Home builders association contributes to region's greenest child care centre

A group of construction industry leaders are the latest to step up to support the Okanagan’s greenest child care centre.

The Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) South Okanagan is helping build up the Okanagan College Foundation’s fundraising efforts with a $5,000 gift to Little Learners Academy on the Penticton campus of Okanagan College.

“The college is a wonderful asset to the community in providing skills and training that benefit our local workforce,” said Sarah Taylor, executive officer of CHBA South Okanagan, in a news release Tuesday. “We are really proud to be a part of the growth and expansion of the campus over the years.”

In addition to this contribution, CHBA South Okanagan also played a role in the last expansion of the Penticton campus with a gift to the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence, which opened in 2011.

Seeing the benefit the Centre of Excellence has had on the community, as well the impact of the student awards CHBA South Okanagan supports, motivated the non-profit organization to invest in the most recent campus project, she said.

“We are thankful for the support from CHBA South Okanagan, who not only see the value in the work of the College but also understand and support our sustainability goals,” said Eric Corneau, Okanagan College Regional Dean, South Okanagan-Similkameen.

As the first Passive House child care centre in Canada, Little Learners has already received accolades for its achievements in sustainable construction techniques, including making a list of the greenest new buildings in Canada for 2018, something Taylor sees as a bigger trend industry-wide.

“In the near future, we’ll be hearing a lot more about energy efficient techniques and how to take better care of the environment in the way we construct buildings,” she said. “The design and construction of Little Learners embraces those concepts in a way that is truly ahead of its time.”

Two CHBA South Okanagan members have also been involved with the new child care centre from the start. Landform Architecture was the architect and Ritchie Custom Homes was the contractor.

For more information on the innovative centre, or to contribute to the Bright from the Start - Building for the Future campaign, visit okanagan.bc.ca/give.

CHBA works to protect housing affordability, support skilled trades development, tackle the underground economy and advance innovation in Canadian housing.

CHBA South Okanagan has almost 70 members and is the voice of the residential construction industry in the South Okanagan. Hosting several networking events and meetings throughout the year, CHBA South Okanagan fosters great working relationships within its community and local industry.

For more about CHBA South Okanagan, click here.

For more about Okanagan College's Penticton campus, click here.

For more about the Little Learners Academy, click here.