Join the Canadian Home Builders Association celebration today at 3 p.m.
Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Canadian Home Builders Association (CBHA) will hold a virtual gala on YouTube and Twitter this afternoon to present 2020 awards. The ceremony originally planned for April 3 was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Sponsored by Avid Ratings Canada, the event will showcase all housing awards finalists, announce the runners-up in each category for the first time ever, and present the 2020 winners in Canadian new homes, renovations, community development, and marketing.
Winners of the Association Leadership Awards for Member of the Year, HBA of the Year, EO of the Year, and the Community Service Award will also be recognized.
The event starts at 3 p.m. and can be found on YouTube and Twitter @CHBANational.
In February, the CBHA announced finalists for the 2020 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence.
The competition recognizes the best in Canadian new homes, home renovations, community development and marketing. Over 700 entries were received from coast to coast, from small towns and large urban areas. Nearly 200 judges reviewed images, floor plans, and project description before narrowing down the field.
“When you look at these finalists, it’s amazing to see the variety of architectural styles being incorporated into residential housing in Canada today, CHBA CEO Kevin Lee said in a statement. “Whether a home is built by a developer in a thriving new community or is a custom renovation done by a small family-run business, these projects showcase the pride we have in our industry.”
Categories represent the full spectrum of Canadian homes: low-rise houses, high-rise apartments, and homes built for ownership or rental purposes.
This year, a new category was added: the Entry-Level Home Affordability Award.
“Builders are always innovating to provide Canadians with housing options, and that includes getting increasingly creative to improve housing affordability for those who are trying to get into the market,” Lee said.
“We felt it was time to dedicate a category to those efforts, which can range from reducing the footprint of the home, to changing finishes, to incorporating a secondary suite for inter-generational families or rental income, to cost-effective energy efficiency features that don’t add to much cost to the purchase price but reduce operating costs – all while still producing homes that people are proud of and want to live in.”
Forty-two awards for excellence in housing will be presented. Categories include:
- New Home Awards (15 in total)
- Net Zero Home Award
- Modular Innovation Award
- Home Renovation Awards (11 in total)
- Community Development Awards
- Marketing Awards (10 in total)