CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory

The 15,400-square-metre (165,000-square-foot) building is filled with natural light, fresh air ventilation, planting gardens and a host of renewable and passive initiatives that will reduce energy consumption by as much as 70 percent. Lab activity includes metal casting, forming, welding and analytical testing.

“It is still the exception that industrial facilities are adopting a rigorous commitment to sustainable design and in this sense, CANMET is a cutting-edge model of what is possible,” said Donald Schmitt, principal with Diamond and Schmitt Architects.