by Brianna Crandall — March 12, 2014—The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) recently announced that in 2013, there were more Canadian projects certified to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sustainability program than in any prior year: a total of 574. This brings the total projects certified in Canada to 1,484. In addition, 598 projects registered to pursue certification, bringing the total registered and certified projects to 4,685. A searchable list with further detail on all LEED projects can be viewed on the CaGBC LEED Project Profiles Web page.
The year 2013 saw the highest number of LEED Gold certifications to date at 173, and it was another strong year for LEED Platinum certifications, the most rigorous level, with a total of 32 projects certified, says the CaGBC. Projects were certified across the country, with the highest number of certifications in Ontario (221), Quebec (121), British Columbia (87), and Alberta (78).
The CaGBC was encouraged to see the steady increase in both small and large projects certifying, and also to see so many projects attaining the highest levels of LEED certification, proving that the industry has “the skills, knowledge and technology to produce high-performance buildings at a reasonable cost and effort.”
The current statistics on LEED-certified space in Canada also paint a strong picture of the growth that green building in Canada has experienced. In 2013, there was a total of 6,094,101 sq m of space that became LEED certified, leading to a now overall total of 23,931,679 sq m of LEED certified space across the country. This translates into 0.71 sq m (or 7.69 sq. ft.) of LEED certified space for each Canadian, notes the organization.
Some of the year’s many highlights include:
- The Nova Scotia Power Headquarters in Halifax certified LEED Platinum in March. This “remarkable” example of building re-use involved converting a thermal generating plant to office space, and incorporated features like chilled beams that decrease energy use and increase thermal comfort. This renovation has led to energy and water savings of $650,000 a year (approximate).
- The University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) certified LEED Platinum in September. Located in Vancouver, this project is a showcase of green construction that celebrates its location and setting while creating a functional and inspiring space for teaching, learning, research and community building.
- Oxford Properties’ MetroCentre at 225 King Street West in Toronto became the first Canadian multitenant office building to receive a second certification under LEED for Existing Buildings. It received its original LEED Silver rating in 2008, and achieved LEED Gold in 2013.
The CaGBC is expecting 2014 to be another strong year for LEED certifications, and was pleased to recently announce the availability of the next generation of the LEED rating system, LEED v4 in Canada. The Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) for LEED v4 will be launched in Canada at Building Lasting Change 2014, the CaGBC’s annual national conference taking place in Toronto from June 2 to 4.
The CaGBC is the Canadian industry organization advancing green building and sustainable community development practices. The CaGBC works closely with its member organizations to make every building greener, and reduces environmental impacts from the built environment through education/training, building certification, performance benchmarking and reporting, advocacy and information sharing. The CaGBC is the license holder for the LEED green building rating system in Canada. In addition to LEED, the CaGBC also supports the Living Building Challenge, Passive House Standard, and EcoDistricts in Canada.
