Canada’s green building projects and innovators were in the spotlight at the Vancouver Convention Centre May 31, as the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) honoured the 2017 Leadership Award recipients as a part of Building Lasting Change, the 2017 CaGBC National Conference and Showcase.
The annual leadership awards recognize individuals and organizations that show outstanding leadership in the industry, and those who have made a significant contribution to the CaGBC’s mission and goals in advancing green building in Canada.
The CaGBC says it has also added two new categories of awards to “showcase Excellence in Green Building for new construction and existing building projects.”
These awards are presented to the team responsible for green building projects that demonstrate optimal building performance and occupant satisfaction. We are also recognizing projects that have achieved WELL certification putting Canada in the spotlight as a global leader in this space.
“I am very pleased to congratulate this year’s CaGBC Leadership Award, Green Building Excellence winners along with the first wave of WELL certified projects, who represent some of the very best minds, innovators and projects in the Canadian green building industry,” says CaGBC president and CEO Thomas Mueller. “I believe that individual leadership and commitment to affect change is critical in moving toward a low carbon economy that will benefit all Canadians. This type of leadership is embodied by our Lifetime Achievement winner this year Stephen Carpenter. He has dedicated his professional life to advancing green building in Canada through project work, his extensive advocacy and volunteer contributions. His involvement has helped shape the LEED rating system and significantly contributed to its success in Canada.”
The winners of the first-ever CaGBC Green Building Excellence awards are:
New Construction: Amber Trails Community School
Located in the heart of a new neighbourhood in North Winnipeg, Amber Trails has achieved over 50 per cent reduction in water use, and impressive energy savings of 65 per cent in energy cost and 68 per cent in energy use. This is a school for more than its students – it is open and accessible and has evolved into an important hub within the community.
Existing Building: Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC)
The VCC goes above and beyond daily operations to create a spectacular environment that visitors from around the world want to experience. Among its many sustainability efforts, this LEED Platinum building has the largest non-industrial green roof in North America that is fully composed of native and adaptive species. As a result of the numerous features and best practices, the VCC operates 44 per cent more efficiently than a typical Canadian convention centre – no small feat for such a large venue.
Runners up for the Green Building Excellence Awards are: Telus Garden Office Tower, Q Lofts, Toronto Dominion Centre, and the NSCC Institute of Technology Campus.
Projects that earned WELL Building certification are:
- Toronto-Dominion Centre, a 222 Bay Street in Toronto, which earned WELL Gold certification for its entire building – the first project in North America to do so. This was in addition to its earlier WELL Gold certification for floor 23 at TD Centre, which was the first WELL certification under v1 in the world.
- MNP Tower owned by Oxford Properties Group at 1021 West Hastings in Vancouver, which earned WELL Gold certification.
- The CBRE Vancouver office at 1021 West Hastings St. in Vancouver, which earned WELL Gold certification.
The winners of the 2017 CaGBC Leadership Awards are:
CaGBC Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Stephen Carpenter, former president and founder of Enermodal Engineering Ltd.
The award citation says:
For more than 35 years, Stephen Carpenter has designed and promoted energy efficient and sustainable buildings and communities. He was the co-author of the first LEED Canada Reference Guide and was the LEED Canada Technical Chair for 10 years. He has not only shaped the CaGBC and the LEED Canada rating system, but as president of Enermodal Engineering, Canada’s largest firm exclusively dedicated to creating green buildings, he has shaped how LEED is applied in the Canadian building industry, with his firm responsible for 23 of the first 25 LEED for New Construction certified buildings in Ontario. In 2014, he was awarded the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for his work in energy efficiency and sustainable buildings.
CaGBC Inspired Educator Award
Winner: Dr. Janet Moore and Duane Elverum, co-directors and co-founders of CityStudio
CaGBC Emerging Green Builder Award
Winner: Hilary Corneau, project delivery analyst, Brookfield GIS
Government Leadership Award
Winner: Office of Climate Change, Executive Council, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador
CaGBC Volunteer Leadership – Technical Expertise
Winner: Wendy MacDonald, sustainability consultant and professional engineer
CaGBC Volunteer Leadership – Chapter
Winner: Tony Iacobelli, manager, sustainability at the City of Vaughan
CaGBC Green Building Champion Award
Winner: David Ramslie, head of sustainability, planning and research, Integral Group
CaGBC Green Building Pioneer Award
Winner: Liviu Craiu-Botan, manager, energy and technical services, Oxford Properties Group
Students Leading Sustainability: Andy Kesteloo Memorial Project Award
Winner: Andrew Martins, British Columbia Institute of Technology
