Waterfront Campus Wins Toronto Best Project Award

The new Waterfront Campus at George Brown College in downtown Toronto was honoured with a 2012 project achievement award at the Toronto Construction Association’s 15th annual ‘Best of the Best’ Awards.

Handed out late last month at the association’s 145^th annual meeting, the awards are part of an effort by the association to recognise outstanding building achievements.

Designed to LEED Gold standards through a joint venture between Stantec/Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg architects, the campus emphasizes interprofessional team-based education. The 330,000 square foot campus features informal learning spaces, rooftop terraces, below grade parking, a nearby park and state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories which overlook the Toronto harbour.

The facility opened last September.

The 970 square-foot Niagara Health System new health care complex in St. Catharines, built by PCL Constructors Canada with Infrastructure Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Niagara Health System, also took home a Toronto Construction Association award in the large projects category.

The facility has 399 beds and will integrate a variety of health services under one roof. The majority of the work on the health care centre was completed by November.

Awards were also presented for outstanding trade contractor (Symtech Innovations Ltd.), outstanding  safety performance (Brook Restoration), innovation (Westbury National Show Systems), Green building culture (PCL Constructors Canada Inc.), the Construction Institute of Canada-chancellor’s award of excellence (Craig Lesurf of Walsh Construction, Lee Kelly-Chin of Kenaidan Contracting and Brad Chin of MMM Group), Donald P. Giffin construction industry achievement award (posthumously – Paul Richer), TCA distinguished volunteer (Sandra Burnell, Paul Bisanti and Roger Willoughby) and Sean P McKenna young construction executives’ award (Carlo Guido of MHPM Project Managers).

The awards pay tribute to those in the industry who are considered to have raised the bar in terms of professional excellence.

“This award acknowledges prime contractors and their project teams who have completed extraordinary projects and demonstrated outstanding leadership and business practices,” retiring TCA chair Ian Steer said.

Winning projects were all substantially completed in 2012.

Top Image Source: georgebrown.ca

By Andrew Heaton