City Waterfront Building Receives Honorable Mention from IDEA

The City Waterfront Building was recently recognized by the International District Energy Association (IDEA), earning Honorable Mention for the 2024 Joseph M. Brillhart Innovation Award. This award celebrates district energy innovations for their ingenuity, tangible results, scalability, and positive economic and environmental contributions.

The vibrant community centre located on Queens Quay Street in Toronto aimed to revolutionize energy consumption and environmental impact. Ecosystem’s strategy included a Lake Hydrothermal System to fulfill heating and cooling needs, eliminating on-site natural gas emissions, alongside other measures including Building Automation Systems upgrades and systems recommissioning. This initiative prioritized efficiency, aligning with broader environmental goals.

“The project has helped us to achieve some of our initiatives in providing greener alternatives for our facility,” said Natsha Francis, Executive Director of the City Waterfront Building. “The installation of a Geo-Exchange Cooling System and Building Automation System (BAS) which controls the building’s heating system and uses Lake Ontario to cool the facility has been a great improvement for us. Rooftop solar panels energize the backup battery system giving WNC power during blackouts and help to reduce greenhouse gases.”

With a total investment of $3,100,000, the project yielded substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (83% overall), significant energy reduction (71% overall), and $95,100 annual energy savings, with an estimated 8.2-year payback period. Following the retrofit, the building stands as a beacon for near net-zero energy practices, offering enhanced comfort, increased resilience in the face of a changing climate, streamlined operations, reduced operational costs, and an elevated status as a leading sustainable structure.

“This shows how important our heating and cooling system in Lake Ontario is,” said Ecosystem Project Manager Cédric Bertrand. “It will fully provide heating and cooling for the Waterfront Building. It’s an important step in helping Toronto reach its goals to cut down on greenhouse gases.”

Earlier this year, the Waterfront Building was also named a 2024 Clean 50 Top Project, recognizing the best sustainability-oriented projects in Canada.

For project inquires, contact Asaph Benun, Managing Director of Business Development.