Photo © Paul Hultberg

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) chose Manitoba Hydro Place (Winnipeg) as one of the buildings in the top 10 projects for sustainable architecture and green design solutions.

A Winnipeg building has been selected as one of the top 10 examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE).

Manitoba Hydro Place—designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and Smith Carter Architects and Engineers—uses a formal integrated design process to achieve energy efficiency, a healthy workplace environment, urban revitalization, sustainability, and architectural excellence. A model for bioclimatic design in an extreme climate that fluctuates 70 C (126 F) annually, the building harnesses the maximum amount of passive solar and wind energies and provides 100 per cent fresh air, 24 hours a day. At 88 kwh/m²/annually, from a demand side, it is the most energy-efficient large office tower in North America, with a 66 per cent improvement over the standard facility.

The COTE Top Ten Green Projects program, now in its 14^th year, celebrates facilities that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology. Projects may be located anywhere in the world, but must have been designed by an architect licensed in the United States. Entries submitted may be large or small projects, new construction or renovations, and any project type. They make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants, and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as:
• reusing existing structures;
• connecting to transit systems;
• developing low-impact and regenerative sites;
• conserving energy and water;
• using sustainable or renewable construction materials; and
• designing for improved indoor air quality (IAQ).

Other winners of the program include:
• City of Watsonville Water Resources Centre (Watsonville, California)—WRNS Studio;
• Omega Center for Sustainable Living (Rhinebeck, New York)—BNIM Architects; and
• Special No. 9 House (New Orleans, Louisiana)—KieranTimberlake.

Kelly Pickard, AIA strategic initiatives' manager, said the program blends both design and performance, and is for sustainable design excellence for projects that are the result of a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology.

"Top 10 projects make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants, and reduce the environmental impacts of designing and constructing a project," she told Construction Canada Online.

The projects will be honoured at the AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami in June.

For more information, visit http://www.aiatopten.org/hpb/.

Manitoba Hydro Place also won the Best Tall Building Americas Award at last year's Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) annual awards program.

Image © Bryan Christie. Image courtesy Bryan Christie Design.

Manitoba Hydro Place uses an integrated design process to achieve energy efficiency, a healthy workplace environment, urban revitalization, sustainability, and architectural excellence