Award

8 | A PR IL 2018 Prairie Architects Inc. When it comes to the community, the commitment of the staff and its owners continues outside the office. Not only with the principals, but many of the staff who volunteer their time on councils, boards, committees and local co-operatives; giving back in areas where they have interest and expertise to offer. The principals regularly participate as guest-lecturers for various groups and fill roles such as sessional instructors at the University of Manitoba, jury members for awards panels and mentors for interns in the profession and sustainability industry. Their contribution, with regards to sustainability, has been immense, however, the team agrees that the biggest challenge facing the industry as a whole is the shift from thinking of sustainability in a piecemeal or additive fashion. "For Prairie, we understand sustainability to be more than a checklist – it's about encouraging clients to consider a low carbon footprint, with lower energy inputs and operating costs as well as the creation of resilient buildings. Although the public agencies have embraced sustainable targets, the challenge for us has been translating this to the private sector. We work to dispel the myth that sustainable 'green' buildings cost more, helping our clients understand the bigger view of life-cycle, long-term operating savings, and increased occupant health and mar- ketability benefits that are often not factored into the discussion," says Oster. Prairie's projects speak for themselves. There's the recently completed childcare facility, Building Blocks on Balmoral at Great-West Life YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, which is an exemplary case study highlighting the success of adaptive re-use of heritage buildings. Once vacant and derelict, the 1909 Grade III Heritage Designated Milner House now sits at the heart of a much-needed facility providing 100 licenced childcare spots to Great-West Life employees and its surrounding West Broadway community. "In addition to the extraordinary measures that Great-West Life undertook to rehabilitate the heritage structure, there is another equally impressive story. Not only has this endeavour restored the Milner House to again have a useful life, it has transformed the heritage building to be among the leaders of sustainable, energy conserving and healthy buildings in Canada," says Oster. 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; displacement ventilation translating to lower fan power; significant use of salvaged, refur- bished and re-used materials; substantial water use reduction; an abundance of daylight and views; and use of low-emitting materials. "The Building Blocks on Balmoral at Great-West Life YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg will stand as a testament to adaptive re-use, taking a century old building and transforming it into a leading example of sustainability well into the next century!" The Churchill Northern Studies Centre, completed in 2011, is another showcase project for Prairie Architects Inc. The LEED Silver certified facility has a raised structure and long shape that has been designed to allow the strong northwest winds to scour snow away from the building, reducing operating costs for snow clearing. "The form of the building was inspired by the utilitarian practi- cality of a Bombardier B12 snow bus of the 1950s, matched with the warmth of an insulated hood of a winter parka," explains McAlister. The Churchill Northern Studies Centre is the first LEED certified project north of Thompson in Manitoba and paved the way for Prairie to be awarded the design of the Churchill Marine Observatory (CMO) by the University of Manitoba. "Envisaged as an innovative Arctic marine observatory and technology incubation centre, the facility allows direct and comprehensive observation of a complex natural eco-system, while delivering cutting-edge research of environmental variability. CMO is designed to build upon the exceedingly suc- cessful execution of the Sea-ice Environmental Research Facility (SERF) on the University of Manitoba campus in Winnipeg. This new laboratory facility will use ambient Arctic conditions and natural seawater to grow and test sea ice that has been impacted by oil, liquefied natural gas, or other contaminants. CMO will be the only fully integrated facility of its kind in the Arctic." Finally, Paterson GlobalFoods Institute for Red River College truly dem- onstrates Prairie Architects Inc. community commitment as it significantly contributed to the rejuvenation of a dense urban core. "Designated with Grade 1 Heritage Status, the former Union Bank Tower was an existing steel frame high-rise, un-insulated, heritage structure and had been abandoned for 19 years prior to its transformation into a LEED Gold certified School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, with 104 student housing units," says Kozak. The project scope consisted of remediation and renovation to the existing tower and former banking hall and annex, as well as an adjacent three-storey new construction addition. The addition houses the bulk of the mechanical and lab equipment, which has been designed to recycle cooking lab energy that would normally have been discarded. Waste heat from the refrigeration systems is also captured to heat domestic water and the pumps that heat and cool the student residence. Its design included a green roof over the annex, 44 percent water use reduction with low-flow fixtures, over 75 percent of regularly occupied spaces receiving natural daylight, and the use of materials with low VOCs, and recycled content also contribute to the sustainability of the facility. It makes sense then that Prairie has received numerous awards for historic conservation, adaptive re-use, innovation and excellence in sustainable, energy- efficient green building, and has an impressive 22 LEED certified projects in its portfolio, with an additional eight projects in various stages of the design and certification review process. "Prairie has a proven track record on delivering sustainable projects with design solutions based on functionality, durability and value for money, with a view to the life-cycle operational performance of the building, healthy air quality and beautiful, daylit spaces. Prairie has an average energy saving of 49 percent better than MNECB on 26 of its most recent sustainable buildings, which trans- lates to 1,127 tCO2e prevented from entering the atmosphere every year and an estimated $793,257 of total operating cost savings for clients," says Fenez. For Prairie, its future potential is on continued growth: not necessarily in size or scope, but in partnerships, breadth of project typology specialization and sus- tainable focus. "We want to continue to build upon our reputation as sustainable leaders in Manitoba and push the industry further in addressing climate change with innovative, resilient and beautiful architecture: healthy, inclusive, vibrant and engaging spaces for people to live and grow in. We want to continue to evolve and be early adopters of change, while staying true to our sustainable roots and easy-going, yet professional culture," says Kozak. A PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY PRAIRIE ARCHITECTS INC. BRYAN SCOTT ALAN DYER/AMAZINGSKY.COM The Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Churchill, MB. Jane's Restaurant at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, Red River College, Winnipeg, MB.

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