Photo © Vince Klassen

A Victoria mixed-use development has been named one of this year's top 10 examples of sustainable architecture by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).

Designed by Busby Perkins+Will Architects Co., the Synergy project includes four buildings constructed over a common underground parking structure. It is the first phase of Dockside Green—a 120,774-m² (1.3 million-sf) mixed-use development on a former brownfield site.

In designing the building's form, envelope, and orientation, the project team sought to balance energy efficiency with occupant control. Strategies included:
• controllable rolling canopies to manage glare and solar heat gain;
• green roofs and other green space with vegetable gardening to support social equity and local food production;
• rainwater collection;
• wood-fired combined heat and power plant to provide heat and hot water;
• hydropower-based electricity (and purchased renewable energy credits for carbon-neutral status); and
• specification of materials for durability, recycled content, regionality, and lowered impact on both the immediate environment and the world outside.

The 2009 COTE Top Ten Green Projects program honours buildings and developments that contribute to their communities, improve comfort for occupants, and reduce environmental impacts. The Synergy team was awarded by AIA at the association's national conference last week in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo © Enrico Dagostini

The first stage in the Dockside Green mixed-use development, Synergy includes nine- and six-storey residential towers with commercial units on the ground, a two-storey townhouse building, and a four-storey residential building.