Kitchener – Enermodal Engineering’s headquarters, A Grander View , has become the first LEED Canada triple Platinum building with certifications in the New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance rating systems. This is also the first ever LEED Canada EB:O&M Platinum certified project.
A Grander View received its NC and CI Platinum certifications in June 2011. A Grander View was awarded 61 of 70 NC points and 50 of 57 CI points – this is the most CI points ever achieved by a Canadian project. The building also achieved all 10 LEED NC Optimize Energy Performance points and an Energy Star score of 100 (meaning it performed better than 100% of its peers in the Energy Star database of hundreds of North American buildings).
The EB:O&M Platinum certification was received in November 2011 since buildings are not eligible for this rating system until they have been operation for at least a year. EB:O&M certifications must be renewed at least every five years. A Grander View received 88 of a possible 110 EB:O&M points.
“Each of the LEED rating systems highlights a different aspect of sustainable building design and operation; by certifying to the Platinum level in the NC, CI, and EB:O&M systems we can be assured we are producing the highlight quality of building and work environment possible,” says Stephen Carpenter, president of Enermodal Engineering. “Scoring a rare 100 in the Energy Star North American database and becoming the first LEED Canada EB:O&M Platinum helps us benchmark our actual energy use and building operations against the highest standards possible.”
The project has won several awards in the past year, including:
* selected as one of two buildings that represent Canada at the Sustainable Buildings Challenge in Helsinki in October 2011
* Tree for Life award from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies
* Award of Distinction from the Ontario Building Envelope Council
* Livable Building Award from the Center for the Built Environment
* Urban Design Award from the City of Kitchener
* Healthy Workplace Gold Award from the Region of Waterloo’s Project Health program
Some of the highlights from the EB:O&M Platinum certification implemented at A Grander View are:
* An Energy Star score of 100.
* Metered water savings of 89% (just 9 L of potable water used per person per day).
* A sustainable purchasing policy whereby recycled or sustainable products are purchased for office supplies whenever possible.
* A sustainable food purchasing policy whereby organic and/or local food and catering is purchased.
* A green housekeeping program whereby only non-toxic and/or EcoLogo certified products are used.
* A native species landscaping maintenance policy that includes no pesticides or power tool use.
* A hybrid car for staff use for those who take alternative transportation to work but then wish to attend a meeting that requires car transportation.
* A video conferencing system to reduce business and inter-office travel.
* A plan to go carbon neutral (through local non-profit Sustainable Waterloo) with 51% actual reductions and 49% offset purchases by 2014.
* On-site employee garden plots.
* Completing an occupancy survey that revealed 100% general satisfaction with the office by occupants.
* An Enermodal-developed software program, Transportation Tracker, that allows employees to log their daily commute (home location, method of transportation, vehicle type, and office location) so Enermodal can track the impact of internal commuting competitions and incentives as well as reward those who make the extra effort to reduce their commuting footprint.
* An innovative employee green incentive program to encourage healthy and sustainable lifestyles at work and at home.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is Canada’s premier green building rating system. Administered by the non-profit Canada Green Building Council, buildings are awarded points for incorporating green features related to Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
There are several different LEED rating systems (New Construction being the most popular) tailored to different types of projects. For example, the EB:O&M rating system differs from the other LEED rating systems which are based on the sustainable features and energy-efficiency of the design; the EB:O&M certification requires actual, metered energy savings proven over the course of at least one year of operation.
In June, 2011, Enermodal Engineering made history, becoming the first LEED consultant to certify 100 LEED projects in Canada. The 100th LEED certified project was Enermodal’s own headquarters, A Grander View .
A Grander View is Canada’s most energy-efficient office here, using a metered 69 kWh/m 2 compared with the Canadian average of 384 kWh/m 2 .