Studio Archive

Barry Johns served on the jury for the 2009 Mayor’s Urban Design Awards, a biennial celebration of architecture, landscape architecture and urban design in Calgary, and attended the Gala Presentation held on October 28.

Alongside Barry on the panel of jurors were Gilles Saucier, Ron Moppett, Andrew Wallace, and Bev Sandalack.

Organized by the City of Calgary, these awards “acknowledge the important contribution that designers, architects and artists make in improving the quality of life in our city by producing high quality buildings and public spaces.”

Barry Johns spoke as a part of the ‘Architecture and Design Now’ series at the University of Lethbridge. He presented the firm’s latest work including a major expansion to the Red Deer College Building Communities for Learning Project, The Triffo Hall Centre for Advanced Studies at the University of Alberta and the Lemur Pavilion at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. The lecture was dedicated to his late mentor Arthur Erickson.

Triffo Hall is the recpient of a 2009 SAB Magazine Award, recognizing excellence in sustainable design. Originally known as the ‘South Lab’ the 1915 structure is one of the oldest buildings on the University of Alberta Main Campus. Barry Johns (Architecture) Limited and its successor firm Group2 Architecture Engineering Limited successfully renovated the facility to achieve LEED^® Gold.

Jury comments – A fine example of a design that preserves the historic fabric of a heritage building while maximizing its flexibility of use. It incorporates  rainwater capture and re-use, and high performance heating and cooling. Interesting interior spaces maintain the elegance of the building and make delightful use of natural light.

Read the entire article on the SAB Magazine Web Site

Triffo Hall, a renovation and modernization of a 1915 heritage structure, is both the first project and first major renovation at the University of Alberta to be registered with LEED^® and is the first to acheive LEED^® Gold.