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From the Globe:
Canada starts to see its own green growth
Stringent environmental certification system can result in big cost savings
By CRAIG SAUNDERS
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Page B7
Special to The Globe and Mail
Federal government employees in Charlottetown may soon find themselves working in one of the country's most environmentally sensitive buildings as Canada's recently minted stringent environmental certification program is starting to see projects vying to qualify. The new building, being erected by Public Works and Government Services Canada, is one of the earliest projects in the country being designed with an eye to getting a high level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada certification. LEED Canada is a sustainable building program launched in December by the Canada Green Building Council.
Buildings designed with environmentally sensitive goals in mind have advantages to owners, tenants and the general public, such as energy savings, increased productivity, and lower vacancy rates. And, although building green can cost more, that's not always the case, with environmentally friendly designs sometimes creating unexpected benefits.
For instance, the green design of the 176,413-square-foot Charlottetown public works building is also expected to lead to less tangible benefits, such as a better workplace.
Green building is still in its infancy in Canada. The Canadian LEED program has grown from one in B.C., which is being grandfathered into the new national program, said Ian Theaker, LEED program manager for the Canada Green Building Council. The Canadian program is a close adaptation of the existing U.S. one of the same name and incorporates "similar or more stringent" Canadian regulations, while maintaining many of the U.S. program's features, Mr. Theaker said. Several projects in Canada have been certified under the U.S. program.
All the LEED programs certify at four levels: certified, silver, gold and platinum. The higher the level of certification, the greater the project's commitment to green objectives.
While the public works building -- slated for occupancy near the end of next year -- is one of three projects known to be trying for the gold level, on May 5, the Stratus Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., became the first LEED Canada certified project, and it was given silver certification.
Environmental design will help the government in its goal to be more green, but the process of designing the Charlottetown building also led to some innovative thinking, Sarah Baggs, Atlantic region manager of architecture and interior design for Public Works, told an audience of about 60 people during a seminar at the CoreNet Global Summit corporate real estate conference in Toronto last month.
The building has two wings, one L-shaped and brick, the other clad in sandstone. Both wrap around a large central atrium.
"We chose to make the atrium an active part of the work environment," said Richard Williams, vice-president of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK), the project's interior design and landscaping firm. In-floor venting will carry stale air to the atrium, where it will then be released through the roof, using natural convection currents. This will decrease demands on the building's air conditioning system, allowing cooling to be achieved using a chilled concrete slab floor.
Combined with other energy-saving measures, such as solar panels to be fitted on the roof, this will save Public Works 60 per cent on energy costs for the building. Green buildings typically save 25 to 30 per cent on energy, according to Mr. Theaker, resulting in a simple payback of initial capital costs in three to five years.
The public will have access to the first floor, with offices on the second floor and above. Services such as coffee and photocopying will be centralized so that working areas will be more open, making them easier to change when a tenant moves.
Centralizing services will also increase contact between different departments, Ms. Baggs said. This, she hopes, will lead to better interdepartmental communication and problem solving. The atrium will also bring more natural light to all floors. Providing ample natural light, or "daylighting," has been shown to increase productivity.
As well, the building will capture rainwater for uses such as flushing toilets, cutting the building's drinking water use by 80 per cent.
As of May 15, 132 projects were registered with LEED Canada. Registered projects typically are office buildings, recreational or community facilities, schools or high-rise residential buildings. A number of medical facilities, laboratories and industrial buildings are also on the list, as are the Toronto Botanical Gardens and even a couple of jails in Alberta.
Pegging the additional cost to build green is difficult. Ms. Baggs said her department had earmarked 5 to 10 per cent for things like rooftop gardens and solar panels. According to Mr. Theaker, a certified or silver project typically costs up to 2 per cent more than a non-LEED certified building, while gold and platinum projects are typically 2.5 to 3 per cent more. A July, 2004, study by architecture firm Davis Langdon found that, of the 138 buildings studied, there was no evidence that the LEED projects cost more. Indeed, in some cases, such as libraries, they were typically on the lower end of the scale, while new, non-LEED libraries tended to be more expensive to build.
