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LEED ® IN MOTION : CANADA
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LEED in Motion: Canada

Apr 07, 2016

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LEED® in Motion: Canada builds on the LEED in Motion report series, launched in 2013. It is one of many in a special series of reports focused on the use of LEED in different countries and regions. Its purpose is to equip readers with the insight and perspective they need to understand LEED as a global rating system that remains flexible enough to support regional and local needs.
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Page 1: LEED in Motion: Canada

LEED® IN MOTION:CANADA

Page 2: LEED in Motion: Canada

LEED® in Motion: Canada builds on the LEED in Motion report series, launched in 2013. It is one of many in a special series of reports focused on the use of LEED in different countries and regions.

Its purpose is to equip readers with the insight and perspective they need to understand LEED as a global rating system that remains flexible enough to support regional and local needs.

Page 3: LEED in Motion: Canada

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 1

Foreword from Thomas Mueller, President and CEO, CaGBC ................................................................... 2

Foreword from Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver ............................................................................ 3

Why LEED? ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

How LEED Works in Canada ................................................................................................................................. 5

Where in Canada is LEED Being Used? .......................................................................................................... 10

Who in Canada is Using LEED? .......................................................................................................................... 15

LEED Professionals .............................................................................................................................................. 15

People ...................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Resources ................................................................................................................................................................. 28

Data in this report is current as of April 2014

All numbers are as reported by CaGBC

Page 4: LEED in Motion: Canada

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a global green building certification system that provides third-party verification of the features, design, construction, maintenance, operation and effectiveness of green buildings.

Developed and maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is a simple and effective program for navigating complex, often competing building and environmental issues affecting humans worldwide. It is a tool that can be used to improve the environment, create better performing buildings and enhance public health. With specific achievement paths built in, LEED is designed for use in a variety of climates and localities, often synching with local laws and requirements.

Every day, more than 140,000 square meters of space in more than 140 countries and territories certifies with LEED. Over 63,000 commercial projects are currently participating LEED comprising nearly 1.3 billion square meters of construction space worldwide. Building projects earn points to achieve one of four different levels of LEED certification: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

With the support of LEED development committees, volunteers, practitioners, the LEED International Roundtable and more than 30 green building councils around the world, LEED is continually evolving and being optimized for various building types in all global markets.

Page 5: LEED in Motion: Canada

LEED IN MOTION: CANADA 1

INTRODUCTION Historically, Canadian-U.S. bilateral relations are among the closest and most far-reaching of any nations on Earth. Each day, nearly 300,000 people cross our borders, and our economies trade goods and services valued in excess of $600 billion. Indeed, alliances and collaborations between our countries are deep and extensive—spanning agriculture, energy, trade, national security and more.

Another critical alliance is the one between the U.S. Green Building Council® and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). This partnership furthers our collective mission to transform the built environment to healthy, high-performing, sustainable green buildings.

This report, LEED® in Motion: Canada, underscores the LEED activity and reach in the country and outlines the fundamental work that is underway. As you’ll see, our nations’ interactions around LEED are also extremely meaningful and deep-rooted and today, more than 140 countries and territories have successfully certified LEED buildings.

Canada’s commitment to LEED began when the National Works Yard in Vancouver earned LEED Gold certification in 2004. From that day forward, Canada has enthusiastically embraced LEED. In short order, the B.C. Cancer Agency Research Centre, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the Vancouver Aquarium also achieved LEED certification. The real testament, however, was Vancouver becoming the first Olympic city to mandate that all new construction leading up to the 2010 Winter Games be certified either LEED Gold or LEED Silver.

More than 1,600 LEED-certified projects later, Canada has certified 22.3 million gross square meters of commercial space, and registered 56 million more. This certification rate is second only to the United States.

And Canada’s commitment is growing. Last year, 587 Canadian projects earned certification. Importantly, nearly 40% of them were at the highend of the LEED scoring range, with a record-breaking 173 earning LEED Gold and another 32 certifying at LEED Platinum.

Recently, Mark Hutchinson, Director of Green Building Programs for the CaGBC, noted, “It is encouraging to see so many projects attaining the highest levels of LEED certification, as it proves that the industry has the skills, knowledge and technology to produce high performance buildings at a reasonable cost.”

With demand for LEED certification increasing, it is not surprising that the number of LEED professionals is also growing. Today, more than 3,800 LEED-credentialed building professionals call Canada home. As their expertise makes the LEED certification process more efficient and affordable, LEED professionals are further accelerating Canada’s role in the rapidly increasing transformation of the North American built environment. Given that more than 80% of Canada’s population is now considered urban, it is good to know that the Canadian building industry is striving to meet demand through the creation of high performing structures of all types.

Canada’s hard work and dedication is being recognized. In May, Fast Company published a list of the world’s ten most resilient cities. Canadian cities—Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary—swept the top three places. We can’t help but note that two of the three cities—Toronto and Vancouver—are among the top five non-U.S. cities using LEED. Though we might be biased, we don’t think that’s entirely a coincidence. We do believe that Canada’s national commitment to LEED demonstrates an appropriate level of concern about the environment and our use of natural resources. That concern has led Canadian leaders to move aggressively and intelligently in a direction that includes LEED.

For that acknowledgement, we thank you, Canada, and promise to continue to work closely with the CaGBC to ensure that LEED remains vital and relevant, to us all, in the critical years ahead.

— The U.S. Green Building Council

Page 6: LEED in Motion: Canada

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FOREWORD from Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of CaGBCI am happy to introduce LEED® in Motion: Canada, a report that highlights the strong growth and innovation that is taking place in Canada’s green building sector. As the first country to adopt LEED outside of the United States, the Canadian building industry embraced the LEED rating system early on, to create what is now a strong base of over 1600 LEED-certified projects across the country.

In 2004, the CaGBC recognized that Canada’s unique market conditions in terms of geography, climate and culture required an adapted version of the LEED rating system. The release of LEED Canada 1.0 saw rapid adoption of green building practices in new construction in Canada, and was quickly followed by LEED Canada for Commercial Interiors, released in 2006, and LEED Canada for Homes, released in 2009. The first major update to LEED in Canada was also in 2009 and included LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance. I am very pleased to say that Canada now offers a full suite of LEED tools for different building types.

Fast forward to 2014: LEED has spawned a green building sector that brings with it demand for new skills, expertise and jobs, the introduction of new products and technologies, and most importantly, continued investment and growth in the economy and environmental quality.

Canada is now a global leader in sustainable design and construction with some of the most advanced green building and community projects in the world. Some of the many excellent examples include:

• Manitoba Hydro Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba—a LEED Platinum office tower that is one of the most energy efficient buildings in North America

• The LEED Platinum University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) in Vancouver—a showcase of a net positive building that celebrates innovation and learning

• Oxford Properties’ MetroCentre at 225 King Street West in Toronto—the first Canadian multi-tenant office building to receive a second certification under LEED for Existing Buildings, achieving LEED Silver in 2008 and LEED Gold in 2013

• The LEED Platinum Athletes Village in Vancouver, British Columbia—built for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and now used as residential housing, it is one of the greenest communities in the world

By adopting policies for improving the environmental performance of their own buildings, municipal, provincial and federal governments play a key role in advancing green building practices in Canada.

Private sector investment has also grown significantly to make up over 40 percent of LEED-registered and certified projects in Canada. The commercial real estate market has taken a strong lead in the construction of green office spaces, regularly achieving LEED Gold or Platinum certification and setting a high standard for the whole industry. Retrofitting and better management of existing office buildings in accordance with LEED EB: O&M standards has led to improvements in existing buildings performance, which now totals over 6,775,000 m2 in Canada.

