March 25, 2026
The Advanced Materials Research Facility (AMRF), formerly the Laboratories Canada Mississauga project has been recognized with a 2026 Green GOOD DESIGN™ Award, presented by The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The award highlights examples of sustainable design from around the world, selected by an international advisory committee.
The Advanced Materials Research Facility is a prototype for a new generation of research architecture, designed to evolve alongside the accelerating demands of AI-driven discovery, robotics, and high-throughput experimentation. Rather than fixing science within static laboratory layouts, the building functions as a flexible research platform, capable of continual reconfiguration as tools, workflows, and modes of inquiry change.
This architectural adaptability is inseparable from a deeply integrated sustainability strategy. Laboratories are among the most energy-intensive building types, yet AMRF achieves near-zero operational carbon through a fully electrified design that eliminates reliance on fossil fuels. Geothermal exchange, high-efficiency heat pumps, advanced heat recovery, and demand-controlled ventilation are combined into a resilient system specifically tuned to complex laboratory environments. On-site photovoltaic arrays further offset operational demand, contributing to an approximately 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional laboratory baselines.
Delivered by a multidisciplinary team led by HOK, with Architecture49 and WSP, the project supports Canada’s long-term vision for modern, adaptable, and high-performance research facilities.
Congratulations to our partners and the full project team.