Peter Busby graduated from the University of British Columbia School of Architecture in 1977. Now, 33 years later, he is the managing director of Canada's most respected and successful architectural practice specializing in green building design - Busby Perkins + Will Architects Ltd. - the product of a merge between his own practice, established in 1984, and the U.S. firm Perkins and Will Inc., in 2004.
Projects of the firm have received a number of prestigious design honours that include six Canadian Governor General Awards, 11 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor Awards and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Firm of the Year Award.
He's transformed the landscape of British Columbia with, among other award-winning designs, the sleekly modern glass-and-metal Brentwood Skytrain Station in Burnaby.
Outside of the firm, few other Canadian architects have devoted so much time and given such professional leadership to bring environmental issues to the forefront of the profession. Mr. Busby put in place a national green building organization and a national green building assessment tool.
He initiated and served as chairperson of the Sustainable Buildings Canada Committee for two years, an organization that has since evolved into the Canada Green Building Council, a rapidly growing organization that draws members from the public and private sectors to transform Canada's building industry. He is now chair of the board.
Mr. Busby lectures nationally on green design and, along with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, was instrumental in creating a nation-wide sustainable-building education program for architects.
He has been especially active as an advocate for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a comprehensive building environmental assessment method operated through the Canada Green Building Council.
LEED aims to transform the environmental standards of Canadian architectural design to build a greener Canada.
Nominator: Ray Cole