This year we are looking forward to the rollout of the latest version of LEED in Canada. With its emphasis on life cycle assessment and disclosure for building materials, LEED v4 brings with it higher thresholds for energy, water and waste reduction, and promises to spark major innovation in Canada. Disclosure of building performance is also becoming a reality with mandatory metering and reporting for certified projects.

Previous LEED in Motion reports and this examination of Canada’s market clearly show that green building is a proven, market driven solution to reducing carbon emissions and affecting positive change on environmental and human health. The stringency and rigor of LEED certification plays a key role in realizing these benefits, and elevates LEED well above other rating tools in both the Canadian and global marketplace.

I hope you enjoy reading about how this transformation of communities, homes, hospitals, schools and offices has improved the lives of Canadians, and that this work inspires you to continue your efforts, or begin new ones, with the goal of making every building greener.

Thomas Mueller President and CEO CaGBC

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FOREWORD from Gregor Robertson, Mayor of VancouverAround the world, cities are leading the way in building a greener, more innovative future—and nowhere is that more evident than in the design and construction of our buildings. On behalf of the City of Vancouver, I am pleased to contribute a foreword to this report, and to highlight how LEED® is strengthening our environment and our economy. The City of Vancouver’s strong interest and support for high performance green building is closely aligned with that of the Canada Green Building Council CaGBC.

Vancouver is a city that sets bold goals, starting with our goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020. We’ve developed our plan to get there—the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan—and are making steady progress on goals ranging from cleaner air and water, increased use of green transportation, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of our efforts to become the greenest city in the world, the city has collaborated closely with CaGBC to help us make the shift to greener buildings. Vancouver is part of a global community of cities taking action on climate change, and referencing LEED enables us to utilize an international benchmark. This global standard, adapted for use in the Canadian climate, gives Vancouver a relevant way to measure our success in the built environment.

Vancouver relies on LEED for more than just green building ratings—it helps us to deliver broader sustainability measures by being able to access and embed in policy an easily understood and recognized green building rating system. We have enjoyed collaborating with the CaGBC, and our partnership has enabled Vancouver to become a hub for progressive green building thought leadership.

The actions we have taken include citywide by-laws and policies that support our Greenest City 2020 Action Plan green building goals and targets. One of the key elements related to LEED is our Green Building Policy for Rezonings. This policy mandates that for development proposals put forward through rezoning applications, applicants are required to design and construct a building that enables them to achieve LEED Gold certification and reduce energy costs by 22% over local energy code. Since the introduction of this policy there has been a 46% increase in the number of LEED Gold projects in Vancouver—saving our city energy costs and creating new jobs in our growing green building sector.

At COP2013 in Warsaw, Poland, the City of Vancouver was presented with the World Green Building Council’s award for Best Green Building Policy. This award recognizes international best practice in city-level government policy for green building initiatives. It was an honour for our city, and an exciting validation of Vancouver’s work. We share these successes with our partners and collaborators, and look forward to more achievements in partnership with the CaGBC.

From climate change to green jobs, there is enormous opportunity in the green building sector, and LEED plays a key role in ensuring cities can capitalize on it. Vancouver’s LEED policies are strengthening our natural environment, improving our urban landscape and enabling new economic growth. We’re proud to do our part, and I look forward to seeing other cities across Canada and around the world adopt LEED and strengthen their green building sectors in the years ahead.

Gregor Robertson Mayor of Vancouver

Page 8: LEED in Motion: Canada

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WHY LEED? Today, Canada’s architects, construction firms, energy companies, city planners, enterprises and politicians are working together to create the sustainable cities of tomorrow. In fact, people in over 140 countries and territories around the world use LEED because of its:

1. Global recognition

2. Emphasis on site location

3. Focus on reduced energy consumption

4. Health and worker productivity aspects

Canada is the home to 1,633 LEED-certified projects, totaling 22.3 million gross square meters of space. From hospitality to retail, whether single projects or those using LEED volume certification, the projects in Canada represent the diversity and breadth inherent in LEED.

Number of LEED-Certified Projects*

The growth of the green building movement in Canada has been staggering. Since the certification of Canada’s first project in 2002, the number of projects certified each year has increased consistently.

Since 2005, LEED in Canada has led to:

Energy savings of 2,630,652 eMWh, enough to power 89,271 homes in Canada for a full year.

A 512,672 CO2e tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that equates to taking 96,913 cars off the road for a year.

Water savings totaling over 5.6 billion liters, the equivalent of 2,252 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Recycling over 2.7 million tons of construction and demolition waste that represents 841,126 garbage trucks.

The installation of 121,309 square meters of green roofs, an area the size of 80 NHL hockey rinks, to reduce the urban heat island effect and mitigate storm water flows in urban areas.

2010 2011 2012 2013

190

145

587

352

* Totals as reported by CaGBC

Page 9: LEED in Motion: Canada

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HOW LEED WORKS IN CANADAWhen built to the standards generally practiced in Canada, LEED-certified buildings are among the most efficient and sustainable in the world. LEED credits and strategies are meant to push the limits of convention for maximum outcomes, which are measured in five key areas:

ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE

WATER

WASTE

TRANSPORTATION

HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Popular LEED Credits in Canada

BD+C Optimize Energy Performance To achieve increasing levels of energy performance beyond the prerequisite standard to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use.

Low-Emitting Materials – Paints and Coatings To reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants.

ID+C Optimize Energy – Lighting Power To achieve increasing levels of energy conservation beyond the referenced standard to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use.

O+M Optimize Energy Performance To achieve increasing levels of operating energy performance relative to typical buildings of similar type to reduce environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use.

Existing Building Commissioning – Implementation To implement minor improvements and identify planned capital projects to ensure that the building’s major energy-using systems are repaired, operated and maintained effectively to optimize energy performance.

Green Cleaning – High Performance Green Cleaning Program To reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological and particulate contaminants, which adversely affect air quality, human health, building finishes, building systems and the environment.

USGBC has recently developed the LEED® Dynamic Plaque™ to provide real-time, on-going building performance information. By visually illustrating many of the intangible aspects of building performance, the plaque enables building occupants to take the necessary steps for ensuring the building operates as it was intended. Learn more at LEEDON.io

Page 10: LEED in Motion: Canada

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LEED Requirements for City-Owned and/or Funded Projects in Canada

Calgary, AB

Kitchener, ON

Montreal, QC

New Westminster, BC

North Vancouver, BC

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

(Fort McMurray), AB

Richmond, BC

Vancouver, BC

Banff, AB

Burlington, ON

East Gwillimbury, ON

Edmonton, AB

Halifax, NS

Mississauga, ON

Oakville, ON

Region of Waterloo, ON

Region of York, ON

Richmond Hill, ON

Saanich, BC

Victoria, BC

(Required: LEED Silver, Goal: LEED Gold)

Winnipeg, MB

Yellowknife, NWT

Grand Prairie, AB

Moncton, NB

Ottawa, ON

(Required: LEED Certified, Goal: LEED Silver)

Spruce Grove, AB

St. Catherines, ON

Page 11: LEED in Motion: Canada

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Provincial Green Building PoliciesAlberta - LEED Silver

British Columbia - LEED Gold

Manitoba - LEED Silver

New Brunswick - LEED Silver

Newfoundland & Labrador - LEED Silver

Nova Scotia - LEED Silver

Ontario - LEED Silver

Quebec - LEED Certified

Federal Green Building Policy• Administered through the department of Public

Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

• Official policy states: “PWGSC is committed to achieving LEED Gold for new construction and build-to-lease projects, and LEED Silver for major renovations.”

