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Algonquin College Green Architecture Students win big at the North East Sustainable Energy Program Design Competition!

 

Algonquin College Green Architecture students were in Boston last week to receive the results from the North East Sustainable Energy Design Competition. The group did incredibly well an won 2nd Place and 3rd Place in Division I, as well as 2nd Place in Division II! The students are thrilled with their results as is Rick Briginshaw, the Coordinator for the Green Architecture program. Please click on the link above for more information and photos of the winning Algonquin College teams.The purpose of this competition is to “To engage the next generation of designers and engineers in the key energy issues and strategies of the day, NESEA sponsors an annual design competition for college and university students. The target participants include college, university and building science design programs in the 10 states in NESEA’s region from Maine to Washington D.C., plus the Eastern Canadian Provinces. In 2013-14 we have 9 colleges and universities and 17 teams competing across the four divisions.”

The Second and Third place prizes for each of the four Divisions: Up to 4 Two-day passes for Building Energy 14 conference in Boston in March, plus a cash award of $500 for 2nd place, $250 for 3rd place. The other participating Algonquin team receives a merit award and a cash prize of $125. To learn more about this competition please visit http://www.neseastudentdesigncompetition.org/

 

Results from all areas of the competition are below

Carlos Vega Park (4 schools / 6 teams)

  • ALGONQUIN COLLEGE1 (4) – THIRD PLACE
  • ALGONQUIN COLLEGE3 (4)
  • ALGONQUIN COLLEGE4 (4) – SECOND PLACE
  • KSC3 (3)
  • Harvard GSD1 (4)
  • WPI (2)

 

Parsons Paper (4 schools / 4 teams)

  • ALGONQUIN COLLEGE2 (4) – SECOND PLACE
  • KSC2 (2)
  • Rowan University (2)
  • UMass Amherst (4)

 

The Alpine (1 school / 1 team)

  • KSC1 (4)

 

The Riverside (4 schools / 4 teams)

  • KSC4 (2)
  • Harvard GSD2 (3)
  • NEU1 (7)
  • Yale (2)

Official launch of the Bachelor of Building Science program held September 18, 2013

September 18th, 2013 marked the official launch of the Bachelor of Building Science program at Algonquin College’s Woodroffe Campus. Students from the new program as well as Chris Janzen, Dean of the Faculty of Technology and Trades and Maria Parra, the Coordinator for the four-year Bachelor of Building Science program attended the launch of the program. The launch event was held in conjunction with an industry event put on by the Building Envelope Council Ottawa Carleton (BECOR). BECOR is a non profit organization committed to promoting advanced technologies and techniques in the design, construction and performance of the building envelope and ties in perfectly with the core of the new Bachelor of Building Science program. Please see the following link for coverage of the event by the Ottawa Citizen.

The ACCE building participating in upcoming September 14th Sustainability Tour of Ottawa

The Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence will be one of the 10 sites featured in the Ottawa Sustainability Tour to be launched on Saturday, September 14, 2013. Each venue on the tour illustrates a different theme of sustainability. People are invited to travel by car, bicycle, or bus to visit the remarkable places highlighted as part of this self-guided tour. A tour book will guide
visitors to the sites and explain the following themes of sustainability: transportation, energy, design, habitat, food, natural capital, waste, health, recreation, and a sense of place.

 

Join us on the launch
day!

The opening launch begins at 8:30 AM
Saturday 14 September with free pancakes at North America’s only urban maple sugar shack in Richelieu Park, Vanier. After the 9:00 AM opening ceremony with Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Mathieu Fleury, groups of cyclists, cars and perhaps a bus will depart on their adventure. Five other sites along the route will also hold events that day:

– Corktown Footbridge: a choir and information on sustainable transportation (AM)

– University of Ottawa: Première Moisson coupons for early arrivals, site explanations (AM)

– Fletcher Wildlife Garden: Volunteer experts to answer your questions about habitats (PM)

– Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence: Interpretation of building features (PM)

– terra20 – meeting with product experts, short waste reduction talks, light refreshments
(PM)

 

The tour launch will also be the launch
of two other Ottawa initiatives:

– Gemagram: a cloud-based app that will carry the tour book (bring your smart phone)

– Ottawa Learnery: talks that are rich in ideas, delivered with passion

 

A booklet of the tour is available on Ottawa Biosphere Eco-City’s website http://obec-evbo.ca/ which allows you to choose which sites you are interested in seeing at a time that is convenient
for you! Booklet is available in French and English.”

Read the accompanying newsletter to find more information on this exciting activity and the other areas being featured on the Sustainability Tour of Ottawa.

Click here to view the Newsletter.

 

 

Canada Green Building Council features the ECHO project in their August 2013 newsletter

Algonquin College’s Team Ontario prepares to send its “ECological HOme” to Irvine, California

What began as a dream for several students and faculty at Ottawa’s Algonquin College and Carleton University, and Kingston’s Queen’s University, has culminated in a million dollar project to construct a net zero home that will compete on a global stage this fall.

ECHO, short for ECological HOme, was showcased today as part of an Open House and mock competition to ready the team for the 2013 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

“Our mission was to create an ecological home that sets the standard for sustainable living and creates waves of change in the housing market,” says Karl Kadwell, Project Manager for Team Ontario. “We are proud to have built this net zero home as a standard for future generations, and we are eager to showcase it in the competition this fall.”

