West Coast Force Recognized for Ongoing Sustainability Ambassadorship
North Vancouver’s Joe Geluch honoured as finalist in national Maverick 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, which saw entries from British Columbia to Ontario. One of the Ambassador Award finalists is Joe Geluch, president of longtime builder-member, Naikoon Contracting Ltd.
The Ambassador Award was this year’s most popular category—the purpose being to recognize those on the ground, promoting and encouraging sustainable building: those ambassadors driving change towards the progression of industry. This award speaks to Built Green’s origins in industry engagement and the value of word of mouth—internally and externally.
Joe has long been a force in working to advance sustainable building practices—both within his own company and through industry and government initiatives. His dedication to promoting sustainability is driven by his deep-rooted connection to the land, his respect for Indigenous wisdom, and his commitment to leaving a positive legacy for future generations.
Naikoon has completed 46 BUILT GREEN® certified projects, including eight in 2023, along with several Passive House and Net Zero Carbon builds. Guided by Built Green Canada programs, Joe puts his values into practice, prioritizing environmental impact reduction, energy efficiency, and occupant well-being. These programs also serve as valuable educational tools with the firm’s clientele, bridging the gap for those unfamiliar with green building practices.
Finding purpose in the tangible benefits of his work, Joe sees reduced carbon emissions, enhanced indoor air quality, and lower utility costs. And so, his passion lies in inspiring others to embrace sustainable construction and nurturing a culture of environmental stewardship and resilience. Outside of Naikoon, Joe has dedicated time to industry efforts, including being a founding member of Canada’s Net Zero Energy Housing Council, a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the CHBA-BC Technical Research Committee, serving as Chair of BCIT’s Carpentry Advisory Committee, and holding terms on multiple municipal advisory design panels.
Joe believes that the Canadian construction industry must build better to combat our national housing crisis, lagging sector productivity, skilled labour shortage and the impacts of the climate crisis. He says none of these factors exist in isolation, and each contributes to the challenging situation builders face, as they strive to build quality, affordable and low-emission housing.
To ensure his messages resonate, Joe invites dialogue and encourages accountability among stakeholders. By openly sharing his real-world experiences through project case studies and workshops, he creates opportunities for learning and engagement, allowing others to see the firsthand benefits of sustainable building practices.
Giving dozens of interviews, Joe has served as an expert on building podcasts and regularly speaks at industry events, such as BuildEx, to share information with the broader industry. During the 2023 ICBA Construction Innovation Summit, for example, Joe hosted a discussion on how to build and foster meaningful business relationships with Indigenous organizations. He also gave a workshop at BCIT on Bird’s Wing, a custom home that consists of four unique Passive House Plus certified units.
Remaining committed to expanding his impact, Joe aims to reach those less familiar with modern building practices, particularly those in underserved or marginalized areas. Currently, he’s working to bring prefabrication to First Nations communities, to enhance Nation capacity and address housing shortages.
His passion for building began as a child; Naikoon Contracting was established in August 1980 in Masset, Haida Gwaii, by Terry Geluch. In 2010, son, Joe, relocated and revitalized the company in North Vancouver. It’s the natural splendor and ecological wealth of his hometown that inspires Joe to communicate the urgent need for sustainable building to counteract climate change and environmental degradation.
Influenced by Indigenous teachings and local practices in Haida Gwaii, Joe advocates for utilizing leftover materials in community projects. “If a building was going to be renovated, nothing would go to waste. Any leftover materials would be repurposed by the community,” says Joe. “Sustainability and quality go hand-in-hand, which is our differentiator for the business and has allowed us to grow in a competitive marketplace.”
This speaks to further alignment with the Built Green programs. He says that by offering renovation programs alongside new build standards, Built Green presents an opportunity to retrofit existing housing stock, rather than generate additional waste and emissions through teardowns—something Joe cares deeply about. He notes that this approach aligns with addressing nationwide housing affordability issues and capitalizes on municipal zoning changes allowing increased density on single-family lots.
Carbon is another shared focus with the Built Green programs, which reward reductions. He sees a need to prioritize the measurement and reduction of embodied carbon throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. While efforts to improve operational energy efficiency are crucial, it is equally important to address the carbon emissions associated with materials extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction and demolition. By implementing Life Cycle Assessment methodologies and exploring alternative materials and construction methods, Joe aims to minimize the carbon footprint of the built environment and mitigate climate change impacts.
As a BC-based firm, Naikoon has long held a deep appreciation for wood construction. Its low embodied carbon, regional abundance, structural capabilities and biophilic properties contribute to its widespread application in the firm’s portfolio. Joe, a Red Seal Certified carpenter, has often looked for ways to maximize building with wood and has invested steadily in mass timber technologies for over a decade. Naikoon is now widely regarded as a leader in prefabrication; a modern tool builders have to build more efficiently.
Meanwhile, Joe emphasizes the importance of digital tools and innovation in advancing sustainable building practices, including holistic approaches to carbon reduction. Embracing technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), prefabrication, and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) enables the optimization of building design, construction processes and resource management, leading to greater efficiency and sustainability.
Naikoon Contracting’s reputation has been built on sustainable design. This includes Midori Uchi, which the Mayor of North Vancouver as one of Canada's greenest homes when built in 2014. The project proactively challenged the industry to think differently about residential construction by showcasing ancient methods (like rammed earth walls) with the latest energy performance technology.
Another boundary-pushing project was Naikoon's renovation of an iconic Vancouver Special Home (McHardy Net Zero) in 2023: Vancouver's first BUILT GREEN® Net Zero Energy+ Renovation and CHBA Net Zero Renovation. As part of this, Naikoon worked with ZEBx and the City’s Near Zero Emissions Building applied research project to document challenges and solutions for these types of renovations, sharing valuable knowledge with industry, demonstrating the viability of retrofitting this extensive supply of existing housing stock across Metro Vancouver and encouraging others to follow suit.
Today, Naikoon offers custom new homes and renovations as well as commercial builds and renovations. Their team has delivered a wide range of bespoke homes for over sixty families, emphasizing high performance and energy efficiency standards, including many BUILT GREEN® certifications, alongside multiple Passive House and Net Zero Carbon builds.
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 Ambassador Award, sponsored by Excel Homes, 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. The Maverick’s awarded Kanas Corporation 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. While the Transformational Award 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.