Sustainability Plaza wins high-profile award
An Edmonton community has walked away with one of the world’s most highly regarded sustainability awards.
The Hills at Charlesworth, developed by Beaverbrook Communities in association with Stantec Consulting Ltd., has won the Royal Town Planning Institute’s International Award for Planning Excellence for its Sustainability Plaza.
Edmonton beat out entrants from around the world including projects in China, Dubai and India. There were seven other finalists in the planning excellence category.
“This award speaks to the creativity and vision that resides in our city and region,” said Jodie Wacko, president of Beaverbrook Communities.
“Working with Edmonton-based consulting and design firm Stantec, we were able to push the boundaries of what a park/plaza could be. This concept was quickly embraced by the City of Edmonton and council. We are very grateful for the city’s support and belief in us and our project.”
The marquee feature of this southeast Edmonton neighbourhood, the Sustainability Plaza is front and centre at the Hills. It’s an eco-friendly recreation hub that serves as a central focal point and gathering place for the community and sets the tone for the subdivision. It incorporates green living concepts into the design, such as solar and wind powered hybrid lights, solar powered Wi-fi, a solar powered playground, repurposed sea-can containers in its construction, and has a 200-metre ice ribbon for winter ice skating.
In 2019, Beaverbrook opened a nine-hole championship disc-golf course to complement the Sustainability Plaza, which also includes community gardens and a toboggan hill.
It was quite an honour to be nominated for the award and then to be recognized as a winner on the world stage given the RPTI’S prestigious reputation, said Wacko, noting that Edmonton beat out some stiff competition in this category that looked at design, creativity and how it advances the principles of urban design and urban planning.
A virtual awards ceremony was held April 30 on the RTPI’S Youtube channel.
The judges liked that the plaza was the centre of the community, that it was more than just something to look at, its sustainability aspects, and the outside-of-the box elements added into it, said Wacko.
“There’s a lot of creativity that resides in Edmonton and that award is a 100 per cent made-in-edmonton idea and project,” said Wacko. “That design and the Sustainability Plaza is a made-in-edmonton solution and demonstration of what we can do.”
The Hills, which had its grand opening in mid-2016, sits on the site of the former Pioneer Meadows golf course. Three new stages were serviced last year and more show homes opened earlier this year — new laned single-family show homes from Bedrock Homes and Jayman Built debuted in January — with builders Jayman, Bedrock and Dolce Vita planning additional show homes for later in 2020.
The Hills draws on low-impact development as well as sustainable building practices, and is expected to become home to more than 1,200 families when it reaches completion. Currently, it is just over 50 per cent built out.