Located on a significant site in the downtown core, the new Cambridge City Hall defines the civic precinct, which includes six exemplary heritage buildings – a fire hall, federal building, market, arts center, Wesley United Church and the original Town Hall built in 1857. In addition, it is ED+C’s first international Excellence in Design award winner.

The Central atrium with a living plant wall provides exemplary air quality. Photo by Tom Arban.

Located in Ontario, Canada, the building reshapes the urban space for the market and civic squares and makes new pedestrian connections between the city center and adjacent neighborhoods. The City of Cambridge is working to develop, revitalize and reinforce activity in its heritage core. Returning the civic functions from a rental office building on the outskirts to the heart of downtown builds upon this strategy. The new four-story, 85,000-square-foot building consolidates municipal services, providing a healthy work environment for staff and efficient service to the public. It also has a rigorous sustainable mandate. As the first LEED Gold city hall in Canada, it is a model of energy- and resource-efficient architecture and the winner of ED+C’s 2009 Excellence in Design Award in the Government category.

The City of Cambridge lies within the largest urban area in Canada, which is dependent upon groundwater. Therefore, the management and conservation of water was paramount. The new city hall is designed to be extremely water efficient. Rainwater from the building’s roof is collected in a 10,000-liter greywater cistern and used for toilet flushing. Combined with low-flow fixtures, waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets, this system saves 2.9 million liters of water per year—a 59 percent reduction compared to the Model National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 1997 (MNECB), which contains cost-effective minimum requirements for energy efficiency in new buildings. Additionally, drought-resistant landscaping plants and mulched gardens eliminate the need for irrigation.

Administrative departments are located on the upper floors at the corners of the atrium, and public meeting rooms are at the east and west ends overlooking the outdoor plazas and the interior. Photos by Tom Arban.

The interior of the building is organized around a skylit atrium that acts as an interior public square. It is designed to accommodate multiple functions and emphasize the openness and public accessibility of city services. Pedestrian connections are reinforced by the atrium, which is glazed on opposing entryways, providing clear orientation and affording views through the site. On the upper three floors, the administrative departments are located at the corners of the atrium, and public meeting rooms are located at the east and west ends overlooking both the outdoor plazas and the interior. The office floors of the building have been designed to maximize access to natural light, views and ventilation. All workstations are positioned to be a maximum of 15 feet from the light of the exterior or the atrium, with 95 percent of occupied spaces having access to views.

Electronic faucets from Sloan Valve Company, used in Cambridge City Hall, use only 0.5 gallons of water per minute while providing hygienic, convenient handwashing.

The atrium features a four-story plant wall bio-filter, a vertical hydroponic system that aids in providing exceptional indoor air quality for city staff. Unlike most green walls, this plant wall is integrated with the HVAC system and utilizes bio-filtration and phyto-remediation to purify indoor air, consuming volatile organic compounds and other air contaminants. The architects first pioneered the use of this system several years ago, and have incorporated improvements with each subsequent installation. This new 1,200-square-foot plant wall incorporates humidity control and greater integration with the building’s mechanical system to achieve maximum energy efficiency.

A number of additional sustainable systems are utilized, including a green roof on the southern wing, sunshading, natural ventilation and optimized energy performance.

The new Cambridge City Hall is Canada’s greenest city hall and a valuable example of sustainable architecture for the surrounding community.

Sidebar: Cambridge City Hall

2009 Excellence in Design Award Winner, Government Category

Completion Date: June 2008

Size: 75,000 square feet

Location: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

Cost: $22 Million (CAD)

Certification: CaGBC LEED Gold Certified

Submitted by: Diamond and Schmitt www.dsai.ca


Congratulations to: Architects: Diamond and Schmitt

Structural Engineer: Read Jones Christoffersen

Mechanical & Electrical Engineers: MCW Consultants LTD

Civil Engineer: Marshall Macklin Monaghan

Landscape Architect: Fleisher Ridout Partnership Inc.

LEED Consultant and Commissioning Agent: Enermodal Engineering Ltd.

