City of Richmond gives out 2026 Lulu Awards for urban design
Four projects received Lulu Awards at a City council meeting on October 26, including a trail over a historic ditch and a Brighouse riverside complex.
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The City of Richmond gave out its 2026 Lulu Awards for urban design on October 26 at a city council meeting, recognizing four projects and six honourable mentions for work that improves the city's built environment and public spaces.
"The Lulu Awards recognize projects that make Richmond a better place to live, work and gather," outgoing Mayor Malcolm Brodie said at the meeting, which the Richmond News described as his final city council meeting. Mayor Rob Howard took office after the October 17 election.
The Brighouse Homestead Trail
The Brighouse Homestead Trail section in the Oval Precinct received the ecological design and innovation award.
The trail starts at the corner of Gilbert and River roads and connects to the waterfront trail. The award-winning section passes over a ditch created by Richmond pioneer Samuel Brighouse in the 1880s, according to the Richmond News. At the time, the primary mode of transportation in the area was by boat along the Fraser River and its sloughs. As Brighouse developed his farm, he created ditches to replace the natural sloughs and built dikes to protect his estate from flooding.
The area sits between a 12-storey apartment building and an environmentally sensitive zone. The original ditch is surrounded by ash and other trees and protected by a metal mesh pathway above it. Aspac Developments built the section; PFS Studio and Dialog designed it.
Hollybridge by River Green
Hollybridge by River Green won two awards: the Residential and Mixed Use award and the Public and Institution Open Space award.
The first award recognized the complex for its integration of surroundings and uses, and building separation to preserve river views, the Richmond News reported. The second was for separating public and private space with what the City's program described as "playful features, heritage references and native plantings."
RC at CF Richmond Centre
The RC at CF Richmond Centre also received the Residential and Mixed-Use award, for making a clear distinction between commercial and residential areas with an "intentional, landscaped residential edge that responds well to its city context," according to the Richmond News.
Honourable mentions
Four projects received honourable mentions in 2026, the Richmond News reported:
- Hummingbird Child Care Facility, in the Public and Institutional Buildings category
- Cavendish, a townhouse complex on No. 1 Road near Williams Road, for Landscape Innovation
- Minoru Park Lakes District Renewal, for Public and Institutional Open Space
- Waterfront Park and Dike Ecobench at 6500 River Rd., also for Public and Institutional Open Space
Visiting the trail
The Brighouse Homestead Trail is a public trail that any resident can walk today. The section over the historic ditch is off Gilbert Road near the Dinsmore Bridge, well hidden but just steps from the road, the Richmond News reported. The full trail runs from Gilbert and River roads to the waterfront.
Questions this story answers
What are the Lulu Awards?
The Lulu Awards are Richmond's urban design awards program. The City gives them out to recognize projects that make Richmond a better place to live, work and gather, according to outgoing Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who presented the awards at a city council meeting on October 26, 2026.
Which projects won Lulu Awards in 2026?
Four projects won Lulu Awards in 2026. The Brighouse Homestead Trail received the ecological design and innovation award. Hollybridge by River Green won two awards: the Residential and Mixed Use award, and the Public and Institution Open Space award. The RC at CF Richmond Centre won a Residential and Mixed-Use award, according to the Richmond News.
What is the Brighouse Homestead Trail?
The Brighouse Homestead Trail starts at the corner of Gilbert and River roads and connects to the waterfront trail. A section passes over a historic ditch created by Richmond pioneer Samuel Brighouse in the 1880s. That section was developed by Aspac Developments and designed by PFS Studio and Dialog, according to the Richmond News.
What are the honourable mentions in the 2026 Lulu Awards?
The 2026 honourable mentions went to Hummingbird Child Care Facility in the Public and Institutional Buildings category; Cavendish, a townhouse complex on No. 1 Road near Williams Road, for Landscape Innovation; Minoru Park Lakes District Renewal for Public and Institutional Open Space; and Waterfront Park and Dike Ecobench at 6500 River Rd., also for Public and Institutional Open Space, the Richmond News reported.
Who presented the 2026 Lulu Awards?
Outgoing Mayor Malcolm Brodie presented the 2026 Lulu Awards at what the Richmond News described as his final city council meeting on October 26, 2026. He said the awards recognize projects that make Richmond a better place to live, work and gather. Mayor Rob Howard took office after the October 17, 2026 election and leads the new city council.
Where is the Brighouse Homestead Trail?
The trail starts at the corner of Gilbert and River roads in Richmond and connects to the waterfront trail. The area is in the Oval Precinct, next to a 12-storey apartment building. The original ditch, created by Samuel Brighouse in the 1880s, is surrounded by ash and other trees and protected by a metal mesh pathway above it, according to the Richmond News.
What did Hollybridge by River Green win for?
Hollybridge by River Green won the Residential and Mixed Use award for its integration of surroundings and uses, and building separation to preserve river views. It also won the Public and Institution Open Space award for separating public and private space with playful features, heritage references and native plantings, according to the Richmond News.
Where can Richmond residents learn more about the trail?
The Brighouse Homestead Trail is a public trail in Richmond, starting at Gilbert and River roads and connecting to the waterfront trail. Residents can visit the trail to see the award-winning section over the historic ditch. For more Richmond City Council decisions and news, visit /bc/richmond-2026/news.
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