Fully glazed but economical

Anyone who wants to build energy-efficiently in Winnipeg must first solve a problem: With peak temperatures of 35 °C in summer and lows of –35 °C in winter, not to mention 6,032 heating degree-days annually, the Canadian city features some of the most extreme climatic conditions in the so-called “western” world. Nevertheless, energy utility Manitoba Hydro, architects Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg and energy planner Transsolar set themselves the task of building the most energy-efficient office building on the American continent right in the centre of Winnipeg.