Ottawa's 180 Kent Street Wins The Outstanding Building of the Year Award

Minto’s Flagship Office Tower Honoured at BOMA’s 2012 TOBY Awards

Ottawa, ON (May 10, 2012) – On Tuesday The Minto Group’s 180 Kent Street office tower was named The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY®) by the Ottawa chapter of the Building Owners and Management Association’s (BOMA). This prestigious honour recognizes the utmost quality in commercial real estate buildings and rewards excellence in building management. The award also signifies Minto’s invitation to participate in BOMA Canada’s National TOBY® Awards to be held in September.

During the competition, all facets of the building's operations were thoroughly evaluated by BOMA judges, including building standards, community impact, tenant relations, energy conservation, environmental practices, emergency preparedness, regulatory compliance, security standards, and the training of building personnel.

Winning in the 250,000 - 499,999 sq.ft category, this latest accolade stems from 180 Kent’s recent BOMA BESt Level 4 rating – “an environmental certification that, at the time of acceptance in November of 2011, made this the first and only building in Ottawa to receive the system’s highest rating,” explained Rob Pike, President of Minto Properties. The certification was determined based on a 90 per cent or higher score in the categories of air quality, water conservation, heat recovery, energy reduction, preventative maintenance, tenant relations, waste recovery, and environmental plans. A BOMA BESt Level 4 rating denotes that the building was not only designed and constructed to reduce its environmental impact, but has also been maintained and operated to the highest standards.

Striving for LEED® Platinum, 180 Kent Street was completed in 2009 as one of the city’s greenest office towers. In addition to the building’s proximity to amenities, public transportation and car-sharing, it also features a number of innovations including a rainwater harvesting system, green roof and heat recovery units. Now fully leased, 180 Kent is home to a wide range of commercial tenants including government, retail, restaurant and financial services. In 2010, the office tower boasted 55 per cent water savings and 52 per cent energy savings compared to a commercial tower built to model the national energy code for buildings (MNECB).  To maintain this building performance, Minto regularly monitors building systems to reduce resource consumption and ensure optimal operating efficiency and tenant comfort. In 2011, 180 Kent Street also fulfilled its commitment to eliminating approximately 825 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the three years of operation, 180 Kent Street’s innovative waste management systems have already diverted over 60 per cent of waste from landfill, exceeding the municipal and provincial targets. “To further demonstrate our commitment to the community, the building is graced with two outstanding art installations by Canadian artists and it’s often the site of community fundraisers to raise funds and awareness for local charities,” Pike noted.  “We couldn’t be more proud to be receiving this honour in recognition of all the planning, care and teamwork that goes into building and managing an office tower of this calibre.”

About Minto:
The Minto Group, established in 1955, is an Ottawa-based real estate, development, construction and property management company with operations also in Toronto, London (ON) and South Florida.
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