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ECC EIFS Design Awards Program 2021 > FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a question that is not covered below? Please email eifsawards@eifscouncil.org for inquiries.

1. What are the project categories?

Low rise residential, mid rise residential, high rise residential, commercial/retail, recreational/institutional, hospitality, renovations.

2. Can I submit my project to more than one category?

You may submit one project to one category only. However, you are permitted to submit multiple projects. You may not submit the same project twice.

3. What are the eligibility requirements?

General criteria:

• Project must be occupied no sooner than January 1st, 2019 and no later than January 31st, 2021 (for all project categories EXCEPT renovation projects).
• OR Project must be completed no sooner than January 1st, 2019 and no later than January 31st, 2021 (for renovation projects ONLY).
• Project must be occupied by the time of submission
• Project opaque walls must be comprised of more than 50% EIFS
• Project site and building must be physically located in Canada
• Project must not be a previous EIFS Architectural Design Awards Finalist or Winner

Category specific criteria:

Low rise residential:
• Project must be within the scope of Part 9 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy
• Project must be four (4) storeys or under in building height

Mid rise residential:
• Project must be within the scope of Part 3 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy
• Project must be four (4) to six (6) storeys in building height

High rise residential:
• Project must within the scope of Part 3 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy

Commercial/Retail:
• Project must be within the scope of Part 9 or Part 3 and be used or intended to be used business and personal services OR mercantile occupancy

Hospitality:
• Project must be within the scope of Part 9 or Part 3 and be used or intended to be used for residential occupancy
• Project must be a hotel, motel, or lodging house

Recreational/Institutional
• Project must be constructed in compliance with the NBC and be used or intended to be used for assembly occupancy

Renovation
• Project must be constructed in compliance with the local building code
• Project must be a recladding of an existing building. If an addition was added to an existing building and new floor area was added, the project would not be eligible for the renovation category, but would be eligible for the appropriate category above)

Please note: Project categories may be redefined, at the discretion of the judging panel, based on the number of participating projects.

4. Is this competition open to architects outside of Canada?

Yes, but the project site and building must be physically located Canada

5. How do I submit my project?

Submissions are received online in electronic format using the submission portal.

6. When is the submissions deadline?

All submissions must be received electronically, no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on May 28, 2021

7. What are the submission requirements?

• A project can be submitted to one (1) category only. You may submit multiple different projects.
• All submissions must be in an electronic format
• All submissions must contain three (3) PDF files:
1. Drawing/details
• Architectural drawings/details including, but not limited to:
• Site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections
• Key details involving EIFS, and
• Specification list
2. One-page summary (8.5 x 11”) which explains how the project fulfills the following criteria:
• Impact: How does the project contribute to its site, neighbourhood and community?
• Design: How does the project demonstrate innovation & creativity?
• Sustainability: Describe the project strategies that were incorporated to reduce the negative impact of the building on the environment?
• Use & Significance: How does this project create a new benchmark of excellence in EIFS construction?
• Technical excellence: How does the project demonstrate technical excellence and good building science principles?
3. Photo set:
• Include photos of the project from different elevations
• Include photos of the site that shows the project in its immediate context
• Photo resolution should be 180 dpi or higher
• Photos should be formatted on 8.5 x 11” sized page
• Sixteen (16) single-sided pages maximum or 8 double sided pages

8. What are the design/scoring criteria that a project will need to fulfill?

You will asked to detail how the project addresses the following criteria:

• Impact: How does the project contribute to its site, neighbourhood and community?
• Design: how does the project demonstrate innovation & creativity?
• Sustainability: Describe the project strategies that were incorporated to reduce the negative impact of the building on the environment?
• Use & Significance: How does this project create a new benchmark of excellence in EIFS construction?
• Technical excellence: How does the project demonstrate technical excellence and good building science principles?

9. Who are are the judges?

The six distinguished members of the Judging Panel for the 2021 ECC Architectural Design Awards are as follows:

> Simone Panziera, Principal, Thinkform Architecture + Interiors
> Przemyslaw Myszkowski, President, KNYMH Inc.
> Joe Somfay, Associate Director, Practice Lead, Architecture, IBI Group
> George Cibinel, President, Cibinel Architecture Ltd.
> Darius Saplys, Partner, SAPLYS Architects Inc.
> Behzad Sabbaghi, Principal, EZOL Design

10. When will the finalists be announced?

June 28, 2021