Award

26 | DECEMBER 2018 Green Building Design "We have had the great fortune of working with many champions over the past year with projects that have pushed the boundaries of their typological norms," explains Oster. "The Building Blocks on Balmoral childcare facility for Great-West Life is an exemplary case study high- lighting the success of sustainability and adaptive re-use, taking a century-old building and transforming it into a lead- ing example of sustainability, currently targeting LEED Platinum certification." Oster adds that the project has an array of sustainable features that include a geothermal ground source heat-pump with in-floor radiant heating and chilled beams for cooling; displace- ment ventilation translating to lower fan power; significant use of salvaged, refurbished and re-used materials; substantial water use reduction; an abundance of daylight and views; and use of low-emitting materials. Diamond Schmitt Architects is also seeing some interesting developments within the sector. The $95-million Innovation Centre at Red River College in Winnipeg being one example of a groundbreaking project with innovative design features. Now under construction, the facility designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in joint venture with Number TEN Architectural Group will include a North American first: pho- tovoltaic glass panels. The skin of this high-performance building will create energy in addition to dynamically changing colour intensity depending on the angle of view. The Kromatix glass panels will cover 690 square metres of surface on the south and east facades. The panels produce 280 200-kilowatt-hours of energy or 9.6 EUI, which, together with rooftop PV, contribute toward the goal of targeting net zero energy. A Building Blocks on Balmoral, Winnipeg, MB. Innovation Centre, Red River College, Winnipeg, MB. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSAY REID/COURTESY PRAIRIE ARCHITECTS INC. RENDERING COURTESY DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS/NUMBER TEN ARCHITECTURAL GROUP

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