Judging Process
Architects, designers, engineers, building owners, or other professionals (individuals or groups) are eligible to submit building projects. Buildings must be at least 50% complete with clear evidence of the new cladding system.The jury will determine final eligibility of incomplete projects.
Submissions will be judged based on the eight award criteria outlined below. Each will receive equal weighting. Where applicable, identify the evaluation method used and the relative scoring of the building under the category; for example, Efficiency criteria could be UNEP criteria, or Smart criteria could be Building Information Management (BIM) criteria.
The jury will create a short list of finalists, then pick one winner for each Award Category as well as one winner for Best Overall Submission.
Award Categories
- Residential
- Commercial/Industrial
- Institutional
Award Criteria
Submissions will be judged based on the following eight criteria:
1. Efficiency (Resource & Operational)
Refers to sourcing materials going into re-skinning as well as the building's ongoing energy efficiency. Materials could include those with recycled content, those taken from sustainably managed sources, or materials that are locally produced, reusable, or recyclable. For ongoing building management, it is the materials, components, and systems that help to reduce the building's carbon footprint, heating and cooling loads, energy consumption, and life cycle environmental impacts.
2. Health
Building health includes natural lighting and indoor air quality and can be achieved through the use of low or non-toxic materials with minimal emissions of VOCs. Healthy building design also includes moisture-resistant products and systems, healthful maintenance, highly responsive ventilation systems for users, and where possible, natural ventilation, and light.
3. Budgeting
Successful re-skinning projects are sustainable and financial viable. Building owners and managers contemplating a retrofit project may consider the investment against product life-cycle costs, energy savings, and other non-financial benefits.
4. Aesthetics
The design must enhance the aesthetics of the existing building and its community setting. While this can be difficult to assess in quantifiable terms, consideration is paid to how well a building services its function, form, accessibility, sense of place, and interpretation of available technology.
5. Smarts
Considers the use of new, embedded "smart" energy management systems. Such measurement tools help building owners quantify their environmental impact, create benchmarks, compare with other buildings, and inspire behaviour change. A system of measurable, reportable and verifiable indicators can support emission reduction strategies and execution.
6. Reproducibility
Refers to how the technology and techniques used in the project could be scaled and applied to different contexts, contributing to the goal of making retrofitting our cities viable on a large scale. If applicable, please provide evidence of how the building advanced, and codes, zoning, local ordinances and guidelines for buildings in their planning and design context.
7. Water Conservation
Refers to the use of materials and systems that reduce water consumption in buildings and conserve water in landscaped areas. Conservation techniques could include storm water management, rainwater harvesting, or irrigation infrastructure.
8. Community Benefits
Refers to how the project has improved the social, economic, and/or environmental surroundings. Could include a significant contribution to a neighbourhood revitalization plan, educating building tenants about reducing energy use, an increase in wildlife habitat, the conservation of environmental features, or a mitigation of the dangers the building poses to migratory birds.
