Named after the founder of The Alpha Group and dedicated on September 15, 2005, the Fred Kaiser Building on the University of British Columbia campus has been recognized repeatedly for its form, function and eye toward environmental inspiration and sustainability.

This recognition continued in 2008 with the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture. The award was announced on Saturday, April 26, at the 2008 AIBC Architectural Awards during the Architectural Institute of British Columbia’s annual conference.

The current global situation is expanding the debate on how to create innovative sources of renewable energy. Having this building be the home of the Electrical and Computer Engineering departments, and be positively recognized for its green architectural design provides a very real stimulus for the minds of our future technical leaders and how they will create solutions to some of today’s energy related problems.

Judges on the AIBC jury stated the five-story structure manages to be everything a hall of higher learning should be: a smart combination of administrative offices, seminar rooms, research labs and public space. The building was designed for a LEED® Gold rating, featuring a full spectrum of sustainable design elements, while addressing the challenges of a highly constrained building site. The judging panel felt the building also provides a seamless link to the surrounding buildings while bringing a contemporary face to the campus.