Receives the Ontario Association of Architects’ Design Excellence Award
and the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award
Toronto, Ontario – May 21, 2010 – The Humber Arboretum Centre for Urban Ecology (CUE) has won one of 15 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Design Excellence Awards, and the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award for Architecture. The awards were presented to architects Taylor Hazell Architects Ltd., Architects Alliance and gh3 inc. at the 2010 OAA Conference.
These awards build on the 2009 Design Excellence Bronze Award from the Design Exchange. The CUE was also featured on the cover of Canadian Architect in January, 2009.
The Humber Arboretum Centre for Urban Ecology, completed in the fall of 2007, is a model of environmental sustainability where students and adults learn and promote ecological stewardship. The Centre is a LEED® Gold certified building, which has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by meeting high design, construction and performance standards. It is a visionary building at the Humber Arboretum, which is a joint partnership of the City of Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Humber College.
“We are honoured to host this remarkable building on-site and to have received recognition from the Ontario Association of Architects for its renowned design,” says Melanie Sifton, director, Humber Arboretum. “The Centre offers a variety of nature and environmental programs, and events for schools, community groups and other organizations.”
The Centre for Urban Ecology features the following green technologies and design elements:
• passive solar heat recovery and high performance windows
• vegetated ('green') roof for storm water management and passive cooling
• on-site biofilter system for treatment of sewage and grey water
• cistern to collect roof water for landscape irrigation
• thermal chimney for passive ventilation, in lieu of air conditioning
• automatic windows for ventilation
• radiant heat flooring
• high performance mechanical systems
• shaded outdoor classroom for use in all seasons
“As architects we embraced the challenge of designing a signature building, on a small footprint within a sensitive eco system. The enthusiasm of Humber College and the Humber Arboretum stakeholders inspired us to create a building that is a lasting image of the value of architecture, engineering and landscape design, creating a sustainable indoor setting for appreciation of the outdoor world,“ said Jill Taylor, principal, Taylor Hazell Architects.
Humber Arboretum
Established in 1977, the Humber Arboretum is a joint venture of Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, the City of Toronto, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. A unique community resource, the arboretum:
• features more than 10 kilometers of paths and trails through public gardens, meadows, forests, wetlands, wildlife corridors and waterways.
• offers environmental and horticultural education programs for groups of all ages including schools, services groups and families.
• is a training and research centre for Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber students
• is enjoyed by more than 20,000 visitors annually
The arboretum features a variety of gardens and natural areas spread over 250 acres of land. More than 1,000 types of trees and flowering plants as well as a diverse selection of wildlife call this area home.
About Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Established in 1967, Humber is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions. Committed to student success through excellence in teaching and learning, Humber serves more than 21,000 full-time students and 55,000 continuing education registrants. With an internationally recognized reputation for quality learning, Humber offers a wide-range of career-focused opportunities for students to personalize their educational path. Our 150 full-time programs include four-year bachelor’s degrees, two and three-year diplomas, one and two-year certificates, and apprenticeship training. As a founding member of Polytechnics Canada, Humber offers students the opportunity to participate in applied research projects that find solutions for issues confronting small and medium-sized enterprises. Humber is one of 12 Vanguard Learning Colleges as identified by the League for Innovation, and the League’s only Canadian board member. Humber finished first in its class in the highly regarded Community College Survey of Student Engagement in 2009 in each of four categories, including Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Academic Challenge and Student-Faculty Interaction. More than 85 per cent of Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies.
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For more information, please contact:
Andrew Leopold / Lisa van Kolfschoten
Humber Marketing and Communications
(o) 416.675.6622 ext. 4296 / 5778
(c) 416.518.8989
andrew.leopold@humber.ca / lisa.vankolfschoten@humber.ca
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