In June we were proud and pleased to announce that the Sun Life Building and the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport stole the spotlight as winners in their categories for the BOMA International Building of the Year prizes at the TOBY® Awards ceremony. The TOBY® Awards bestow international recognition on buildings that have won BOMA Awards and then gone on to shine at regional and national levels.
We are currently calling for candidates for the next edition of the BOMA Awards in Quebec, and wanted to share with you the experience of these two champion firms.
"It wasn't the first time that Bentall Kennedy participated in the competition. In 2011 the Sun Life Building won awards at the provincial and national levels, and in 2015 at the provincial level for its customer service. When the building celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018, we decided to toss our hat into the ring once again. The Sun Life Building is a downtown landmark, and remains one of the most prestigious business addresses in the city. Its maintenance and evolution present technical challenges that are managed with rigour and intelligence. Thanks to impressive feats of engineering, the Sun Life Building today keeps very much up to date in terms of environmental and technological standards, without losing any of its historical cachet. We are certified BOMA BEST® Platinum and are currently working on attaining LEED Platinum certification. We are obviously very proud of this award and eager to promote these accomplishments," said Ryan Zamestrieus, senior property manager at Bentall Kennedy Canada.
"Let's be clear, participating in the BOMA Awards involves a lot of work. It's not something done on the spur of the moment. It means weeks and months of preparation. We compare ourselves with our peers and with the best in the industry. The application requires a level of preparation that can't be improvised, and is a substantial investment of time that is added on to the regular workload. Despite that, I strongly recommend that any company thinking of participating jump in and work hard, because it is a rewarding experience on many fronts, both internally and externally," he added.
"Yes, it is a lot of work, but our participation led to an incredible collaboration between the different departments and teams at Montreal Airport. You need to plan ahead and be prepared to invest time and energy, but it's worth it. We had never previously been able to participate in the BOMA Awards because our building and facilities didn't fit any of the eligible categories of the competition. The creation of the Public Assembly Building category allowed us to promote our recent renovations and we jumped at the opportunity to compete", said Manon Libersan-Laniel, Agent, Property Management at Aéroports de Montréal
Her colleague, property manager Fiona Robertson, added: "It was perfect timing for us. The building has always been undergoing extensive renovations in response to growing demand, the most recent improvement being the expansion of the international terminal in May 2016. "
The airport is now 7 storeys high and has 3 terminals: the domestic terminal, upgraded and enlarged in 2006-2007; the trans-border terminal with a hotel, offices and underground parking; and the international terminal, now expanded to 20,000 square metres2 and certified LEED.
“We are very proud of these improvements and were pleased to present them to the jury and as part of the competition overall. Few people are aware of the big efforts made to improve the energy performance of our facilities. Our participation in the BOMA Awards helped shed light on our leadership role, particularly in terms of energy and the environment. To sum up our BOMA Awards experience, what springs to mind is pride in what we accomplished, a committed team and a higher public profile", she concludes.
As these testimonials indicate, taking part in the competition is a rewarding affair, and we encourage organizations to take part. The key is to plan and coordinate that internal collaboration and to take the time required to build a solid candidacy. Every year we are impressed by the quality of the submissions received, and pleased to note the dynamism of the Quebec real estate industry. We're convinced that this new edition will be no exception to the rule.
The call for candidates has been launched. Firms should confirm their participation as soon as possible. The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2019.
On your mark, get set... go!
