CaGBC winners were recognized for their advances in carbon emission reduction, environmental sustainability and health and wellness (Courtesy, CaGBC).

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announced its 2021 award winners, with buildings and individuals from Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta taking top honours.

The annual Green Building Leadership and Excellence awards recognize leaders transforming Canada’s building sector through advances in carbon emission reduction, environmental sustainability and health and wellness.

“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 in a release. “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.”

Green Building Excellence Awards

Four buildings were recognized at the awards, including Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)’s Vancouver location, a mass-timber structure located at 111 2nd Avenue East.

The retail store won in the category of New Construction for its water reuse and conservation features. The building’s design also contributes almost twice as much energy to the Neighbourhood Energy Utility as it consumes.

Toronto’s 25 York Street won in the Existing Building category for its low greenhouse-gas emissions and energy and water use. The 30-floor Menkes office building was also recognized for being LEED EB:O+M Platinum Class A and Platinum BOMA BEST Certified.

The Confluence, Summer Village of Waiparous, in Alberta won in the Inspiring Home category for its sustainable water and energy use in an extreme climate, as well as its use of non-toxic, salvaged and natural materials.

The 2,200 square-foot residential home, located near the Rocky Mountains, is also striving for full certification under the Living Building Challenge (LBC).

The AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex in Ottawa was recognized in the Zero Carbon category for having reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 90 per cent. It has accomplished this through the use of advanced predictive learning software, a building and ice-plant automation system, energy retrofits, design strategies, electrification and renewable energy generation technologies.

Building industry leaders honoured

In addition to the four buildings, six individuals were also honoured.

Vivian Manasc, principal architect with Alberta’s Reimagine (formerly Manasc Isaac Architects), was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for having run sustainable design teams over the past 35 years. Projects include Alberta’s first LEED-certified building and the first LEED Gold building in the Arctic.

Manasc Isaac Architects built the first C-2000 green building, which was Alberta’s first LEED-certified building and Edmonton’s first LEED Silver building.

The Greenstone Government of Canada Building, located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, was the first LEED Gold project in the Arctic. The 7,300-square-metre structure — which was completed in 2005 and has won multiple awards — remains sustainable despite the harsh climate.

Manasc also helped launch CaGBC and co-founded the Alberta Sustainable Buildings Symposium (ASBS) — another annual CaGBC event.

Her company’s Reimagine Initiative was founded on the premise that “the greenest building is the one that already exists”.

“Buildings use between 30 and 40 per cent of all of the energy in North America, and we use a lot more energy than we have to,” said Manasc in a video. “We need to find ways to reduce the environmental impact of buildings as they operate.

“These buildings are at the exact right stage of their lives where there’s an opportunity to re-invest, to re-capitalize and to really reimagine how those buildings perform, from the point of view of interior environments, urban environments and energy efficiency.”

Manasc and her team reimagines buildings by re-insulating them, reducing energy use and transforming the exteriors to appear more appealing in the urban environment, to reduce environmental impacts and extend building lifespans.

Manasc said a big part of Reimagine is reskinning, which involves removing the existing precast concrete and panels from a building and replacing them with a new “skin” or energy-saving materials. Reimagine also repurposes buildings, such as transforming a property from office uses to residential.

“Vivian’s 35-year-long career and contributions to architecture have left a lasting imprint on Alberta and Canada,” said Mueller in a release. “Her commitment to design that pushes the boundaries of sustainability is a hallmark of her work.”

CaGBC Green Building Leadership Awards

Here is a full list of the 2021 CaGBC Green Building Leadership award winners:

– Lifetime Achievement: Vivian Manasc, principal architect with Alberta’s Reimagine;

– Green Building Champion: Lisa Bate is the global sustainability lead + advance strategy, principal at B+H Architects;

– Green Building Pioneer: Based in Toronto, mcCallumSather‘s team of sustainable design professionals has an extensive Southern Ontario portfolio;

– Emerging Green Leader: Arman Mottaghi is the co-founder and CEO of Lambda Science, a Vancouver start-up that uses artificial intelligence to help homebuilders create cost- and energy-efficient building designs;

– Government Leadership: Ben Henderson is the council chair of the Green Municipal Fund program of FCM, City of Edmonton;

– Inspired Educator: Zero Energy Buildings Learning Centre at the British Columbia Institute of Technology was created to support the construction industry’s transition to the B.C. Energy Step Code and City of Vancouver Zero Emissions Building bylaws;

– Ed Lim Technical Expertise Volunteer Award: Susan Kapetanović-Marr is the director of sustainability with Canderel, a professional engineer in Alberta and a volunteer with CaGBC for the past decade;

– Andy Kesteloo Memorial Student Project Award: Lindsey Kent is a fourth year Civil Engineering student at the University of Calgary and is currently working on a project focusing on the redevelopment of Rundle Manor, an affordable housing complex in northeast Calgary.

The winners will be celebrated at CaGBC’s virtual Building Lasting Change conference October 26 – 28.