by Brianna Crandall — June 9, 2017 — Of interest to facilities managers (FMs) looking for products or innovative ideas to increase their building’s sustainability, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announced its Green Building Product of the Year Award, its inaugural Green Building Excellence awards, several Leadership Awards, and the first wave of WELL-certified projects at its recent Building Lasting Change 2017 green building event.
2017 CaGBC Green Building Product of the Year Award
Kiko Water Systems is the winner of the 2017 CaGBC Green Building Product of the Year Award, sponsored by UL Environment, for its Water Systems Cartridges.
Product submissions were assessed based on four key areas: sustainability, transparency and verification, innovation, and application. Kiko’s Water System Cartridges were chosen by the jury because of their ability to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions at a minimal capital expense and disruption to the owner, along with a short payback period. The product’s applicability was also noted, with the ability to be implemented in a broad spectrum of building types, including new and existing buildings.
The Kiko Water Systems proprietary cartridges use kinetic energy within HVAC water loops to alter the water in order to make HVAC operations as efficient as possible.
As a nanotechnology that is green and not chemical, Kiko Water Systems cartridges are designed to make boilers, chillers, cooling towers, heat exchangers and heat pumps all operate more efficiently. Not only are buildings with their technology installed saving an average of over 20 percent of their HVAC energy consumption, the cartridges are said to allow building equipment to not work as hard, which reduces maintenance costs and extends equipment lifespan.
According to the company’s Web site, the Kiko Water Systems proprietary cartridges use kinetic energy within HVAC water loops to alter the water in order to make HVAC operations as efficient as possible. Once the cartridges are exposed to water, the technology reportedly weakens hydrogen bonding and lowers the specific heat capacity and surface tension of the water, thereby improving system performance and reducing energy consumption by 10-30% per year without any capital costs or project management requirements.
Kiko has installed its proprietary technology in hundreds of HVAC systems spanning millions of square feet, and boasts a 100 percent success rate for reducing energy consumption. This had led to GHG emissions reductions in large commercial, residential and hotel towers since 2013, says the company, whose mission is to provide clients with an easy, effective way to reduce GHG emissions, extend equipment lifespans, lower operating costs, and monitor equipment performance without disruption. See the Kiko Water Systems – 2017 CaGBC Product of the Year video on the company’s Web site.
The runners-up for the 2017 Green Building Product of the Year Award are:
- CarbonCure Technologies Inc. for CarbonCure Concrete, a technology that recycles waste carbon dioxide to make affordable, greener concrete products.
- Cascadia Windows Ltd. for The Cascadia Clip, a thermal spacer made from low-conductivity fiberglass material which reduces thermal bridging, improving the effective thermal resistance of the exterior wall.
As the winner of the Award, Kiko Water Systems has the right to use a CaGBC Product of the Year crest on its marketing materials and product Web site. This crest is only available to the winning project, making it an exclusive signifier of a truly green product. CaGBC noted that no product can be pre-approved as contributing to LEED credits regardless of designation; products contribute to LEED certification on a case-by-case basis.
Green Building Excellence Awards
Canada’s green building projects and innovators were also in the spotlight at the event. New this year, the CaGBC added two new categories of awards that showcase Excellence in Green Building for new construction and existing building projects. These awards are presented to the team responsible for green building projects that demonstrate optimal building performance and occupant satisfaction.
The winners of the first-ever CaGBC Green Building Excellence Awards are:
- New Construction: Amber Trails Community School: In the heart of a new neighborhood in North Winnipeg, Amber Trails has achieved over 50 percent reduction in water use, and impressive energy savings of 65 percent in energy cost and 68 percent in energy use. This is a school for more than its students — it is open and accessible and has evolved into an important hub within the community.
- Existing Building: Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC): The VCC goes above and beyond daily operations to create a spectacular environment that visitors from around the world want to experience. Among its many sustainability efforts, this LEED Platinum building has the largest non-industrial green roof in North America that is fully composed of native and adaptive species. As a result of the numerous features and best practices, the VCC operates 44 percent more efficiently than a typical Canadian convention center — no small feat for such a large venue.
Runners-up for the Green Building Excellence Awards are:
- Telus Garden Office Tower
- Q Lofts
- Toronto Dominion Centre
- NSCC Institute of Technology Campus
WELL Building certification
CaGBC also recognized projects that have achieved WELL Building Standard certification, putting Canada in the spotlight as a global leader in this space.
Projects that earned WELL Building certification are:
- Toronto-Dominion Centre, Toronto — first WELL Gold certification in North America for an entire building (its earlier WELL Gold certification for floor 23 at TD Centre was the first WELL certification under v1 in the world)
- MNP Tower, Vancouver, owned by Oxford Properties Group — WELL Gold
- The CBRE Vancouver office, Vancouver — WELL Gold
2017 CaGBC Leadership Awards
The annual Leadership Awards recognize individuals and organizations that show outstanding leadership in the industry, and those who have made a significant contribution to the CaGBC’s mission and goals in advancing green building in Canada.
The winners of the 2017 CaGBC Leadership Awards are listed with short bios in the CaGBC announcement.
