Transformational Commercial Pilot Project Recognized by Maverick Awards
Victoria-based Città Group honoured as finalist in national awards
To reward and profile leadership in sustainable building, Built Green Canada launched its inaugural awards program (the Maverick Awards) with three exclusive category winners out of entries from British Columbia to Ontario. One of the finalists for the Transformational Award is Vancouver Island’s residential and commercial builder, Città Group. When the time came for their new office building, Città decided to design and build it themselves. This was the beginning of the transformation of not only this build site, but their wider commercial build processes, inspired by partnering with Built Green Canada on their Small Commercial pilot. This effort embodied the purpose of the Transformational Award: to recognize the impact sustainability practices can have in driving change—enabling fundamental progress, whether that be project-specific or a company refocus, and in this case, it was some of both.
Città Group has a long history with Built Green Canada, being an early adopter of the programs, certifying their projects since 2008, while Owner and Founder, Bill Patterson, sat on the Board of Directors for years, including a term as Chair. Being a strong proponent of the program, Città wanted to be able to streamline their processes for both residential and commercial—and to be able to say all their projects were BUILT GREEN® certified.
Built Green received inquiries over the past few years about a small commercial program, and it was with Città’s ask that resources were put into a pilot. It would be with considerable input from their team that the BUILT GREEN® Small Commercial program was developed. This process also resulted in their BUILT GREEN® Platinum certified build—and an evolution of Città’s practices.
Their goal was to build an energy efficient and durable build, which was aesthetically pleasing, with minimal maintenance and a small environmental footprint. Bringing a commercial build to rural Victoria, while reimagining the commercial side of their work through the BUILT GREEN® lens, Città had numerous considerations to work through.
They started with a reinterpreted barn style, as a nod to the rural location, and to soften the transition of light industrial to rural-residential. Insulated panels were used for the concrete tilt-up portions of the build, while an inverted roof system kept roof penetrations to a minimum—the clean lines increased durability and longevity, further aided by concrete and metal siding exterior. Città intentionally reduced the use of wood to create a low-maintenance, durable finish.
A highly efficient VRF/HVAC system would provide simultaneous heating and cooling in one heat pump—both this and the generator equipment, they placed at the rear of the building, to limit noise to residential neighbours. Extra care was taken to consider the placement of the building, parking, septic services, and yard storage for minimal impact to the surrounding area.
This build site was in a covenanted tree protection area with high rainfall. Careful planning ensured there was no net loss of tree canopy, while stormwater management was designed to be partly managed through a unique grasscrete paver system connected to an underground stormwater detention center. This environmentally friendly paving system is designed to integrate vegetation within a concrete structure, consisting of a grid of open-cell or concrete blocks with voids for vegetation.
Meanwhile, waste reduction was a consideration throughout, from using repurposed and redesigned office furniture to choosing carpet that came in squares, which would minimize waste when replacements are required. And whenever possible, they used natural materials, like flooring made from jute and linseed oil.
Throughout the process, sustainable building requirements guided them to be low impact in their natural environment.
Mike Dalton, president at Città Construction says, “Our transition has been about being more thoughtful towards a better build. Building green challenges us to think differently: it forces us to pay attention to the details, to be more creative, to explore innovative technologies, to expand our use of recycled materials and greener methods—and the BUILT GREEN® program showed a pathway forward.”
While their residential trade pool is well versed in their expectations, they realized that part of their commercial side’s transformation would be educating their commercial trades. Meanwhile they were reevaluating how they build. The Città team spent hours researching new technologies and sourcing more sustainable materials. While this added time at the onset, in return, it provided them with new practices and materials that they can continue to expand upon in future projects. This process yielded a transformation of their commercial offerings, while bringing along their trades and suppliers.
They’ve noted the benefits are environmental, social, and economic. Environmentally, choosing green building methods, using recycled materials and reducing waste to the landfill lessen their environmental impact. Socially, their staff benefit from a healthier, and more environmentally friendly building; this improves their work environment, and ultimately their work experience. Economically, they can highlight to future customers how green innovations and methods can be used to reduce their environmental impact and utilities, while enhancing the overall quality in their homes and commercial builds.
Founded in 1985 by veteran designer, project manager and President, Bill Patterson, Città Group works in commercial, luxury home, multi-family, and planned communities within Greater Victoria and the wider Western Communities. Their team is comprised of talented designers, construction managers, carpenters, apprentices, laborers and skilled joiners. They believe sustainability and protection of our environment is a vitally important business issue and a crucial element of sound business practices. They've left an imprint on many areas throughout Victoria, with both new and restorative work—including in Victoria's Old Town, where Bill joined forces with other prominent individuals to save derelict buildings slated for demolition. Alongside Città’s many awards over the years, they have commendations from the Hallmark Society for their heritage work, demonstrating that Città's designs stand the test of long-term success.
The Maverick Awards are another step forward in Built Green Canada's mission to progress sustainability practices and recognize leadership; three winners have been announced in conjunction with title sponsor, BC Housing. The Transformational Award, sponsored by Travelers Insurance, went to Major Homes in Greater Vancouver, who transformed from a traditional builder into a leading energy and sustainability focused builder, and catalyst to the custom home building sector. The Maverick’s awarded the Innovation Award to Kanas Corporation for the Innovation Award for their Calgary-based project, Orion at Lumino Park, which is the tallest ICF building in Western Canada, with a state-of-the-art cogeneration system providing 534 KW of electricity. And the Ambassador Award went to Kelly Williams for championing company-wide BUILT GREEN® adoption, while rallying trades and suppliers for full activation, driving Sterling Homes Edmonton to become the next generation of sustainable production builders.