The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) and Built Green Canada (BGC) have both announced the finalists for their awards commemorating standout new homes and innovators in sustainable building.

Ottawa-based CHBA said the 2024 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence is its largest awards competition to date, receiving over 900 entries from across Canada.

“The calibre of entries is a testament to the work and skills that are needed in the residential construction industry. This year’s finalists should be very proud of what they have accomplished on the national stage,” CHBA’s CEO Kevin Lee said in the release.

Winners will be announced on May 10, 2024 in Saint John, N.B. during the CHBA’s Home Building Week.

Edmonton-based BGC’s inaugural Maverick Awards finalists recognize the individuals, projects and home builders making strides in sustainable homebuilding.

Winners will be announced on March 25.

CHBA’s mid- to high-rise building finalists

For its new home awards covering mid- to high-rise buildings, CHBA named five finalists each in categories for completed and planned developments.

The best completed mid-to high-rise buildings are:

• Upper West Side Condos in Oakville, Ont. by Branthaven Homes. Located at 3121 Trafalgar Rd., it consists of a 14-storey, 266-unit tower opened for occupancy in 2022, and a 22-storey tower of 28 condo and townhome units completed in 2023;
• The Parker by Fitzrovia Real Estate in Toronto. The 38-storey rental tower at Broadway Ave. and Redpath Ave. has 349 suites and was opened in early 2022;
• The Copper Club at The Metalworks, the third phase of a master-planned community in Guelph. The condo and townhome development at 73 Arthur St. S. by Fusion Homes has 124 one- to three-bedroom units and was completed in 2022;
• Waterworks, co-developed by MOD Developments Inc. and Woodcliffe Landmark Properties. The 13-storey, 288-unit mid-rise in 505 Richmond St. W. in Toronto is a mixed-use building with its residential portion completed in 2021; and
• Bridgewater Residences on the Lake in Burlington, Ont. by New Horizon Development Group. The condo development at 2060 Lakeshore Rd. consists of 22 storeys and 150 units and was finished in 2022.

The best planned mid- to high-rise buildings are:

• Vista Condominiums at Predator Ridge, a Vernon, B.C.-based condo project of one- and two-bedroom units that range from 783 square feet to 1,740 square feet. Edmonton-headquartered Carrington Communities is the developer;
• Allure by EMBLEM Developments, a 43-storey mixed-use condo at 236 King St. E. in downtown Toronto. It is expected to have 509 units;
• Clockwork Condos 3, a seven-storey project by Mattamy Homes in Oakville, Ont. that is expected to have 163 suites of one- to three bedrooms. Completion is scheduled for 2026;
• Five Crossings by Millennial Developments Corp., planned as a six-storey, 207-unit condo project of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom housing. Located in Kelowna, B.C., it will feature smart suites; and
• 123 Portland in Toronto, developed by Minto Communities. It will have 116 one- to three-bedroom units in its 14 storeys, and commercial space as a mixed-used property.

Net-zero home recognition by CHBA

The CHBA named its finalists for net-zero homes:

• Averra Developments Inc.’s Mount Pleasant Duplex, which Averra says is Vancouver’s first duplex to attain a net-zero energy efficiency standard. Averra, the builder, partnered with developer Deso Properties on the project that has a solar grid system;
• Watercolour Westport in Westport, Ont. Ottawa builder Land Ark Homes is behind the project, which is on Phase 2 of construction. Both phases introduced 25 new units. Housing for sale in Phase 2 includes two- to three-bedroom bungalows and two-storey homes ranging from three- to four-bedroom units. Land Ark Homes use up to 80 per cent less energy than a standard code-built home, the company says;
• Union Village by Minto Communities and Metropia in Markham, Ont. The mix of three- to six-bedroom townhomes includes 22 net-zero-ready units;
• the Hardwick floorplan by Foxridge Homes; and
• the Pierce model by Sterling Homes Calgary in the Vermillion Hill community.

Finalists for community development

The final nominees for the Best New Community Award are:

• Elan in Beaumont, Alta. The 1,280-acre mixed-use neighbourhood is planned to hold over 8,300 households, according to builder Morrison Homes. Its developer is Dream Unlimited;
• Jayman Living’s Southfork community in Leduc, Alta. consisting of townhomes, laned homes, front-attached garage homes and bungalows. Models range from one- to three-bedroom units, with prices going from $380,000 to $620,000;
• Union Village by Minto Communities Management Inc. and Metropia; and
• Hart Village and NiMa Trails both in Guelph, built by Terra View Custom Homes. The single-family homes at Hart Village and NiMa Trails vary from one-bedroom to four-bedroom variants.

For the Best Growing Community Award, the finalists are:

• Harmony by Bordeaux Developments and Qualico Communities, located in Springbank, Alta. The mixed-use community was launched in 2015 and is expected to house 10,000 residents upon completion, according to Qualico.
• Currie by Canada Lands Company is a 200-acre community in Calgary with seven builders. In April 2022, the Canadian government invested over $3.5 million to purchase and develop two vacant lots in Currie to aid Horizon Housing with the development of a 72-unit residential building.
• Developer and builder Cantiro’s The Hills at Charlesworth in southeast Edmonton. Housing is made up of front-drive single family, rear-lane single family, three-storey single family and townhome units.
• Alpine Park, a 476-acre neighbourhood in Calgary by Dream Unlimited, currently offering homes ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom-plus versions; and
• Allegro by Geranium Homes in Aurora, Ont. Floor plans vary from four bedrooms to five bedrooms, with the smallest home at approximately 3,100 square feet and the largest at almost 6,000 square feet.

CHBA also lists the finalists for 12 awards in home renovations and 12 awards for marketing.

BGC's Maverick Awards for sustainability

The Maverick Awards offers three categories; Ambassador Finalists, Innovation Finalists and Transformational Finalists.

Ambassador Finalists, the organizations and people “encouraging and promoting sustainable building,” are:

• Jayman BUILT, a Calgary and Edmonton-based homebuilder that offers four kinds of sustainable housing, including a net-zero ready model;
• Joe Geluch, the president and CEO of Naikoon Contracting, a Vancouver-based custom homebuilder; and
• Kelly Williams, the design and sustainability manager of Sterling Homes Edmonton, a homebuilder.

Innovation Finalists are:

• Jayman BUILT's Path to Net Zero, features for all of its homes that avoids 4.63 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year and make its homes 33 per cent more energy efficient than the standards required under Alberta’s building code;
• Mountain-View Homestead by Ellenwood Homes, a one-bedroom, 1,675-square-foot home that is Built Green Platinum-certified and solar ready; and
• Orion at Lumino Park, a 115,000-square-foot, 135-unit residential high-rise featuring photovoltaic solar arrays. The property is owned by Calgary-based Kanas Corporation.

The Transformational Finalists are:

• Major Homes Ltd., a Vancouver-based custom homebuilder;
• Spring Creek Mountain Village, a neighbourhood in Canmore, Alta. that has all of its vacation rentals equipped with geothermal heating and cooling systems, and its Tamarack Lodge which includes solar panels; and
• Città Group’s office at 1730 Verling Ave. in Saanichton, B.C. built in partnership with Built Green Canada.