Most projects don't include more costly LEED features, such as green roofs or solar panels. Some, like the new Hearst tower in Manhattan, found that some changes actually bring considerable savings. The 46-storey tower was designed by England's Lord Norman Foster, in collaboration with Toronto-based Adamson Associates Architects and uses 20 per cent less structural steel than a typical building.
There are many motivations for getting LEED certification for a project. The Charlottetown project gives Public Works a model that is energy efficient and, according to Ms. Baggs, "as flexible and durable a building as we could afford."
"Many want to do an environmentally friendly building," Mr. Theaker said. "For others it's differentiating their product on the market to help it sell or rent faster."
As more companies add environmental factors to their rental checklist, builders are increasingly turning their eyes to green construction in order to attract tenants.
And for owner-occupants, there can be unexpected benefits.
Providing ample daylight to workers can provide a big payback, by adding 10 to 12 per cent to productivity, Mr. Theaker said. Heschong Mahone Group, an energy efficiency consulting company based in Fair Oaks, Calif., studied the effects of daylight on retail sales within a 73-store chain. They found that daylit stores had sales between 6 and 40 per cent higher.
Across Canada
Buildings registered for LEED Canada certification
Yukon: 0
NWT: 1
Nunavit: 2
B.C.: 49
Alta.: 20
Sask.: 4
Man.: 5
Ont.: 30
Que.: 10
N.B.: 5
N.S.: 5
PEI: 1
SOURCE: CANADA GREEN BULDING COUNCIL
____________________________________________________
It's about time that the industry focuses more on sustainability in architecture and design - and it seems that we're going to get an influx of LEED certified buildings in Toronto; the Regent Park, West Don Lands and East Bayfront plans are quite explicit about setting sustainability standards.
GB
Canada starts to see its own green growth
Stringent environmental certification system can result in big cost savings
By CRAIG SAUNDERS
Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Page B7
Special to The Globe and Mail
Federal government employees in Charlottetown may soon find themselves working in one of the country's most environmentally sensitive buildings as Canada's recently minted stringent environmental certification program is starting to see projects vying to qualify. The new building, being erected by Public Works and Government Services Canada, is one of the earliest projects in the country being designed with an eye to getting a high level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada certification. LEED Canada is a sustainable building program launched in December by the Canada Green Building Council.
Buildings designed with environmentally sensitive goals in mind have advantages to owners, tenants and the general public, such as energy savings, increased productivity, and lower vacancy rates. And, although building green can cost more, that's not always the case, with environmentally friendly designs sometimes creating unexpected benefits.
For instance, the green design of the 176,413-square-foot Charlottetown public works building is also expected to lead to less tangible benefits, such as a better workplace.
Green building is still in its infancy in Canada. The Canadian LEED program has grown from one in B.C., which is being grandfathered into the new national program, said Ian Theaker, LEED program manager for the Canada Green Building Council. The Canadian program is a close adaptation of the existing U.S. one of the same name and incorporates "similar or more stringent" Canadian regulations, while maintaining many of the U.S. program's features, Mr. Theaker said. Several projects in Canada have been certified under the U.S. program.
All the LEED programs certify at four levels: certified, silver, gold and platinum. The higher the level of certification, the greater the project's commitment to green objectives.
While the public works building -- slated for occupancy near the end of next year -- is one of three projects known to be trying for the gold level, on May 5, the Stratus Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., became the first LEED Canada certified project, and it was given silver certification.
Environmental design will help the government in its goal to be more green, but the process of designing the Charlottetown building also led to some innovative thinking, Sarah Baggs, Atlantic region manager of architecture and interior design for Public Works, told an audience of about 60 people during a seminar at the CoreNet Global Summit corporate real estate conference in Toronto last month.