ECHO is a 940 square foot, $300,000 home with a master bedroom, one bathroom, a multipurpose room that can be used as an office or second bedroom, and a combined kitchen/living room/dining room. Designed to be ‘net zero’, the home will utilize various solar and energy efficient technologies to produce at least as much energy in a year as it will consume.

Read the entire article here.

 

Team Ontario Receives Huge Boost as They Prepare to Ship their Home to Irvine, CA

What began as a dream for several students and faculty at Ottawa’s Algonquin College and Carleton University, and Kingston’s Queen’s University, has culminated in a million dollar project to construct a net zero home that will compete on a global stage this fall.

ECHO, short for ECological HOme, was showcased today as part of an Open House and mock competition to ready the team for the 2013 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

“Our mission was to create an ecological home that sets the standard for sustainable living and creates waves of change in the housing market,” says Karl Kadwell, Project Manager for Team Ontario. “We are proud to have built this net zero home as a standard for future generations, and we are eager to showcase it in the competition this fall.”

ECHO is a 940 square foot, $300,000 home with a master bedroom, one bathroom, a multipurpose room that can be used as an office or second bedroom, and a combined kitchen/living room/dining room. Designed to be ‘net zero’, the home will utilize various solar and energy efficient technologies to produce at least as much energy in a year as it will consume. Students began designing the building in the summer of 2011: brainstorming its architectural appearance, running simulations and performing structural analysis. Construction began in September 2012 at Algonquin College’s campus in Perth, Ontario, where the students were able to complete most of the main structure and conduct a test move. In May of 2013, it was relocated to Algonquin College’s Ottawa campus for completion.

“This home is the result of a multi-disciplinary effort that brought together the theoretical knowledge taught by universities with the applied, hands-on learning offered by colleges to create a home that is both environmentally and financially sustainable,” says Professor Richard Briginshaw, Algonquin College Green Architecture Coordinator and member of Team Ontario. “These students have put a tremendous amount of effort into this project and I know they will make their schools and their country very proud of them.”

Dr. Kent MacDonald, President and CEO of Algonquin College; Dr. Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and Vice Chancellor of Carleton University; and Laeeque Daneshmend, Deputy Provost of Queen’s University were all in attendance for the Open House, and offered the students words of encouragement. Ontario’s Minister of Energy, the Honorable Bob Chiarelli, was also in attendance to offer his support and announce that the team will receive $80,000 in provincial support from the Smart Grid Fund.

“I want to congratulate Team Ontario for their hard work and wish them the best of luck at the Solar Decathlon. The ECHO home and the students behind it are a prime example of why Ontario is considered a global leader in renewable energy, conservation and smart grid technology,” says Ontario Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli. “I am proud the Ontario government is a supporter of Team Ontario.”

The next steps for the students involve preparing the house for shipping. The home is designed in two separate modules to make it easy for shipping, and those will be loaded onto flatbed trucks that will likely depart on Saturday, August 24. This year’s US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is set to begin Thursday, October 3rd, in Irvine, California, with the competition wrapping up on October the 13th.

Follow these links to see various media stories and clips regarding Team Ontario’s entry into the Solar Decathlon.

CTV: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/team-ontario-competing-at-solar-decathlon-1.1415501

CTV Video: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=986176&binId=1.1164511&playlistPageNum=1

CFRA: http://www.cfra.com/News/Ottawa-Regional-News/Students-unveil-solar-home

CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Ottawa/ID/2401539865/
(Skip to 11:15)

CBC Radio (French): http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/ottawa/2013/08/17/008-etudiants-ontario-maison-verte-competition-internationale.shtml

CTV Ottawa Morning Live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cin2uNQpnw

Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/homes/Creating+ECHO/8793354/story.html

Team Ontario’s Solar Decathlon house featured on CBC news

Team Ontario Solar Decathlon House Design

Queen’s University, Carleton University, and Algonquin College join the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 with the goal of creating a functional and livable starter house that strikes a balance between engineering and architecture and sets a higher standard of sustainable housing.

Team Ontario plans to work collaboratively as a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional team to design, construct, and operate an affordable, net-positive, sustainable family house while inspiring the world to demand more from the next generation of homes.

Watch this news clip from the Team Ontario building site at Algonquin College for more information.

The Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence has received another award!

The Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence has received another award! The Canada Green Building Council has given ACCE its 2013 Award for Commercial Green Architecture. Accepting the award on behalf of the ACCE building were (left to right) Zofia Jurewicz of Edward J Cuhaci and Associates Architects, Claude Brulé, Vice President, Academic, and Dan Gallivan of Diamond Schmitt Architects.

Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence Receives LEED Platinum Certification

OTTAWA, November 5, 2012. The Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence has officially received LEED® Platinum certification from the Canada Green Building Council.

“The Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence is a model of sustainable development,” says Algonquin College President Kent MacDonald. “The building functions as a living laboratory which supports the learning of our students in a way unlike any other postsecondary institution in Canada. We would like to thank all who assisted in its construction including EllisDon Corporation, Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., and Edward J Cuhaci and Associates Architects Inc., and I commend our Physical Resources team for their leadership.”

Please follow this link to read the entire news release on this wonderful news.