Excellence in Sustainable Design Recognized at National Green Building Awards

 

Fast + Epp's structural design work is in the green spotlight, having won two of seven 2012 Sustainable Architecture and Building Awards.

 

The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technology at Okanagan College, a project completed with architects at CEI, was chosen from among 56 submissions for its "common sense approach to envelope design, heating, ventilation and daylighting." According to jury members, the facility "was the best example of a well integrated passive design solution in which the architecture was not overburdened with technology."

 

 

 

Likewise, sustainable social housing at Karis Place in Vancouver — a project with Neale Staniszkis Doll Adams Architects — was honoured for its commitment to environmentally-friendly design, despite a modest budget and challenging zoning restraints.

 

"As such it provides an example, not just to other publicly-funded housing projects, but to market condominium developments as well," said the SAB award jurors.

 

The awards will be presented in Toronto on June 11. Click here for the full list of 2012 winners.  

                                                                                                                                                SAB GreenBuildingAwards 2012

Collaborating Architects Win Big at 2012 AIBC Awards 

 

Fast + Epp would like to congratulate Perkins + Will Canada for its strong showing at the 2012 Architectural Institute of British Columbia Awards on May 14.

 

The architectural firm received three of the seven awards presented, chosen from over 50 projects submitted in four categories.

 

The VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre and Samuel Brighouse Elementary School projects both received Awards of Merit, while the Centre for Interactive Research in Sustainability at the University of BC was given the Innovation Award.

 

“These seven projects were seen to stand out from the rest,” said Gordon Richards, president of the provincial architectural association. “This year’s selections would seem to confirm that the bar for architectural excellence in this province has been raised.”

 

Fast + Epp provided structural engineering services for all three award-winning projects. We look forward to future opportunities to continue our successful partnership with Perkins + Will. 

 

Winners Announced for 2012 Architectural Engineering Design Competition

 

 

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Fast + Epp would like to congratulate the following student design teams from the University of British Columbia:

 

First Place - Benjamin Slocombe, Pedram Faghani & Shereen Chak

Second Place - Michael Taylor, Nicole la Hausse & Winnie Li

 

The 2012 competition called for the design of a theoretical semi-permanent covered stage. The winning submissions emphasized aesthetics, form and function, while also considering constructability, economics, durability and sustainability. 

 

A special thanks goes to guest judge Darryl Condon of Hughes Condon Marler Architects, for his architectural input in choosing this year's winners.

 

To view the teams' full submissions, visit Fast + Epp's AEDC page.

Fast + Epp Runner Up in German Bridge Competition

 

Fast + Epp Frankfurt's bridge design won second prize at a recent design competition hosted by the Würzburg State Building Authority.

 

The design team — led by Darmstadt-based firm prosa architekten — was awarded €8,000 for its efficient and economical "Campusbrücke Würzburg" submission, which uses a single piece of prefabricated form work to produce identical cast-in-place reinforced concrete modules.

 

When constructed, these repeating modules create a uniquely-twisting warped bicycle and pedestrian bridge that spans 35-metres and connects the Bavarian university's north and south campuses.

 

Fast + Epp's team was one of ten shortlisted to compete in the event.  

 

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Rendering courtesy of prosa architekten

VanDusen Wins Highest Honour at Provincial Engineering Awards

 

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Fast + Epp's structural design work on the striking 19,000 sq. ft. visitors' centre at VanDusen Botanical Gardens was recognized with two significant distinctions at this year's Consulting Engineers of British Columbia Awards in March: the sought-after 2012 Lieutenant Governor's Award, and the Award for Engineering Excellence. 

 

The design team, led by architects at Perkins + Will Canada, championed wood as a sustainable building material in the interests of economy, innovation and to meet tight time constraints. Ultimately, the judges' decision recognizes what is believed to be the first example of widespread wood use for such an intricate form. The building targets LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge status.

 

Perhaps its most innovative feature is the facility's dramatic orchid-inspired free form wood roof, composed of 71 unique prefabricated panels. These panels, created and prefabricated by Fast + Epp's affiliated design-build company StructureCraft Builders, incorporate mechanical, electrical and acoustical elements.

 

2012 WoodWORKS! Awards Distinguish Fast + Epp Engineering Achievements

 

A number of Fast+ Epp projects were recognized at this year's BC WoodWORKS! Awards' gala in March at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.

 

BrighouseWWaward  BrighouseWWaward2  Firehall Steveston  WoodWORKS Brighouse March2012

 

Engineers were on hand to accept top honours in the Engineering category for their work on Samuel Brighouse Elementary School. Judges said Fast + Epp, along with architectural firm Perkins + Will Canada, "went the extra mile to prove that it is possible to use wood in order to provide public buildings that are cost effective, architecturally expressive and engaging, while adhering to a strict budget."

 

Our firm also celebrates with architects at Hughes Condon Marler, for a successful collaboration on the Steveston Fire Hall project. The two-storey building, targeting LEED Gold and incorporating the use of pine-beetle kill wood, received the Award for Institutional Wood Design - Small Projects.

 

Meanwhile, our affiliated design-build company, StructureCraft Builders, was recognized with the Wood Innovation Award for its commercialization of mechanically-fastened cross-laminated timber (CLT) at Fire Hall No. 15. Fast + Epp was involved with the structural engineering aspect of this project.

 

Finally, Fast + Epp would like to congratulate architect and author Jim Taggart, our firm's nominee for the Wood Champion Award. Taggart's passion to see wood innovation at the forefront of building design made him a deserving recipient of the honour.

 

2012 Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards Recognize Green Building's Merit

  

Laurentian University's Vale Living with Lakes Centre received an Award of Merit for Industry, Energy and Resources at the 2012 Consulting Engineers of Ontario Awards gala on April 28 in Toronto.

 

Fast + Epp collaborated with structural engineers at J.L. Richards & Associates Limited and architects at Perkins + Will Canada on the design of the internationally-recognized centre, heralded for its focus on environmental protection and aquatic resource management on Ramsey Lake.

 

The project consists of a single-storey labratory building and two-storey 'regenerative' education and research centre, which is expected to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

     LWL CEOAwards2012

   Rendering Courtesy of Perkins + Will Canada

Big Plans for Scandinavian Arena Project

 

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Fast + Epp is pleased to announce its collaboration with architects at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on the preliminary design of a new ice rink in Umea, Sweden.

 

The facility is anticipated to total approximately 38,000 sq.ft. Comprised mainly of steel arches and glue-laminated timber, the structure will feature a fully-accessible green roof and function as an extension of its surrounding landscape.

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