, managed by Colliers International. Oxford Properties’ MNP Tower was one of three winners in Vancouver, along with Cadillac Fairview’s Canaccord Genuity Place and the Pan Pacific Hotel. Cedar Hill Recreation Centre in Victoria was also a British Columbia based recipient.

Saskatchewan boasts the remaining three Canadian recipients, including Dream Office Management’s Princeton Tower in Saskatoon, the PotashCorp Tower in Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Credit Union Central in Regina. In the United States, 13 buildings were recognized, while 500 Bourke Street in Melbourne, Australia, is the most farflung Clean Air Award this year.