Eight projects and individuals have received a 2019 RAIC Award of Excellence from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). The Awards reflect outstanding achievements in architecture through innovation, green building, allied arts, advocacy, and journalism.
“By sharing examples of the best current architecture with our peers and the public, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) aims to contribute to an enriched and demanding dialogue about the buildings we make,” says RAIC President Michael Cox, FRAIC.
One of the five Awards of Excellence, the Green Building award, is presented in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
“The CaGBC is committed to helping Canada reach its 2030 greenhouse-gas reduction commitments by supporting the building industry in achieving the most high-performing and low-carbon buildings possible,” said CaGBC President and CEO Thomas Mueller.
Given out every two years, the awards will be presented at the RAIC Festival of Architecture in Toronto from October 26 to 30, 2019.
Medal Recipient: Brent Bellamy
Winnipeg, MB
Award: Advocate for Architecture
Architect Brent Bellamy has become a leading advocate for sustainable city building and human-focused design through public speaking, teaching, mentoring, writing, and conventional and social media. Since 2010, Brent has contributed a regular column to the Winnipeg Free Press, and his political engagement has brought opportunities to influence public policy.
Medal Recipient: Klaus Nienkämper
Toronto, ON
Allied Arts award
For five decades, furniture manufacturer Klaus Nienkämper has championed design in Canada. He has continuously collaborated with architects and industrial designers, realizing a broad range of chairs, tables, and sofas to create holistic and integrated spaces.
Medal Recipient: Kathryn Walter
Toronto, ON
Award: Allied Arts
For almost 20 years, Toronto artist and designer Kathryn Walter has created feature wall installations through collaborations with architects and interior designers. Since founding FELT Studio in 2000, she has worked almost exclusively with FELT.
Medal Recipient: Campus Energy Centre (CEC)
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Award: Green Building
Completion: 2016
Client: University of British Columbia
Architects: DIALOG
This state-of-the-art hot water facility supports the University of British Columbia’s target of eliminating the use of fossil fuels on campus by 2050. The centre uses almost 63 percent less energy and 31 percent less water than a baseline building of its type.
Medal Recipient: Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool
Borden Park
Edmonton, AB
Award: Innovation in Architecture
Completion: 2018
Client: City of Edmonton
Architects: gh3*
The pool in Borden Park is the first chemical-free public outdoor pool in Canada. The design process involved developing a pool technology that cleanses water through stone, gravel, sand, and botanic filtering processes.
Medal Recipient: The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation
Mohawk College, Fennel Campus
Hamilton, ON
Award: Innovation in Architecture
Completion: 2018
Client: Mohawk College
Architects: B+H Architects and McCallumSather
One of the region’s first and largest net-zero institutional buildings, the facility is helping determine the standards for the Canada Green Building Council Zero Carbon Buildings Framework. The mechanical and electrical areas and the green roofs are accessible to all and part of the learning environment.
Certificate of Merit: West Block Rehabilitation Project
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, ON
Award: Innovation in Architecture
Completion: 2018
Client: Public Services and Procurement Canada
Architects: Architecture 49 and EVOQ Architecture
The project modernized the 19th-century building with state-of-the-art facilities and preserved the heritage and character-defining elements. It also designed a contemporary addition for an interim House of Commons under a glass canopy roof within the West Block courtyard.
Medal Recipient: Alex Bozikovic
The Globe and Mail
Toronto, ON
Category: President’s Award for Media in Architecture
Alex Bozikovic is the architecture critic for The Globe and Mail. In his columns, he mixes reporting and critical analysis to reveal what is happening in the built environment, and to advocate for better buildings and better cities.