Agora Borealis Engaging in Sustainable Architecture

Come behind the scenes to watch four large-scale sustainable buildings take shape. Hear the stories and ponder the bottom-line common sense embodied in this "green design" technology. In Agora Borealis, architect Vivian Manasc makes the case for sustainability by telling the inside story of four buildings: the brand-new Banff Town Hall, Hinton Government Centre and Intuit Canada headquarters, and Amiskwaciy Academy, a high school for aboriginal youth created from a former airport. Each building represents a step forward in Manasc's development as a designer of long-lasting, occupant-friendly, energy efficient structures whose operating costs demonstrate that so-called green architecture can bring financial as well as environmental rewards.The stories shared by Vivian Manasc and Cheryl Mahaffy highlight the careful integration of teamwork, attitudes and materials required for a successful sustainable building. Equally important, these stories illustrate lessons learned along the way about the paradigm shift required to forge a new architectural approach -- an approach that is crucial to our collective future.Manasc, Vivian is the author of 'Agora Borealis Engaging in Sustainable Architecture', published 2003 under ISBN 9781894880008 and ISBN 1894880005.