Benefits of LEED Certification in CanadaWhy it WorksCities, institutions and corporations across Canada have embraced LEED certification in increasingly large numbers over the last decade. LEED has provided a measureable mark of excellence, and set standards to achieve real reductions in energy, water and waste which have produced tangible savings and reduced environmental impacts.

LEED certification enables these organizations to incorporate sustainability into both their policies and practices, and provides projects with a rigorous, third-party quality assurance that shows they are meeting their green objectives.

And the results speak for themselves. LEED-certified buildings are known to experience:

• Reduced operating costs year over year.

• Reduced demand on infrastructure services.

• Higher employee satisfaction, retention and productivity.

As cities and larger, high-profile commercial projects have embraced LEED, this has encouraged broader adoption across the Canadian marketplace. Now, as LEED v4 becomes established in Canada, it promises to continue to bolster Canadian skills development and job creation, and encourage technology and product innovation.

ALGONQUIN COLLEGE FOR CONSTRUCTION EXCELLENCE Ottawa, Ontario | LEED PlatinumThe facility features a green roof with native vegetation and a five-story bio wall within the building’s atrium that improves the indoor air and controls humidity levels.

Page 12: LEED in Motion: Canada

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LEED and Materials The Materials & Resources section of the latest version of LEED employs lifecycle thinking at both the whole- building and product levels. Credits reward projects for reusing as much material as possible, as well as optimizing design to use less material overall. Now, LEED paints a more complete picture of the materials and products being used, increases stringency and enables project teams to make more informed decisions. Buildings that come as a result of this enhanced decision-making will have a greater overall benefit for the environment, human health, and the surrounding community.

LEED Volume Certification

LEED volume certification meets the special needs of companies ready to apply LEED on a larger scale. Certifying in volume advances a number of buildings through the process by focusing on their similarities—no matter where they are in the world.

Canada Green Building CouncilThe Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is a non-profit, national organization that has been working since 2002 to advance green building and sustainable community development practices in Canada. With a membership of over 1,600 industry organizations involved in designing, building and operating buildings, homes and communities, the CaGBC has made excellent inroads toward achieving their mission of reducing the environmental impact of the built world.

The CaGBC has two key goals for advancing green building:

1. Drive the continuous improvement and market penetration of green building practices toward low impact buildings, homes and communities. This includes introducing the latest version of LEED (v4) to the Canadian marketplace.

2. Strengthen the “business of building green” to maximize market growth and environmental, economic and health benefits. The CaGBC works to improve market knowledge of LEED’s value by supporting the market and members through advocacy, policy and research.

Nadine Gudz on Materials Director of Sustainability Strategy at Interface

Questions like ‘what constitutes a restorative enterprise?’ drive change and innovation at Interface, the world’s largest carpet tile manufacturer. In short, how can a business create positive impacts by transforming its supply chain? How can it create products that don’t need to be replaced prematurely? How do you make a carpet tile that does not have to be installed with glue? We have known for many years about life-cycle assessments. It’s important for us to walk the walk. We try to be a role model. Without doing so, it’s greenwashing.

This sustainability journey began for us in 1994. Every year we try to raise the bar and inspire a different call to action. Everywhere you look, someone is trying to sell you a green product. That’s why there’s a push around disclosure. The market is hungry for more transparency. More third party verified, life cycle assessments of products. The market is going there. It will take time but we were the first carpet company in North America to have Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Since 2012, we now have EPDs on every product made and sold around the world.

Over the years, the carpet industry has been moving in a more sustainable direction. Competitors have had to keep up given the demand and interest. Carpet tile is a smart product. It’s modular. You just remove that one tile and replace it with another one. It’s just a smart, innovative and flexible product. We sell it to commercial and institutional sectors.

We also have a small, growing residential business called Flor. They love the sustainability story and the aesthetics. It’s also easy to maintain without chemicals (no glue) and saves on labor and installation costs. There are acoustic and ergonomic benefits, too. Interface believes this is the eco labeling of the future. It’s why we have invested in this space. That level of transparency levels the playing field. Any supplier can pick whatever certification looks good to them, but that makes it hard to compare products. There must be a certain threshold. That’s where tools like EPDs about products come in handy.

Page 13: LEED in Motion: Canada

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LEED International RoundtableThe LEED International Roundtable is a team of practitioners and green building industry experts from across the globe. These members add deep insights about regional and local technical requirements, market dynamics and social aspects, helping LEED grow as a global rating system. As a result, LEED is able to maintain its rigor as a worldwide tool that provides support for regional and local needs.

The collective objectives of the International Roundtable are to study LEED credits across all rating systems, evaluate their applicability in countries and recommend locally appropriate alternatives, while maintaining LEED’s global consistency and technical stringency. Through, CaGBC’s work on the LEED International Roundtable, they have developed Regional Priority Credits and Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) for LEED.

Regional Priority Credits Regional Priority credits are not new LEED credits; rather they are existing credits that have been designated as particularly important for specific geographic areas or zones within a country. The goal is to incentivize achievement of credits that address regional environmental priorities. Each project may choose up to four credits from a list of six, and may earn one additional point if the selected credit is achieved.

In their capacity on the LEED International Roundtable, the CaGBC was instrumental in determining the issues Canada’s Regional Priority credits should address, as well as selecting the specific LEED credits that accomplished those goals.

Environmental Issues Identified for Canada in LEED v4• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction from Building

Operations Energy Use (nationwide)

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction from Transportation Energy Use (nationwide)

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction from a Cleaner Energy Supply (localized)

• Water Conservation (nationwide)

• Reduce Negative Environmental Impacts Throughout the Materials Life-Cycle (nationwide)

Alternative Compliance PathsOver the last ten years, Canadians have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable building construction, evidenced by a rapidly evolving and growing green building market. There are now over 4,800 LEED projects registered in Canada, of which over 1,600 are certified, making Canada the largest adapter of LEED outside of the U.S. The Canadian green building industry and LEED have driven continual improvements in building construction and operation and maintenance; improvements that have made real impacts on energy and water consumption, waste reduction and occupant well-being. However, LEED was always intended to evolve with the market, and the latest version of LEED is about taking the next big step towards market transformation.

To develop the current generation of LEED, it was necessary to take what has been learned collectively by the industry and use this to re-evaluate not only where to set the bar, but also to reconsider how the bar is actually measured. The newest version of LEED introduces a global approach under which project teams the world over will be able to apply the same rating systems and compare results. The globally consistent rating systems will recognize local references, such as national standards, where equivalency can be shown.

The CaGBC’s LEED Canada Steering Committee and its three Technical Advisory Groups are proud that Canada is the first country to develop Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) for this new version of LEED, and that its experience is helping to identify ACPs that can be of assistance, not just to projects in Canada, but around the world.

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WHERE IN CANADA IS LEED BEING USED?LEED-Certified Projects by Provinces/Territories

299

British Columbia

215

Alberta

3

Yukon

667

Ontario

306

Quebec

17

Saskatchewan 52

Manitoba

1

NorthwestTerritories

17

Nunavut

6

Newfoundland & Labrador

New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

57

Prince Edward Island

5

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EFFICIENCY NOVA SCOTIA By the numbers:

• 42% of the construction and furnishing products in Efficiency Nova Scotia’s office were regionally manufactured.

