Dozens of post-secondary students from Ontario and Quebec took part on the weekend in the first Ottawa Eco-Logical Competition, organized by the Ottawa Region Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council.

Held at Carleton University, 56 students in engineering, architecture, urban planning, interior design and related fields were placed on one of seven interdisciplinary teams to compete for cash and in-kind prizes. Their challenge was to design a new green building for the Canada Science and Technology Museum, a national museum currently housed in a former bread factory.

Students were given a site plan of the imagined location for the museum, a site on LeBreton Flats west of the Canada War Museum and near the terminus of the O-Train at Bayview. The students worked all day Saturday and presented their designs to judges on Sunday.

The winning team members, announced last night at a gala dinner at the museum, are:

• Andrew McClellan, Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa
• Carmen Lee, Architecture, Carleton University
• Christopher Boerger, Environmental Studies, Carleton University
• Shannon Martin, Architecture, Carleton University
• Jenna Senecal, Bioresource Engineering, McGill University
• Jorge Sosa, Green Architecture Program, Algonquin College
• Myra Alexander, Interior Design, Algonquin College
• Kasia Blaszak, Building Science , Ryerson University

The judges were impressed with the team’s theme of Flow, which they incorporated into several design elements:

• Energy flow generated from on-site energy sources, including a geothermal system, augmented by biomass and a demonstration exhibit on Canadian renewable energy technologies.
• Food flow, including a community garden for local residents to grow their own organic foods, and food waste and other garden elements to feed the biomass system.
• The flow of information, not only from exhibits but also from organic food production and energy workshops offered by the museum that showcase the science and technology used by the museum.
• The organic flow of the building and how people move through it.

Presented in its inaugural year by Carleton University, the Ottawa Region Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council and the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Ottawa Eco-Logical competition brings together several disciplines and will help prepare students for a career in the fast-growing green building industry.

The winners each pocket $450 and the chance to exhibit their design at the Canada Science and Technology Museum for six weeks. Second and third-place teams also received cash prizes. Information and photos from the weekend will be available on www.ecologicalottawa.ca.

Winners of the Eco-Logical competition will also present at Retrofit: Sustainability for the Future, the inaugural Green Building Ottawa conference at Carleton University from May 12 to 14, 2010.  For more information or to register, please go to www.greenbuildingottawa.ca.

About the Ottawa Region Chapter, Canada Green Building Council
The Ottawa Region Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council is a non-profit corporation that fosters the development of green buildings and the green building community in Ottawa, Gatineau, Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. The Chapter’s mandate is to inform and educate owners and practitioners in the local building industry, highlight local green building innovation to the community at large and collaborate with other organizations to encourage green building practices.

About Carleton University
Carleton University is a dynamic research and teaching institution with a tradition of leading change. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff and researchers provide more than 24,000 full- and part-time students. Carleton’s creative, interdisciplinary and international approach to research has led to many significant discoveries and creative works. As an innovative institution, Carleton is uniquely committed to developing solutions to real-world problems by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding daily.

About Canada Science and Technology Museum
The special role of the Museum Corporation is to help the public to understand the ongoing relationships between science, technology and Canadian society. The largest of its kind in Canada, the Museum fulfills its mission through its collection, permanent, temporary and travelling exhibits, special events, school programs, workshops and demonstrations, publications, loans, conferences and lectures, expert advice, and joint action with other museums and organizations with similar goals and interests.