The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has announced the winners of the 2021 CAGBC Awards. The annual awards celebrate the projects and leaders transforming Canada’s building sector by accelerating and scaling buildings with exceptional performance across environment, carbon emissions and human health factors.
“This year’s submissions speak volumes about the passion, dedication and innovation of the green building sector,” said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of CaGBC. “Considering the challenges of the past 18 months, the achievements they represent show what we can do when we move forward together. As the pandemic continues to weigh on us, the green building projects and people we honour today demonstrate how together we can action on climate change, resiliency, adaptation, and environmental and human health.”
Along with the winners of the Green Building Leadership and Excellence awards, the Council awarded the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award to architect and visionary, Vivian Manasc of Reimagine (formerly Manasc Isaac Architects).
2021 Green Building Excellence Award Winners:
New Construction: MEC Vancouver – This mixed-use mass timber building at the gateway of Vancouver’s Olympic Village embodies the values of MEC and its customers. In addition to impressive water reuse and conservation elements, the project’s thoughtful design means that it contributes nearly twice as much energy to the Neighbourhood Energy Utility as it consumes.
Inspiring Home: The Confluence, Summer Village of Waiparous, Alberta – This residence on a previously developed site helped push the residential marketplace towards environmentally friendly products and manufacturer transparency. Its net positive energy and water performance is especially impressive given the location’s extreme climate.
Zero Carbon: AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex, Ottawa – The AMPED project provides a shining example of how even a commercial building with an energy-intensive use in an extreme climate can lower its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 90 per cent. AMPED achieved this by using an advanced predictive learning software, a building and ice plant automation system, energy retrofits, custom build and design strategies, the removal of combustion fuels through electrification, and renewable energy generation technologies.
Existing Building: 25 York Street, Toronto – This LEED EB:O+M Platinum building in downtown Toronto not only sets an exceptionally high bar in greenhouse gas, energy and water performance, it goes the extra mile in committing to the well-being of its occupants and in empowering tenants to help the building achieve its sustainability goals.
The Andy Kesteloo Memorial Student Project Award went to Lindsey Kent, University of Calgary. This fourth year civil engineering student project focuses on the redevelopment of Rundle Manor, an affordable housing complex in northeast Calgary. Judges noted the project’s technical sophistication, especially the depth of engineering considerations, designed with a practical eye to today’s construction industry and code framework, as well as the community’s need.