• 31.8% of the furniture and furnishings are salvaged, refurbished or used furniture and furnishings.

• 71.8% of new wood based products and materials in Efficiency Nova Scotia’s office are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria.

• 90% of staff have lighting controls, and shared lighting controls are installed in all shared multi-occupant spaces.

• 96.8% of construction, demolition and packaging debris was diverted from landfill disposal during construction.

• 100% of applicable eligible equipment and appliances are ENERGY STAR® rated.

Halifax, Nova ScotiaLEED Platinum for Commercial Interiors (CI)Certified March 2013

Efficiency Nova Scotia, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was Atlantic Canada’s first LEED Platinum designation for Commercial Interiors (CI).

Efficiency Nova Scotia’s LEED Platinum certification reflects several features incorporated into the space design and construction, including:

• Development density and community connectivity

• Use of low-flow fixtures and recycled materials

• Use of a lighting control systems

• Use of ENERGY STAR® rated equipment and appliances

• Regionally manufactured construction and furnishings

Efficiency Nova Scotia’s office’s electricity costs are about 40% lower and water usage is 30% less than offices of the same size without the efficient improvements.

Prince Edward Island

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MANITOBA HYDRO PLACE Winnipeg, Manitoba LEED Platinum 2012

Manitoba Hydro Place is considered one of the most energy efficient office towers in North America.

A key feature of the office and mixed-use project includes a 377 foot-high solar chimney that rises above the top of the building. From the beginning of the project, Manitoba Hydro—an energy corporation—set a very high goal of achieving 65% energy savings in a 688,890 square foot building while also considering the comfort and well-being of its employees. The project initially sought LEED Gold certification but the operation of the building proved more efficient, resulting in LEED Platinum certification instead.

Key Features Include:

• Manitoba Hydro achieves reductions in energy use of over 70 percent, from over 300 kWh per square meters to under 85 kWh per square meters—this results in an estimated annual energy savings of over $500,000.

• The building has south-facing winter gardens that capture a significant amount of solar energy during the winter months—Winnipeg is one of the coldest cities in the world with temperatures fluctuating from -50˚C with a wind chill up to +40˚C.

• The solar chimney provides ventilation for the entire structure with minimum energy usage, recovery of waste heat, narrow floor plates with high ceilings and extensive use of glass to allow for natural lighting, and a geothermal system consisting of 280 wells, each 122 meters deep, for heating and cooling.

• The building features an advanced computerized building management system that allows the building to be climatically-adaptive by taking advantage of the surrounding environment and natural processes.

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ONroute SERVICE CENTRES • High albedo (reflective) roof membrane to minimize

external heat island effect.

• Strategic use of glazing (curtainwall and skylights) to allow for daylight throughout the building - including back of house areas.

• Use of regional and recycled construction products to reduce demand on virgin materials.

• Use of FSC-certified wood products obtained from responsibly managed forests.

• Use of low-flow plumbing fixtures to minimize the consumption of potable water.

Some project metrics that reflect the environmental impact that has already been achieved:

• Total of 24,476 metric tonnes of construction and demolition waste diverted from landfill.

• Total of 18,769,341 MJs (Megajoules) or 18,769 GJs (Gigajoules) of energy saved per year (Note: average home consumes about 106 GJs per year).

• Total of 722,323,173 litres (722,323 m3) of potable water saved.

There are 20 ONroute Service Centres on Ontario highways—identifiable and welcome landmarks for travelers looking to take a break from their often long journeys across the province. Fourteen of the 20 centres are LEED-certified (10 Silver, 4 Gold), with a goal to pursue LEED certification for all of the buildings upon completion of construction.

The centres were designed to be architectural reflections of Canada’s most famous city structures and Ontario’s rocky natural landscapes. The designs for the centres incorporate three distinct elements: a glass atrium with sloped glass walls covered by a sloped metal roof; traditional indigenous stone walls; and wood trellises and canopies.

LEED measures applied to the project include:

• High efficiency HVAC equipment with heat recovery to minimize energy consumption.

• Demand control (CO2) ventilation to minimize energy use and maximize indoor air quality.

• Highly efficient lighting (compact fluorescents and LED exit signs) to reduce electricity consumption and minimize internal heat gain.

Photo Credit: ONroute Port Hope | LEED Gold

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MAISON DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE Montreal, Canada LEED Platinum

When the founding members of the Maison du Développement Durable (Centre for Sustainable Development) decided to create a unique, state-of-the-art space that exemplified sustainability and environmental education, they were hoping to create a new space that would inspire the community. After a great deal of carefully planned development and collaboration with community members, organizations, governments and industry experts from every discipline —the result has been truly astounding.

The Maison du Développement Durable is one of the first commercial buildings to certify LEED Platinum for New Construction in the downtown core of Quebec. It is also one of the most efficient buildings in terms of energy amongst offices in Quebec, with a green roof, incredibly efficient lighting, an outer envelope that includes triple-pane, low emissivity windows, and heating and cooling that comes from 28 geothermal wells.

The Centre was designed to optimize the relationship between the well-being of users and the environmental impacts, with particular attention to air quality, choice of materials, and the environmental management of energy, water and waste.

Key features include:

• Paint with a matte finish in the Centre does not contain more than 50g per litre of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

• The building is equipped with a basin for collecting rainwater for use in toilets. It also has infrared detectors and automatic low-flow faucets in order to prevent leakage and generally limit the amount of water being used when washing hands. The dual-flush toilets switch between 3.4 litres or 4.8 litres depending on how much is needed, and waterless urinals save significant amounts of water.

• All general purpose concrete that was used includes fly ash waste from coal-fired power plants; fly ash, the solid residue derived from incineration processes, is used to offset Portland cement in concrete. A plate of experimental concrete, including a significant amount of recycled glass, is also being tested.

• In addition to all of this, at least 50 percent of all new wood used in the building comes from FSC-certified forests; and 15 percent of all materials are recycled products. For example, the gypsum board that was used is made of 99 percent recycled materials and the material used for the insulation is 70 percent recycled content. There are five counters in the building’s kitchenettes and each is made up of 93 percent recycled glass.

There is a waste management plan that allowed the building to divert at least 90 percent of the construction waste from landfill.

Photo courtesy of Maison du Développement Durable

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WHO IN CANADA IS USING LEED?

LEED PROFESSIONALS Building the Necessary Capacity

“When LEED was launched in my market, green building was new and no one really knew what to ask for or who to ask. LEED credentialing was instrumental in establishing a base vocabulary for people to work with on these new concepts in our market. On a personal level, my credentials gave me confidence to represent green building issues in my community and knowledge to speak to the building industry to get green building done. Now the LEED credential is more common in my industry, and I cannot emphasize how important it was in the beginning for mobilizing green building in Manitoba.”

- Cindy Choy, leed ap bd+c Director, Green Building Co-ordination Team

Government of Manitoba

966

14

76

33

82

1,000 Note: some LEED professionals hold more than one credential so the number of credentials issued is actually higher than the number of credential holders.

LEED professionals are key leaders of the green building industry. Earning a LEED professional credential— including the LEED Green Associate; LEED AP (Accredited Professional); LEED Fellow and various certificate designations—denotes qualified expertise in green building. LEED professional credentials mean much more than just a professional accolade; those who earn them form a network of committed green building practitioners across an array of industries. As Canada’s commitment to sustainability continues to evolve and grow, more and more of its building professionals are earning their LEED professional credentials. Today, there are 3,651 credential holders in Canada. 2,529 of those individuals hold LEED AP with specialty or LEED Green Associate designations.

