Ottawa’s newest landmark takes first place for CDBI

St. John’s, Nfld. – The Canadian Design Build Institute (CDBI) announced today the winners of its 10th Award of Excellence in design-build at the 2012 National Design-Build Conference, held this year from October 11-12 in St. John’s, Nfld.

The 2012 Award of Excellence was awarded to the Ottawa Convention Centre, while two runner-ups were also awarded.

The Ottawa Convention Centre design produced a 34,000 sq. m. overall enclosed space of which over 20,000 sq. m. represent rentable space, supported by kitchen, storage, administration and support space. The center is spread over five floors, in addition to intermediate mechanical and electrical space. The project is presented by PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects.

The first runner up honour goes to the Guelph Organics Composting Plant presented by Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. & AECOM.

The second runner up honour goes to the Archives of Ontario at York University presented by PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and B+H Architects.

This year the judges–representing architectural, engineering and design–build contractor practices-completed the task of selecting the top contenders for the CDBI Award of Excellence.

In previous years, submissions have become even more sophisticated, and this year was no exception. The high quality of projects highlights that delivery model is becoming more widely accepted, and results are being seen by owners.

Using a weighted rating system and thorough discussion of practice and design qualities, the panel had to arrive at a consensus. Obviously some projects stand out both by their technical complexity and the fact that it is possible to control cost and schedule and still develop eye-popping design.

Public and corporate agencies were represented in the client categories, featuring cultural as well as functional industrial facilities. The formats included conventional design-build as well as design-build-finance, and design-build-operate formats. The continuity of the program-to-operation cycle, including designers, builders, suppliers and an array of specialty consultants illustrates the flexibility of the design-build method of project delivery.

About the CDBI Awards of Excellence

Established in 2002, the CDBI Awards of Excellence are presented annually to recognize excellence in Canada’s design-build industry and acknowledge teams whose projects contribute to the growth and stature of the design-build industry. Award recipients are selected based on the complexity of their design, adherence to the highest industry standards, and ability to demonstrate the benefits achieved through this increasingly popular alternative delivery mechanism.

About the Canadian Design-Build Institute

The Canadian Design-Build Institute is the recognized voice of design-build practitioners in Canada, promoting and enhancing the proper utilization of the design-build method of procurement and contracting. Membership to the Institute is open to anyone who has an interest in design-build and includes 200 firms.