by Shane Henson — June 4, 2012—Manitoba Hydro, the fourth largest energy utility in Canada, recently announced that its headquarters, Manitoba Hydro Place, has achieved LEED Platinum certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), and is the first and only large office tower in Canada to date to receive this recognition.
Opened in 2009, the 22-story building occupying a full city block in Winnipeg’s downtown is the achievement of an integrated design process involving close collaboration between Manitoba Hydro and design architects Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects of Toronto, executive architects Smith Carter Architects and Engineers of Winnipeg, and climate engineers Transsolar of Stuttgart.
According to Manitoba Hydro, it meticulously tracked the performance for two years to determine whether its new building is living up to its initial ambitious goals, which was to achieve LEED Gold. Compared to the average office tower, Manitoba Hydro Place records reductions of more than 70% in energy use. Conventional office towers typically use over 300kWh per square meter. Manitoba Hydro’s usage is under 85kWh—an estimated energy savings of more than $500,000 annually.
The building is also filled with 100% fresh air all year long, reportedly making employees feel invigorated. Since opening, 70% of the employees have adopted a healthier lifestyle, converting to public transit instead of traveling to work by car, says the company.