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PEOPLE

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? Every project needs to be looked at in a sustainable manner. The level of sustainability which is achieved greatly depends on the client’s commitment toward this aspect and as a LEED Accredited Professional, it is my duty to guide the client into a more sustainable approach. The LEED rating system helps everyone on the team to focus on a variety of sustainable approaches and it helps organize which aspects need to be pursued first. It also helps to recognize the tremendous efforts toward a sustainable design.

Have you put any measures in place to ensure your LEED project continues to perform highly and improve over time? The construction of a green building is only the first step toward sustainability. If it is not operated or maintained well, it won’t be efficient or sustainable for long. After the completion of our projects, we always try to stay in touch with the client to compare the energy metering (if available) with the initial energy model and to make sure the client really understands how they should operate their building. A serious commissioning process followed by a retro-commissioning process a couple of years later helps with the overall building energy consumption and helps to identity any anomalies.

Pierre-Luc Baril, Eng., LEED AP BD+C, ASHRAE HFDP Associé / Associate Pageau Morel in Montreal, Canada

Are there specific LEED credits that you often pursue when beginning a project? Which credits, in your opinion, remain the most critical and why? As a mechanical engineer, the energy performance credit is definitely the one that is the most critical because it will have the most impact on the operational cost in the life of the building. This credit can also provide a lot of points toward a higher certification (Gold or Platinum). The water conservation credits are also really important, as shown in LEED v4, given that the number of points that can be pursued have been increased significantly.

How many LEED projects have you been involved with? I have been directly involved on more than six LEED certification projects in the last eight years (one is currently in design phase). On all of these projects, the key to success was to use an integrated design approach early in the project to make sure everyone understood the various goals. Another key is to have an early commitment from the client toward a sustainable design.

“Achieving my LEED credential helped me to gain credibility about sustainable design and helped me to guide my clients through the certification process. As a young mechanical engineer seven years ago, I thought it was important to better understand this green system and I knew it would certainly gain momentum in the next couple of years.”

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“For me, having my LEED AP (BD+C, ID+C, O+M) allows me to demonstrate to prospective clients that my knowledge with LEED and green building design is current and includes new construction, commercial interiors and existing buildings. It indicates that I have made continuing education in the field of sustainable design a priority. In addition, being a member of the CaGBC and my local CaGBC chapter facilitates making connections with like-minded people in the industry.”

How has achieving your LEED credential helped with your career? In my experience, having your LEED AP provides a certain level of respect and validation for work done in the field of sustainability. If you are working on green buildings, it seems expected that you will have your LEED AP or be studying for the exam. LEED accreditation provides a way for people to quickly and easily demonstrate their interest and experience in sustainable building design. While having a LEED AP designation does not equate to having many years of experience in the field, it does represent a certain level of understanding of sustainable building design and operation.

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? INVIRO’s sustainability department includes LEED consulting, commissioning, energy modelling, daylighting studies, life cycle assessments, measurement & verification (M&V) and energy audits, to name a few. These services all contribute to, or overlap with LEED in one way or another. LEED BD+C certification creates a solid foundation for future and/or ongoing sustainability initiatives. For example, installing a comprehensive M&V system allows a project to accurately account for building energy consumption, which is a major component of the EB:O+M rating system, and ongoing sustainability throughout the life of a building. Ongoing sustainability and continuous improvement are the cornerstones of a greener built environment.

Carolyn Risley, M.Eng., P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, O+M Project Manager, LEED National Accounts

INVIRO Engineered Systems Ltd British Columbia, Canada

What’s the value (marketing, ROI, business development and rental rates) LEED provides to your organization and stakeholders? One of the areas with the largest marketing potential is with clients that pursue LEED Core and Shell certification and can subsequently market their buildings as LEED-certified, which speaks to their sustainable drive as a company, and also attracts environmentally conscious tenants.

Is disclosure of material ingredients part of your organization’s overall sustainability metrics? If so, why is this important to you? Are there specific policies or incentives in your country that have encouraged the use of LEED? Have these influenced your decision to pursue LEED? In some regions, like Vancouver, BC, for the City Council to agree to rezone a site the building designed for the site must meet LEED Gold sustainable building standards. This has definitely created LEED projects out of buildings that may not have pursued LEED otherwise. In addition, depending on the city and associated utilities, there are various incentive and grant programs that pertain to areas of design that overlap with LEED requirements, such as high efficiency lighting design.

Are there specific LEED credits that you often pursue when beginning a project? Which credits, in your opinion, remain the most critical and why? One major focus is water efficiency. Where possible, all ten points available under this category are targeted, as well as the exemplary performance point under Water Use Reduction. Energy efficiency is another significant focus in design, providing the most savings to the client, while also taking advantage of the high number of points available under LEED’s Energy & Atmosphere category.

Do Regional Priority credits play a role in which credits your LEED projects pursue? Regional Priority credits do not play a role in which credits to pursue; however, they are a welcome component to the rating system. To receive an extra point for a credit of particular importance in the region solidifies the idea that building design can positively impact a region.

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How does LEED align with your local and regional best practices? LEED alignment with local and regional best practices varies significantly from province to province. Some examples include Ontario, and more recently British Columbia, that have adopted energy efficiency supplements to the existing provincial building codes, increasing the baseline efficiency standards for projects in those provinces, and overlapping with some of the LEED efficiency requirements. Moreover, the city of Toronto has the Toronto Green Standard, which overlaps with many of the LEED credits in the BD+C rating system.

We are very interested in learning more about the occupant experience of your LEED buildings. Can you share a few specific anecdotes of how people feel living and working in your LEED certified buildings? Personally, I think that you can really feel when you are in an office space that has been certified under LEED for commercial interiors. Access to daylight and views, higher levels of occupant control over temperature and lighting, and the quality of the interior finishes all add up to a space that’s pleasant to be in.

Do you plan to use LEED in future projects? Yes, LEED will be incorporated as much as possible on future projects.

What has been your personal experience with LEED? I have had a positive experience with LEED. While it is impossible to capture all elements of building design in a single rating system, LEED does a good job of capturing many of the important elements and provides a comprehensive basis of comparison that previously did not exist.

What is the state of green building in Canada? Green building seems to be on the rise in Canada. The enthusiasm of the development and construction industry ebbs and flows—as a result of learning curves and the associated cost—however, the overall impact can be felt as local and provincial building codes are updated, incentives are created and sustainability goals reach ever higher.

How many LEED projects have you been involved with? I have been involved in over 50 LEED projects.

Is your company pursuing LEED v4? Yes. INVIRO has pursued LEED v1.0 and LEED 2009 in Canada and we are looking forward to finding out more about LEED v4’s Canadian Alternative Compliance Paths when they are released later this year.

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How has achieving your LEED professional credential helped your career? Solar Solutions Inc. has a long history of working on sustainable new and retrofit construction projects both regionally and internationally. Prior to LEED, Canada had the C2000 Green Building Standard, which acknowledged buildings that achieved a 50% reduction in energy consumption over conventional structures.

One such project we were involved in was the Mountain Equipment Coop building located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the second retail building in Canada to comply with the C2000 Standard and also achieving the highest recycled material content of any retail building in Canada at the time. LEED certification provides an even broader, more comprehensive perspective of sustainable building design, materials and construction practices.

