Syed Abid from Mitsubishi presents the 2022 CaGBC Lifetime Achievement Award to Joanne Purdue, of the University of Calgary. (Courtesy CaGBC)

Five buildings, five individuals, a company and a government agency were named winners of The Canada Green Building Council’s 2022 awards June 3 during its annual Building Lasting Change conference in Toronto.

One of the highlights of the event was the naming of Joanne Perdue as CaGBC’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement honouree for her 30-year career advancing green building in Canada. Perdue is the associate vice-president of sustainability, at the University of Calgary.

“After joining the University of Calgary as the founding director of the office of sustainability in 2007, Joanne has played a pivotal role in the adoption of sustainable practices into the University’s policies and strategies, as well as playing an active role in CAGBC,” said CaGBC president and CEO Thomas Mueller in the announcement. “I congratulate Joanne on her commitments to sustainable design and her many achievements.”

Under Perdue’s leadership, the University of Calgary was recognized as the top-ranked school in Corporate Knights’ 2017 Greenest Campus Index. It was also among the world’s top five per cent of institutions advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2020 and 2021 as ranked by the Times Higher Education University Impact Ranking.

Outside of her work at the university, Perdue is co-chair of The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Climate Action Engagement and Enablement Plan Steering Committee and sits on the organization’s Committee on Regenerative Environments. She also served on CaGBC’s National Board of Directors from 2014 to 2020.

The CaGBC Awards recognize outstanding achievements in the green building industry.

“It is a real pleasure to come together in person to celebrate the leaders and innovators of Canada’s green building industry,” said Mueller in a prepared statement. “Highlighting our successes is a good way to advance green buildings across Canada and demonstrate the building sector’s leadership in the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

Award winners are:

Green Building Excellence Category

New Construction: Local 144 – Plumbers’ Union Head Office and Training Facility, Greater Montreal 

As the first LEED BD+C Platinum-certified industrial building in Canada, this project showcases how sustainability and green building practices can enhance the industrial sector and provide healthy, comfortable and efficient spaces for workers in all fields. The building includes energy conservation and water reduction features among its sustainable features.

Existing Building Operations: Bentall Centre, Vancouver 

Powered 100 per cent by renewable electricity and carbon neutral across all operations, the Bentall Centre consists of four LEED Platinum towers totalling 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space. The Bentall Centre’s property management and engineering teams continue to further sustainable operations as it relates to energy management and efficiency, reducing water consumption, increasing waste diversion, optimizing occupant health and safety, and effectively engaging tenants.

Zero-Carbon Design: Roam Transit Operations and Training Centre, Banff, Alta. 

The centre integrates several low-carbon technologies including ultra-efficient mechanical systems, a super-insulated building envelope, district heating, a biomass waste-to-energy operation, solar photovoltaics, and electric bus charging. It supports the operations of the Roam Transit bus fleet, encouraging the shift to alternative transportation in Banff National Park. A 302.6 kW solar array over the bus storage roof areas offsets the facility’s electricity use and charges the electric bus fleet.

Deep Carbon Retrofit: 500 MacNab Ken Soble Tower EnerPHit, Hamilton

The Ken Soble tower is considered North America’s first EnerPHit retrofit of a residential tower, and the largest residential Passive House retrofit in the world. Measures implemented, including a high-performance building envelop and upgrades to its mechanical systems, led to a 94-per-cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The revitalization of the Ken Soble Tower created 146 new living units for seniors.

Inspiring Home: Multifaith Housing Initiative – Veterans’ House, Ottawa 

This three-storey, 40-unit residential project provides living space for homeless veterans in Ottawa while incorporating leading green building practices into its development. With reductions in energy use of 43 per cent, and in carbon emissions of 57 per cent below the reference model, Veterans’ House demonstrates that environmental leadership and significant social benefits can be accomplished simultaneously.

Green Building Leadership Category

Green Building Champion: Alan DeSousa, Mayor of Saint Laurent, Que. 

For over 13 years, DeSousa has championed the cause for green buildings in the Saint Laurent borough of Montreal, as well as across Québec and Canada. As the Montreal executive committee member responsible for sustainable development for over 11 years, DeSousa has been the architect of the City of Montreal’s environmental and sustainable development policies, plans and programs. He is a frequent speaker on sustainable development issues, including green building policy, and has addressed audiences at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Americana and the CaGBC. As vice-chair of the Green Municipal Fund Council of the FCM, he has advocated for green building certification for municipalities across the country.

Green Building Pioneer: Multiplex Construction Canada Ltd. 

Multiplex has been at the forefront of sustainable construction in Canada. It was the first Canadian construction company to set a GHG reduction target in line with the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi) and the first contractor signatory of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Commitment. Multiplex has integrated sustainability into each of its divisions, from bid pursuits and pre-construction to procurement and operations.

Emerging Green Leader: Michael Mousa 

A sustainability consultant with DIALOG, Mousa’s achievements in advocacy and community building have established him as a leader in the field. Through his involvement with the Carbon Leadership Forum Toronto and Toronto Clean Energy Partnership, and his mentorship of young engineers at the University of Toronto, his passion and dedication have inspired others, especially from under-represented groups, to pursue their goals and a career in green building.

Inspired Educator: Nancy Bosscha, Bow Valley College 

A member of the college’s Green Sustainability committee for over a decade, Bosscha consistently seeks to enhance the education of her students. Her contributions include advocating for sustainable material selection, inviting a wide array of guest speakers to her courses, and incorporating emerging concepts such as circularity to her teachings at Bow Valley.

Government Leadership: Global Affairs Canada – International Platform Branch 

GAC achieved the first international Zero Carbon Building Certification at its Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva, Switzerland in 2021, demonstrating leadership in greening its 178 missions in 110 countries. The certification demonstrated leadership within the Canadian government, showing implementation of the Zero Carbon Building Standard at an existing building is feasible. It also aligned with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Greening Government Strategy requirements and the goal for government operations to be net-zero by 2050. GAC has shared these best practices and accomplishments with other nations.

Ed Lim Technical Expertise Volunteer: Christian Cianfrone 

A founding member of the Zero Carbon Steering Committee for four years and member of the Energy and Engineering TAG from 2010 to 2018, Cianfrone brings an expertise in low-energy design to his various CAGBC committees. In addition to his work with CAGBC, he has sat on the Energy and Engineering TAG of the USGBC and the Climate Change Mitigation Committee of the City of Calgary. His expertise has helped deliver several educational courses for CAGBC related to LEED documentation, as well as the NECB and how it intersects with the LEED rating system.