The 2025 ECC Design Awards
The 2023 EIFS Architectural Design Awards is now open
The 2025 ECC Design Awards Program is open to all architects, builders, design professionals and/or EIFS contractors that have completed a building located in Canada which incorporates EIFS technology into outstanding and innovative projects.
The Awards Program is open to all architects, architectural firms, builders or design professionals that have designed and completed a building located in Canada which utilizes EIFS products into innovative and creative built projects.
About the ECC Design Awards Program
The EIFS Council of Canada’s (ECC) Design Awards recognize and honour design professionals as well as their EIFS Contractor teams that incorporate EIFS technologies into outstanding and innovative projects. Since their inception a decade ago, the ECC Design Awards have recognized EIFS excellence by showcasing projects’ creativity, aesthetic versatility, and best-in-class building envelope performance deliverables.
The ECC Design Awards Program is open to all architects, builders, design professionals and/or EIFS contractors that have completed a building located in Canada during the program timeline, which incorporates EIFS.
All Finalist Award recipients will be named in a Press/Social Media Release and featured in articles submitted to prominent Canadian architectural and construction publications. There will be one overall Grand Prize Award winner, with Finalist Awards from each project category. Award recipients will be honoured and celebrated at the ECC AGM and Awards Celebration Dinner in June 2025. This event brings together leading EIFS and building industry experts and stakeholders for an evening of networking and celebration of outstanding achievements.
The ECC Design Awards Program is presided over by a jury panel of esteemed building industry experts from a variety of backgrounds. The jury panel includes prominent architects and design professionals drawn from prior Design Awards Finalists across Canada.
Photos, Press Releases and information on all the previous years’ Grand Prize Winners and Finalists can be found in our Finalists Gallery and Press Releases section.
Schedule of Key Dates
i. Awards launch: January 10th, 2025
ii. Deadline for registrations and submissions: April 21st, 2025, 11:59 PM EST
iii. Finalists announcement: May 9th, 2025
iv. Date of Awards Ceremony: June, 2025 (Date TBA)
v. Deadline for RSVPs: TBA
- Project must be occupied no sooner than January 1st, 2023 and no later than January 31st, 2025 (for all project categories EXCEPT renovation projects).
- OR Project must be completed no sooner than January 1st, 2023 and no later than January 31st, 2025 (for renovation projects ONLY).
- Project must be occupied by the time of submission
- Project opaque walls must be comprised of more than 50% EIFS
- Project site and building must be physically located in Canada
- Project must not be a previous EIFS Architectural Design Awards Finalist or Winner
Low rise residential:
- Project must be within the scope of Part 9 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy
- Project must be four (4) storeys or under in building height
Mid rise residential:
- Project must be within the scope of Part 9 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy
- Project must be four (4) to six (6) storeys in building height
High rise residential:
- Project must within the scope of Part 3 of Division B of the NBC and be used or intended to be used residential occupancy
- Project must be above six (6) storeys, exclusive
Commercial/Retail:
- Project must be within the scope of Part 9 or Part 3 and be used or intended to be used business and personal services OR mercantile occupancy
Hospitality:
- Project must be within the scope of Part 9 or Part 3 and be used or intended to be used for short term residential occupancy
- Project must be a hotel, motel, or lodging house
Recreational/Institutional:
- Project must be constructed in compliance with the NBC and be used or intended to be used for assembly occupancy
Renovation:
- Project must be constructed in compliance with the local building code
- Project must be a recladding of an existing building
- If an addition was added to an existing building and new floor area was added, the project would not be eligible for the renovation category, but would be eligible for the appropriate category above)
Panelized/prefabricated EIFS Systems:
- Project must use Panelized/Prefabricated EIFS Systems for at least 80% of its opaque walls
- Project must be constructed in compliance with either Part 3 or Part 9 of the NBC
Please note: Project categories may be redefined, at the discretion of the judging panel, based on the number of participating projects.
- A project can be submitted to one (1) category only. You may submit multiple different projects.
- All submissions must be in an electronic format
- All submissions must contain the following PDF files:
- Drawings
- Building renderings to demonstrate intended building envelope (EIFS) design
- Typical EIFS wall section to illustrate and highlight technical merit
- Drawings
- A One-page summary (8.5 x 11”) which explains how the project fulfills the criteria below is required. This is a significant aspect of the project submission and will be used by the jury to understand the detailed narrative of the project that is not captured by the drawings. Projects without a written narrative will not be accepted.
- Impact: How does the project contribute to its site, neighbourhood and community? (10 points)
- Design: How does the project demonstrate innovation & creativity? (10 points)
- Sustainability: Describe the project strategies that were incorporated to reduce the negative impact of the building on the environment? (10 points)
- Use & Significance: How does this project create a new benchmark of excellence in EIFS construction? (10 points)
- Technical excellence: How does the project demonstrate technical excellence and good building science principles? (10 points)
- Photo set:
- High resolution photos (300 dpi recommended) of the completed project are desirable. It is suggested to obtain professional photography for the project.
- Include photos of the project from different elevations
- Do not include construction material/equipment or debris in the photos
- Interesting angles and close-up shots of EIFS finishes are recommended
- Include photos of the site that shows the project in its immediate context
- Photos should be formatted on 8.5 x 11” sized page
- Sixteen (16) single-sided pages maximum or 8 double sided pages