A LEED professional credential complements our companies’ expertise in energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable design. It enables our company to add value to projects through a better understanding of the integrated decisions required by various project stakeholders involved in LEED accredited and sustainable construction projects.

What does it mean in the market you work in? Regionally and across Canada, LEED-certified projects make so much sense. First, because of the seasonal range of weather conditions we experience in Canada, we benefit greatly from incorporating multi-functional and integrated sustainable materials and practices. The LEED certification process also helps prevent costly mistakes because teams are better equipped to deal with the important issues up front. All of this means better quality answers to more in-depth questions, which results in a building that, in the end, better meets the needs of the client.

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? At Solar Solutions we have always been committed to sustainable design, products and practices and view regeneration, the ability of new construction and retrofit projects to give back to our environment and to our clients, as our greatest challenge. As a result, we look forward to sustainability metrics because it helps us ensure the highest level of environmental accountability. Every year we challenge ourselves to achieve higher power densities and thus provide greater value to our clients and further reduce our society’s reliance on fossil fuels. The bonus is that well-designed, multi-functional and high quality renewable energy systems not only have environmental benefits by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, they also provide financial return on investment over the life of the system; provide energy security from an unstable grid, aging utility infrastructure or severe weather events over a potential forty to fifty year system life; and protect clients from rising utility costs.

Diane Bastiaanssen Vice-President Solar Solutions Inc. LEED Green Associate Manitoba, Canada

“Regionally and across Canada, LEED certified projects make so much sense...The LEED certification process also helps prevent costly mistakes because teams are better equipped to deal with the important issues up front.”

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Why have you chosen to use LEED? LEED was identified by my government as the recognized system for evaluating green building performance. By my scan, it is to date the most comprehensive system for establishing sustainability practices for buildings and providing diligence in proving delivery of those practices.

What’s the value (marketing, ROI, business development and rental rates) LEED provides to your organization and stakeholders? Despite the perception that LEED is too difficult and expensive, I believe that LEED as a brand still represents proof that a building is green. As a tool for our organization (being a government with sustainability goals for green building) it is valuable for demonstrating our commitment.

Is disclosure of material ingredients part of your organization’s overall sustainability metrics? If so, why is this important to you? Not yet, but hoping to get there. Our priority for now is water and energy efficiency because they are perceived as having a greater financial return.

Have you put any measures in place to ensure your LEED project continues to perform highly and improve over time? Yes—although we are in the early days as of yet. We are starting to look into the development of post occupancy surveys and utility benchmarking as a basis for on-going evaluation.

Are there specific policies or incentives in your country that have encouraged the use of LEED? Have these influenced your decision to pursue LEED? As a provincial government, our Green Building Policy places a requirement for LEED certification on any new building project that we fund. As a result, we have been able to affect 40 percent of the commercial and institutional activity in our province. The LEED directive also enhances our adoption of Canada’s National Energy Code for Buildings, and has provided evidence of big progress in waste reduction, energy efficiency and water use reduction, among other things. LEED is definitely part of a larger picture as we work to transform the building and construction industry towards more sustainable practices.

Are there specific LEED credits that you often pursue when beginning a project? Which credits, in your opinion, remain the most critical and why? We are a cold climate province, so energy efficiency is top of mind when it comes to priority measures. Advancing minimal performance targets on these credits is our current and future strategy. What is great about LEED is that it creates space to address other sustainability priorities. Critical issues such as maintaining the health of our natural waterways, endorsing active and public transportation, waste reduction and life-cycle thinking for our buildings can be translated into action by pursuing Water Use Reduction and Stormwater Design credits, Alternative Transportation and Construction Waste Management Credits and Durability and Enhanced Commissioning.

How does LEED align with your local and regional best practices? LEED has pushed the best practices to a new level of rigor, as project teams must now provide proof of performance not just self-declaration. The increased surveillance is more work, but I think it has also meant everyone has had to be more diligent.

Can you name a specific challenge with the LEED rating system you faced when you were implementing LEED? What was your solution? The biggest issue we faced and are still facing is transitioning conventional practices to provide LEED documentation in a timely manner. We have been working hard to inform consultants about their documentation requirements and we have partnered with the CaGBC and their local chapter to deliver documentation workshops. We have also targeted training to owner groups and project managers so that key milestones for delivery of documentation are included in the overall project plan and schedule.

Do you plan to use LEED in future projects? If so, which ones and how? Yes—LEED will remain a core requirement for our green building policy.

Cindy Choy, LEED AP BD+C

Director, Green Building Co-ordination Team Government of Manitoba Manitoba, Canada

“I believe that LEED as a brand still represents proof that a building is green.”

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Does the increased stringency of LEED v4 meet your expectations for market transformation? How do you envision your organization continuing to maintain LEED as a leadership tool? Mandating LEED for our market was a bit uncomfortable but accelerated the acceptance of the green building practices that we would not have achieved without it. LEED v4 will likely be similarly challenging but does reflect our own advances too. I think it is going in the right direction.

What has been your personal experience with LEED? LEED has given me a means to pursue a career in building and sustainability. It has provided a framework in which my government can commit to sustainability goals and in which I can align my own values and skills. I love my work and feel extraordinarily lucky to make a living promoting green buildings.

What is the state of green building in Canada? Green building is a growing concern. On many fronts, in addition to green building certification, green building practices are infiltrating into base professional practices, building code and by-laws, corporate and funding policy and incentive programs. It is impressive how much change has happened over the last ten years but we have to accelerate. Buildings are associated with so many health and environmental concerns that change in this industry is an imperative. It gives me hope though—because at the same time, the opportunity is there to make real improvements and contributions.

Why have you chosen to use LEED? Since the construction of our first LEED building (Logistik Unicorp) in 2006, we have chosen LEED because it’s the best way to quantify the environmental impact of the buildings we build. LEED is accessible for the construction industries and easy to understand for owners and tenants.

Tell us about Logistik Unicorp? It’s a LEED Gold industrial building. It’s very efficient with solar walls, a geothermal system and a very efficient building envelope. It also has low-flow fixtures, a lot of green space, local materials were used, recycled content and a lot more.

You mentioned that LEED is easy for owners and tenants to understand. Why? The expertise we built over many LEED projects makes it a lot easier. Because LEED is so present in the industry, the majority of tenants and owners have already heard of LEED certification.

Patrick Côté, LEED AP BD+C LEED Coordinator at Montoni Laval, Quebec

As of today, Montoni has certified fourteen projects for a total of almost 1,250,000 square feet. Of these fourteen projects, nine achieved Silver certification and three earned Gold.

This results in:

• Over 9 million KWh of energy saved annually and a decrease of over 1,700 tons of CO2

• These savings are the equivalent of taking about 400 cars off the road.

• Over 4.9 millions liters of drinking water saved annually

• Over 1,000 tons of construction material waste salvaged

Montoni also has:

• 8 LEED-registered projects under revision

• 2 projects almost ready to be submitted for revision

• 6 projects under construction that are targeting LEED certification

• 4 projects in the conception phase that are also targeting LEED certification

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Does your company pursue certification through systems other than or in addition to LEED? LEED is the only certification system used by Montoni. No other certification provides us the same value. LEED is accessible and our customers know this label well. LEED responds to our needs because it’s a complete certification system that touches all environmental aspects of buildings. Without LEED, we would need many other certifications to cover all aspects, but even then some aspects would probably not be covered.