The building has two wings, one L-shaped and brick, the other clad in sandstone. Both wrap around a large central atrium.
"We chose to make the atrium an active part of the work environment," said Richard Williams, vice-president of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK), the project's interior design and landscaping firm. In-floor venting will carry stale air to the atrium, where it will then be released through the roof, using natural convection currents. This will decrease demands on the building's air conditioning system, allowing cooling to be achieved using a chilled concrete slab floor.
Combined with other energy-saving measures, such as solar panels to be fitted on the roof, this will save Public Works 60 per cent on energy costs for the building. Green buildings typically save 25 to 30 per cent on energy, according to Mr. Theaker, resulting in a simple payback of initial capital costs in three to five years.
The public will have access to the first floor, with offices on the second floor and above. Services such as coffee and photocopying will be centralized so that working areas will be more open, making them easier to change when a tenant moves.
Centralizing services will also increase contact between different departments, Ms. Baggs said. This, she hopes, will lead to better interdepartmental communication and problem solving. The atrium will also bring more natural light to all floors. Providing ample natural light, or "daylighting," has been shown to increase productivity.
As well, the building will capture rainwater for uses such as flushing toilets, cutting the building's drinking water use by 80 per cent.
As of May 15, 132 projects were registered with LEED Canada. Registered projects typically are office buildings, recreational or community facilities, schools or high-rise residential buildings. A number of medical facilities, laboratories and industrial buildings are also on the list, as are the Toronto Botanical Gardens and even a couple of jails in Alberta.
Pegging the additional cost to build green is difficult. Ms. Baggs said her department had earmarked 5 to 10 per cent for things like rooftop gardens and solar panels. According to Mr. Theaker, a certified or silver project typically costs up to 2 per cent more than a non-LEED certified building, while gold and platinum projects are typically 2.5 to 3 per cent more. A July, 2004, study by architecture firm Davis Langdon found that, of the 138 buildings studied, there was no evidence that the LEED projects cost more. Indeed, in some cases, such as libraries, they were typically on the lower end of the scale, while new, non-LEED libraries tended to be more expensive to build.
Most projects don't include more costly LEED features, such as green roofs or solar panels. Some, like the new Hearst tower in Manhattan, found that some changes actually bring considerable savings. The 46-storey tower was designed by England's Lord Norman Foster, in collaboration with Toronto-based Adamson Associates Architects and uses 20 per cent less structural steel than a typical building.
There are many motivations for getting LEED certification for a project. The Charlottetown project gives Public Works a model that is energy efficient and, according to Ms. Baggs, "as flexible and durable a building as we could afford."
"Many want to do an environmentally friendly building," Mr. Theaker said. "For others it's differentiating their product on the market to help it sell or rent faster."
As more companies add environmental factors to their rental checklist, builders are increasingly turning their eyes to green construction in order to attract tenants.
And for owner-occupants, there can be unexpected benefits.
Providing ample daylight to workers can provide a big payback, by adding 10 to 12 per cent to productivity, Mr. Theaker said. Heschong Mahone Group, an energy efficiency consulting company based in Fair Oaks, Calif., studied the effects of daylight on retail sales within a 73-store chain. They found that daylit stores had sales between 6 and 40 per cent higher.
Across Canada
Buildings registered for LEED Canada certification
Yukon: 0
NWT: 1
Nunavit: 2
B.C.: 49
Alta.: 20
Sask.: 4
Man.: 5
Ont.: 30
Que.: 10
N.B.: 5
N.S.: 5
PEI: 1
SOURCE: CANADA GREEN BULDING COUNCIL
____________________________________________________
It's about time that the industry focuses more on sustainability in architecture and design - and it seems that we're going to get an influx of LEED certified buildings in Toronto; the Regent Park, West Don Lands and East Bayfront plans are quite explicit about setting sustainability standards.
GB