News

FBM was presented with two Urban Design Awards at an event Friday night at the Halifax Central Library – coincidentally one of the locations for which FBM was being celebrated. 

The 2018 Halifax Urban Design Awards honoured excellence in the field and included categories for Urban Design Plans, Urban Architecture, Civic Design Projects, Urban Elements and Community Connections & Initiatives. 

FBM took home the prize for Excellence in Urban Architecture and shared the award for Community Connections & Initiatives with the Hope Blooms project. 

“These are two projects that we are incredibly proud to have been a part of,” said George Cotaras, President of FBM. “While diverse in execution – both of these initiatives represent what we stand for, which is People Driven Design.” 

FBM worked alongside Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects to design the internationally lauded Halifax Central Library, a facility that has also earned the 2017 Mayor’s Prize in Architecture, the CISC, Atlantic Steel Design Awards of Excellence, the Governor General's Medals in Architecture RAIC, the SABMag Canadian Green Building of the Year Award, Lieutenant Governor Award, Award of Merit and was nominated for "World Building of the Year" (Civic and Community category) at the World Architecture Festival and the Mies Crown Hall America Prize Nomination, IIT College of Architecture. 

The Hope Blooms project, which was a collaborative project with FBM, Dalhousie Professor Brian Lilley and the volunteer youth of Hope Blooms, also received a Lieutenant Governor General Award of Merit. 

“FBM made sure that the youth were directly involved in the vision, process and development of the Hope Blooms Greenhouse,” said Jessie Jollymore, advocate and guide to the Hope Blooms project. “They encouraged our youth to dream big – and that’s just what they’re doing; two of our young people aspire to become architects.”

A past project for FBM’s lead planner, Jeffry Haggett, also was acknowledged. Southport on Barrington took home an Excellence in Urban Architecture award for RAW Architecture, Michael Napier Architecture, Urban Capital and Killam. Haggett was the lead planner on the project prior to joining FBM, and worked with the Halifax Municipality to have Southport approved in record time.

Susan Fitzgerald, Partner at FBM and one of the lead architects who worked on the Library, commended the city for acknowledging the importance of design in the success of an urban centre, “The event showcased some incredibly innovative work that has been accomplished by the design community across Halifax,” said Fitzgerald. “There was a lovely sense of energy and momentum, a feeling that Halifax is really making its mark and becoming a city to watch – now, more than ever.”