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? As a construction and development company, Montoni is committed to reducing its environmental impact, and the best way to do this is to reduce the impact of our buildings. With LEED’s focus on building efficiency, it becomes a natural choice.

What’s the value (marketing, ROI, business development and rental rates) LEED provides to your organization and stakeholders? LEED helps us stand out from our competitors, enabling us to offer our clients the best quality building with the lowest environmental impact.

We look at three different categories of tenants:

• Owners or tenants who want LEED buildings; in these cases, we have the expertise.

• Owners or tenants who know about LEED and, after seeing all the benefits it brings, will choose a LEED building. Montoni knows LEED enough to demonstrate to owners and tenants every advantage of a LEED building.

• Owners or tenants who don’t want a LEED certification. Even in these situations, Montoni includes some LEED aspect in every building.

We are finding more and more clients are now in the first two categories. Our LEED experience keeps us a step ahead of our competitors.

Are there specific policies or incentives in your country that have encouraged the use of LEED? Have these influenced your decision to pursue LEED? Subsidies from local and provincial authorities are not sufficient to offset the additional costs of LEED, but they can often convince our customers to opt for LEED. Sometimes these subsidies help us implement energy efficient measures and increase return on investment.

Are there specific LEED credits that you often pursue when beginning a project? Which credits, in your opinion, remain the most critical and why? Montoni puts a lot of effort towards reducing the consumption of water and energy. The air quality of future occupants is also an element to which we assign great importance. Water is an abundant resource in Canada, yet at the same time we are among the largest consumers of water in the world. We must preserve this natural resource. Building energy is one of the biggest CO2 emitters and as a northern country we really need to increase our efficiency. These days, people spend more and more time inside buildings, meaning the interior air quality has a direct impact on our health.

How does LEED align with your local and regional best practices? The majority of LEED requirements have higher standards and regulations than local authorities. LEED allows us to demonstrate that our buildings are of much better quality than industry standards.

We are very interested in learning more about the occupant experience of your LEED buildings. Can you share a few specific anecdotes of how people feel living and working in your LEED-certified buildings? In most cases, employees are more comfortable in our LEED buildings than our non-LEED buildings. The main reasons are increased thermal comfort, the presence of more natural light, better air quality and a better location with a variety of easily accessible services nearby.

Do you plan to use LEED in future projects? If so, which ones and how? Montoni currently has fourteen LEED-certified projects and more than twenty are currently in the LEED revision, design or construction phase. Montoni hopes that each of its buildings will eventually obtain LEED certification. For us, the LEED adventure is just beginning.

Does the increased stringency of LEED v4 meet your expectations for market transformation? How do you envision your organization continuing to maintain LEED as a leadership tool? LEED v4 will make our lives a little more difficult, but at the same time we are making our buildings greener. Montoni has never given up in the face of new challenges; we will find a way to maintain our goals.

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Why have you chosen to use LEED? Because we are in the business of helping Nova Scotians save energy, emissions, and money. In this light, pursuing LEED certification aligned directly with our strategic and business objectives. It just made good business sense, it is what our stakeholders, customers and our employees expect of us—it’s just the right thing to do.

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? Our business is about helping Nova Scotians use energy wisely through efficiency—having LEED status enables us to walk the talk.

Is disclosure of material ingredients part of your organization’s overall sustainability metrics? If so, why is this important to you? Sustainability is critically important to our business. After all, energy efficiency is all about sustainability. We publicly report several metrics in our organization through our Balanced Scorecard. As our stakeholders are mostly focused on our work in meeting our regulated energy savings targets through our work with Nova Scotians homeowners, renters, business owners, and institutions, our metrics report on our financial and energy savings, customer satisfaction, and the safety, development, recruitment and retention of our employees. Having said that, we did a public release of our LEED certification through our 2012 Annual Report to ensure our stakeholders were aware of our efforts. In addition, the work of Efficiency Nova Scotia in reaching its Platinum Commercial Interior status was announced at a CaGBC conference.

How does LEED align with your local and regional best practices? One of our strategic objectives is to support the development of the energy efficiency industry. Achieving LEED status directly aligns with this.

We are very interested in learning more about the occupant experience of your LEED buildings. Can you share a few specific anecdotes of how people feel living and working in your LEED-certified buildings? We often have visitors to our space that comment on how bright and welcoming it is. With a building stock that’s relatively old in Nova Scotia, our space stands out from the rest. Every office has glass doors to take as much advantage of natural light as possible. This is a pretty unique thing in our province. Plus, employees appreciate working in a space that directly aligns with the work that we’re in.

Leanne Hachey Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Efficiency Nova Scotia Nova Scotia, Canada

“Our business is about helping Nova Scotians use energy wisely through efficiency—having LEED status enables us to walk the talk.”

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Andres Bernal, Architect O.A.A, P.Eng, MBA, LEED AP+ Managing Director, Sustainable Building Services EllisDon Toronto, Canada

EllisDon is an employee-owned construction services company, with revenues in excess of $2.7 billion annually, which delivers construction expertise to clients throughout the world. The company, which has been using LEED for 10 years, offers not only construction and project management services but now a growing range of construction services in risk management, sustainability and technology.

EllisDon

• Completes $3 billion worth of construction annually ($7 billion in backlog)

• Over 1,500 salaried employees

• Over 160 LEED projects (over $10.5 billion)

• Projects include retail, office, residential, healthcare and government.

WOODSTOCK GENERAL HOSPITALWoodstock, Ontario | LEED SilverThe state-of-the-art healthcare facility was awarded LEED Silver in 2012.

Why have you chosen to use LEED? As one of the largest construction companies in Canada, we are involved in the development, construction and management of different type of buildings, many of them pursuing LEED as part of the project owner’s requirement. The use of LEED for commercial development (i.e. office buildings) is increasingly becoming the norm for other types of projects, including institutional, residential and infrastructure. Not only do we support the owner’s decision to pursue LEED, but our internal LEED consulting team also adds value by identifying and improving strategies to obtain certification, ultimately achieving a more cost effective and sustainable building.

At a corporate office level, we are also using LEED CI to certify a recent office relocation/renovation. Besides this being a standard we are familiar with, we appreciate the market visibility and ease to show our clients how we “walk the talk.”

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How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? LEED has constructed a common language through which building owners can convey a message of care and efficiency through their real estate. Given our expertise in green construction and providing LEED consulting services, we are able to add value to their initial proposals and build greener buildings, one of our main sustainability objectives. In addition, we are creating more points of contact with our clients. Besides working with their development teams we are also interacting with their facility management and even their tenants.

What measures have you put in place to ensure your LEED project continues to perform highly and improve over time? This is a critical item in our conversations with clients given the perception that LEED buildings are inherently better performers. While these buildings tend to have better materials/building envelope and equipment combinations, they depend highly on the operation (even more than non-LEED projects). For this reason, we are developing a “Value Maintenance Program” to ensure these buildings perform at their best. It consists of services and deliverables we provide 1) upon project completion, 2) after first year operation and 3) on an ongoing basis. For example, some specific deliverables include green operation policies upon completion and energy model comparisons after the first year of operation.