Green Wall Consultant: Air Quality Solutions

Builder: Vanbots Construction Corporation


Materials and related LEED credits

Flooring: Porcelain floor tiles (recycled content): Keystones series by Daltile; Stone tiles (MRc5) Adair Limestone Marble by Ariscraft; Linoleum (MRc4, MRc5): Marmorete by Armstrong; Resilient flooring (MRc4): Contract by Amtico; Carpet tiles (MRc4 and EQc4.3): Kasuri by Tandus; Carpet adhesive (EQc4.3) by C&A Floorcoverings; Access Flooring (MRc4 and MRc5) by Camino.

Ceiling: Acoustic ceiling tiles (MRc4 and MRc5) by CGC; T-bar grid (MRc4 and MRc5) by CGC; Acoustic ceiling panels (MRc4): Ecophone and Claro by Decoustics (a subsidiary of CertainTeed).

Wood: Wood Doors (UFF): particle core wood doors by Lambdon Doors; Plywood (MRc5, UFF): Purebond plywood by Columbia Forest Products; MDF (MRc4): Arreis MDF by Sierra Pine Composite Solutions; Flame retardant MDF (MRc4): Medite FR2 by Sierra Pine Composite Solutions.

Roofing: Metal roofing (MRc4) by Vicwest; Roof membranes and primer (MRc5) by Soprema.

HVAC System and Appliances: Extra-high-efficiency water heaters by Cyclone; Variable frequency drives by Danfoss; Sensors (for temperature and humidity) by Carlo Gavazzi.

Insulation: Insulation (MRc4 and MRc5) by Roxul; Roof insulation (MRc4 and MRc5) by Dow.

Interior Finishes and Furnishings: System furniture (GREENGUARD) by Global Group; Solid surface (MRc4): Formstone by Avonite; Plastic laminate (MRc4 and MRc5) by Wilsonart and Formica; Ceramic wall tiles (recycled content): Rittenhouse by Daltile; Acoustic wall panels (MRc4) by Decoustics; Gypsum board (MRc4 and MRc5) by CGC.

Paint: Low-VOC paint by Benjamin Moore.

Energy Efficiency: Linear fluorescent fixtures by Metalumen, Zumtobel, Selux and Visioner Corp.; Low-voltage and compact fluorescent downlights by Indy Lighting; Dimming system by Lutron; Low-voltage lighting controls by GE Canada.

Building Envelope: Cast concrete (MRc4 and MRc5) by Dafferin; Precast concrete (MRc4) by Munro Concrete; Rebar (MRc4 and MRc5) by Gerdau; Structural steel (MRc4) by Arcelor and Inkan; Aluminum extrusions (MRc4 and MRc5) by Almag Aluminum and Kawneer; Aluminum brake/shade (MRc4) by Spandrel Tech; Aluminum sheet (MRc4) by Alcotex; Lightweight concrete block (MRc4 and MRc5) by Boehmers; Stone cladding (MRc5): Adair Limestone by Ariscraft; Solera (MRc4) by Advanced Glazing.

Plumbing Fixtures: Low-flow toilets by Crane Plumbing with dual-flush valve by Sloan; Waterless urinal by Water Matrix Inc.; Electronic hand-washing faucet with infrared sensor by Sloan; Low-flow showerheads by Symmons Industries Inc.

Landscaping: Asphalt (MRc4 and MRc5) by Lafarge; Paving stones (MRc4 and MRc5) by Oaks Concrete.

Other: Sunshades (low VOC): Solarfective by Decoustics; Green Wall (return air filtering and humidification; Greywater cisterns; Steel studs (MRc4 and MRc5) by Dofasco; Metal doors and hardware (MRc4) by Allmar; Toilet partitions (MRc4): Reinforced composite partitions Sierra Series by Bobrick.

Government Category: ED+C’s 2009 Excellence in Design Award Finalists

Portola Valley Town Center. Photo by Cesar Rubio.

Portola Valley Town Center

Completion Date: October 2008

Size: 19,933 square feet

Location: Town of Portola Valley, Calif.

Submitted and designed by: Siegel & Strain Architects and Goring and Straja Architects.

Fort Carson. Photo by Jackie Shumaker.

1st Brigade Combat Team Brigade and Battalion Headquarters Facility

Completion Date: April 2008

Size: 140,000 square feet

Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Submitted by: Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

Honorable Mentions in the Government Category:

Orinda City Hall submitted by Siegel & Strain Architects Southeast Community Center submitted by KAI Design & Build



The 2010 Excellence in Design Awards program is now accepting entries.Visit eid.EDCmag.com.