Two HBA students have planted an idea in the building that’s ready to take root.
Divya Mehan and Jackie Michie proposed the award-winning submission for the inaugural Ivey Sustainability Capital Award – a ‘living wall’ of plants in the Richard Ivey Building.
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In their proposal, Mehan and Michie explain that Ivey's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification is not obvious when one first walks through Ivey's doors.
“The wall, however, will be a beautiful feature that signals Ivey's commitment to sustainability, and will also demonstrate the building's aesthetic beauty, reduce noise, and filter air,” said Professor Tima Bansal, Director of the Building Sustainable Value Research Centre.
“As an educational institution, Ivey has the opportunity to show to its students and its visitors, its leadership and commitment to combining business, society, and the environment,” said Bansal, who announced the award winners at ‘Building Sustainable Value: A Cross-Sector Perspective,’ a conference hosted by the Ivey’s MBA Sustainability Club.
The specific location for the wall has not yet been determined.
Living walls like this are seen on several university campuses in Canada, including Carleton, Waterloo, and Ottawa, and are noted for their positive impact on indoor air quality.
The student-generated idea was selected out of 44 submissions from Ivey students, staff, and faculty. The award is supported by an annual $25,000 investment from the Beryl Ivey Fund for Corporate Social Responsibility into new capital projects proposed by the Ivey community.
The conference also featured a panel of speakers including:
- Judy Fairburn, EMBA '01, Executive Advisor, Cenovus Energy Inc.,
- Peter Johnson, Senior Manager, Environmental Risk, TD Bank Group
- Siamak Hariri, Founding Partner, Hariri Pontarini Architects and partner-in-charge of the Richard Ivey Building.
"The varying scope of sustainable initiatives which the guest speakers covered was much appreciated by the students community," said Anjali Singh, an MBA 2014 candidate and organizer of the conference. "Given the mix of students from the MBA, HBA & MSc programs, the conference also provided excellent networking opportunity for students interested in related careers."
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