Are there specific policies or incentives in your country that have encouraged the use of LEED? Have these influenced your decision to pursue LEED? Yes, many municipalities are adopting LEED (or similar scorecard requirements) as part of new construction development. As municipal policies or regulations are embedded in the development process, our clients see achieving LEED as an opportunity to rise beyond green regulations. For example, the Toronto Green Standards’ mandatory requirements make achieving LEED even more feasible. Other municipalities, such as the City of Oakville, mandate that all their public buildings achieve LEED Silver. Vancouver, has a regulation demanding that all projects requiring rezoning achieve LEED Silver or Gold. Hence, more than influencing whether or not to pursue LEED, it seems that the question is shifting from “should we pursue LEED at this project?,” to “what’s the best way to achieve LEED at this project?” This is where a construction company with plenty of familiarity with these types of projects can help.

Are there specific LEED credits that you often pursue when beginning a project? Which credits, in your opinion, remain the most critical and why? Most of the projects already have a scorecard developed when we get involved. However, within the construction component of LEED (construction-related credits), the most common ones we are involved with are: MRc2 Waste, MRc4 Recycled, MRc5 Regional, EQc4.1 Adhesives and sealants and EQc4.2 Paints & Coatings.

Do Regional Priority credits play a role in which credits your LEED projects pursue? Yes, those projects we are involved in pursue these credits.

How does LEED align with your local and regional best practices? It has helped at different levels. First, it created a common language across the real estate industry to pair better performance buildings with more sophisticated tenants and landlords. Given energy and transportation needs, LEED provides great alignment. Second, the overall industry benefits from benchmarking and common standards (i.e. efficiency targets, energy intensity, and such) that allow comparisons between older and newer stock. As well, municipal standards are becoming more “LEED like,” requesting energy modeling and green building infrastructure. Some practices exclusively used for LEED are now becoming a common standard.

Do you plan to use LEED in future projects? If so, which ones and how? Yes, we will continue using LEED in our future projects. Besides LEED NC, CS and EB:O+M, we are expanding on LEED CI, and that seems to be gaining more traction as tenants realize the advantages of this type of space.

Does the increased stringency of our latest version of LEED meet your expectations for market transformation? How do you envision your organization continuing to maintain LEED as a leadership tool? While LEED v4 will bring important opportunities and challenges, I am confident that maintaining the value and visibility of a certification is the main driver for this upgrade. As only the best buildings get certified, building owners and tenants will continue to appreciate this leadership. Our organization will continue building on LEED as a market differentiator and a tool to develop better and more efficient projects. I am confident that the increased stringency will maintain the value of LEED.

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WATERPARK PLACE 3Toronto, Ontario | LEED PlatinumThis mixed-use building incorporated wood and composite wood products that contain no added urea formaldehyde.

Why have you chosen to use LEED? We know that companies need to keep up with society’s fast changing expectations to be successful. LEED is aligned with our strategic approach to sustainability—it helps us be a leader in the industry, take a performance-based approach to greening our buildings, and exceed the expectations of our customers and business partners.

Does your company pursue certification through systems other than or in addition to LEED? We pursue credible, best in class green building certification programs across all of our different asset classes. For our enclosed shopping centre and multi-residential portfolio, we pursue BOMA BESt™ certification, and for our hotels portfolio, we pursue Green Key™ certification.

How does LEED fit into your overall sustainability objectives? The Guiding Principles of our Sustainable Intelligence program shape our approach to sustainability. We have committed to them publicly and share them with all of our stakeholders. LEED aligns with these guiding principles—particularly those around Leadership, Performance and Credibility, as outlined below.

LEADERSHIP We will be recognized by our tenants, employees, investors and the market at large as industry leaders in sustainability.

PERFORMANCE We continuously measure our energy, water and environmental performance, and compare favorably against internal and external standards.

INNOVATION We foster innovation in technology and building management practices aimed at higher levels of sustainability.

CREDIBILITY We follow recognized, high standards, work with industry-leading service providers and engage in credible initiatives in our pursuit of sustainability.

RISKS & OPPORTUNITIES We actively monitor, mitigate and exploit the market, regulatory and economic issues related to and arising from sustainability.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT We engage our co-investors and tenants as active partners in pursuit of higher levels of sustainability and demand a high level of excellence from ourselves and our stakeholders.

Darryl Neate Director, Sustainability Oxford Properties Group Toronto, Canada

“The LEED AP designation helps promote my commitment to sustainable real estate practices, consistent with the world’s leading green building standard.”

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Oxford also prides itself on embedding sustainability within its culture, and LEED supports this by helping our management teams engage with and pursue sustainability targets, and achieve recognition for their successes through a rigorous, 3rd-party review process.

What measures have you put in place to ensure your LEED project continues to perform highly and improve over time? The day that one of our buildings achieves LEED certification is important—both to recognize the building’s performance level and reward the team’s effort to get there. It is, however, part of a broader picture. Our commitment to green buildings is part of our culture and is integrated into our way of doing business—we rigorously benchmark our whole building energy performance against other buildings in our portfolio, and externally, set portfolio and site level reduction targets, mandate core programs across our portfolio (eg. real time energy meters, re-commissioning), develop and execute action plans, and periodically monitor and report on progress. It is all part of an effort to ensure our buildings are improving over time and achieving “their best possible performance,” which of course supports the LEED recertification process when it comes time to recertify.

Can you name a specific challenge with the LEED rating system you faced when you were implementing LEED? What was your solution? The changing landscape around LEED in Canada over the past 5 years has been a challenge, especially for us as early adopters when we entered the program under USGBC (we are now recertifying under updated versions under the CaGBC, which includes a new Canadian version of ENERGY STAR as well). We rely on our strategic ties with USGBC and CaGBC—as well as our consultants—to help us navigate the program and stay on top of the constant flow of updates/clarifications.

We are very interested in learning more about the occupant experience of your LEED buildings. Can you share a few specific anecdotes of how people feel living and working in your LEED-certified buildings? The occupant experience around ‘green’ includes but goes beyond LEED at our buildings. LEED is an important part of framing the discussion and driving a clear and simple understanding of what a green building is. But as an example, we have implemented joint landlord-tenant green teams and implemented sustainability-themed lobby events across our 18M sqf Canadian office portfolio. These meetings (with 200+ tenant contacts) and events (touching 25,000+ occupants) help us engage our customers around green opportunities and pain points in the building—both of which help us improve the overall performance of the building.

Do you plan to use LEED in future projects? If so, which ones and how? Yes, we will continue to certify buildings to the LEED standard across our North American office portfolio. Currently, over 40% of our buildings are LEED-certified, and this number will continue to grow. We set annual targets around LEED-certified assets in our portfolio (percentage of total) consistent with what is economically and technically feasible. At the same time, we will continue to evaluate how best to work with our teams and external partners to achieve LEED certification in the most efficient and effective way.

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RESOURCESLEED is meant to help identify connections. From the built environment to the site it occupies, between people and the buildings where they live, work and learn and also connections between one building and another. LEED connects.

Learn more about our international activities and how you can get involved by contacting [email protected].

Connect with Canada Green Building Council at www.cagbc.org

Go to usgbc.org/leed/credentials to learn more about earning your LEED credentials.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This LEED in Motion report would not have been possible without the help of the Canada Green Building Council and the following leaders in Canada: Mayor Gregor Robertson, Thomas Mueller, Mark Hutchinson, Nadine Gudz, Cindy Choy, Pierre-Luc Baril, Carolyn Risley, Diane Bastiannssen, Patrick Côté, Leanne Hachey, Andres Bernal, Darryl Neate.

For questions about this report and for suggestions on future market reports, please contact:

Taryn Holowka Vice President of Marketing & Communications USGBC [email protected]

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