North Vancouver City Hall has received one of the highest accolades that can be given to an architectural project in Canada.
The building was awarded one of 12 Governor General's Medals in Architecture, which are handed out once every two years by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and Canada Council for the Arts and recognize outstanding design in recent projects by Canadian architects.
Led by architect Michael Green, the design for the city hall expansion and renovation was completed in 2013. The finished structure joins the pre-existing 1970s building with an adjacent vacated library and features a 220-foot-long atrium.
Renewable wood sourced from sustainable forest practices was used with the goal of reducing the greenhouse gas and energy footprint of the building.
The judging panel commented that the project is "an elegant, restrained and sophisticated expansion to a small district municipal hall. A simple and engaging tube-like structure is inserted between two existing buildings, to act as a common entry point. The vocabulary is warm and refined, befitting a city hall's place in the community."
In a press release, Green said that all architectural projects, especially North Vancouver City Hall, owe their success to collaboration between owners, project managers, architects, engineers and builders.
"Our hope is that the community enjoys the building for generations to come," he said.
The 12 award winners will present their projects at a free public lecture at the National Gallery of Canada on May 12. The awards will be formally presented during a ceremony at Rideau Hall on May 13.
This isn't the first honour Green's city hall project has earned. It previously received the 2013 Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture, presented by the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, and an Innovation in Wood grant from the Wood Enterprise Coalition.
