Fifteen building projects have been selected in the design incentive portion of the Better Buildings BC contest, a provincial program and juried competition to support, promote and celebrate the design and construction of net-zero energy-ready buildings.

The Better Buildings BC contest is one of many CleanBC initiatives aimed at turning buildings all over the province into lower polluting, warmer, more comfortable and healthier spaces.

Since the contest was announced in October 2018, 51 expressions of interest were submitted, naming more than 170 different organizations as proponents, suppliers or partners. The 15 finalists of the design incentive will receive a total of $318,923. The dollar amount of the reward will vary according to the size and complexity of the various building designs: $40,000 is largest single incentive awarded, while $21,000 is the average incentive.

Finalists of the design incentive are now required to submit a full application by March 31, 2019, for the Net Zero Energy Ready Incentive, which provides assistance for the construction phase of the building. The Province will announce final winners in May 2019. An open house will be held to showcase the winning designs.

The Better Buildings BC program is administered by Integral Group and funded through the Innovative Clean Energy Fund for $1 million and Forestry Innovation Investment for $200,000, for a total provincial contribution of $1.2 million.

A backgrounder with the list of finalists follows.