Redcliff Métivier has been officially recognized by LEED and BOMA BESt guidelines for the company’s sustainable development practices.  Two of the company’s Montreal office properties—999 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West (Level 1 certification) and 8000 Décarie Blvd. (Level 2 certification)—were granted BOMA BESt certifications, and on October 18th, the Centre de distribution Montréal-Akzo Nobel in St. Hubert earned its Silver LEED Canada-NC 1.0 certification.

The newly published third edition of the ASHRAE “GreenGuide: The Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable Buildings” is an updated version of this reference, covering the need-to-know information on what to do, where to turn, what to suggest and how to interact with other members of the design team in a productive way.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada) announced the national launch of “e-Energy Training for Building Operations”, an online course teaching building operators and engineers how to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in commercial and institutional buildings.

 

The course aims to raise the energy-efficiency awareness and competencies of operations personnel in the estimated 440,000 commercial and institutional buildings across Canada, according to BOMA. Those buildings (which include commercial office space, retail and wholesale businesses, hospitals, schools, universities, hotels and government buildings) comprise approximately 672 million square meters of floor space, and account for 14% of national end-use energy consumption and 13% of Canada’s carbon emissions.

 

Between 1990 and 2005, energy use in the sector increased almost 34% in Canada, while carbon emissions increased 37%. According to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), improving operational practices and implementing energy retrofits in commercial and institutional buildings reduces associated energy consumption by an average of 20%.

 

BOMA Canada President Diana Osler Zortea believes the e-Energy training will help the Canadian commercial real estate industry remain competitive and protect the environment.

 

“We are very pleased to offer this online training to businesses, organizations and agencies across Canada, especially in an economy where spending any more than absolutely necessary on comfortably heating, cooling and lighting your buildings is simply not an option,” said Zortea. “We believe that this training will provide remarkable value in helping to ensure that building operators and engineers remain educated, aware and proactive in their approach to reducing energy costs and GHG emissions.”

 

The training is offered in both French and English and begins with an overview of basic energy management principles such as metering and billing. BOMA says it then teaches specific practical skills to operations personnel (in subjects such as lighting, HVAC and controls optimization), which can be used in their day-to-day operations. The course also presents operators with strategies to influence building occupants’ energy consumption behaviour and tips on how to best “sell” the benefits of capital projects, such as energy retrofits to management.

 

BOMA says the format of the course is specifically tailored to the needs of building operators, whose work requires that they remain on-site during the day. The course requires approximately 30 hours of study, which can be spread out over several months. It can be taken during work hours when time permits or remotely from home.

 

The response to the course (which has been available in British Columbia since the end of 2007) has so far been overwhelmingly positive, added BOMA, earning an overall satisfaction rating of 94% among operator participants. As well, tests taken before and after the course showed a 28% improvement in the trained operators’ ability to both identify energy savings opportunities and implement energy efficiency measures.

 

Content and delivery of the e-Energy course, which costs $750 per participant, was produced by BC firms Prism Engineering and Circle Learning with extensive input from a team of experienced building operators. To date, the course has helped almost 100 businesses and organizations in BC save on their utility costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. BOMA BC secured funding from the BC government and local utilities for the initial version of the course in 2007. In 2010, the Ontario Power Authority and NRCan provided major funding to enhance the course and ensure the course content is applicable across Canada in both official languages.

 

To learn more about e-Energy Training and to register for the course, visit www.BOMALEARNING.com.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), with the help of partnering organizations in South America, have produced tools to help develop the growing green market in that region.

Two ASHRAE standards regarding energy efficiency and sustainability were recently translated into Spanish and Portuguese.
            
“South America is very progressive and aggressive when it comes to green building,” Ross Montgomery, ASHRAE vice president who works closely with members in South America, said. “There are many green building engineering firms, contractors and vendors who are working to deliver green building design and green technology products to the marketplace. These translations, along with the cooperation between ASHRAE and other building industry groups in the region, provide new tools to help further green building technologies.”

ASHRAE’s Argentina Chapter recently translated ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2009, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, into Spanish. The Argentina Chapter, along with other groups including the Asociación Argentina del Frío (AAF), is working to increase the market for green buildings in that country.

“Making our society aware of the benefits of sustainable buildings is one of our most important priorities,” said Florentino Roson, past President of the Argentina Chapter, VP of AAF and a green building controls expert in Argentina. “The translation was spurred by our desire to save energy through responsible building. Although application of the standard is not yet mandatory in Argentina, we believe Standard 189.1 will be used as a benchmark in the design, building and maintenance of sustainable buildings in the near future.”

In addition, ASHRAE also worked with the Green Building Council Brasil on the Portuguese translation of Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The Council wanted a translation of the standard for use in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating program in that country. ASHRAE past President Kent Peterson visited Brazil earlier this month to support ASHRAE chapters and the Society’s work with ABRAVA, SMACNA and Green Building Council Brasil.

For more information, go to www.ashrae.org.

Four EllisDon projects have achieved LEED certification through the CaGBC (Canada Green Building Council). The projects are:

 

1.     Bay Adelaide Centre (BAC) in Toronto (LEED CS Gold) –

 

EllisDon was the Construction Manager for this project, owned and operated by Brookfield Properties. Construction for the BAC started in April 2006, and the project was completed July 2009. The list of environmental enhancements on the BAC includes: a reconstructed heritage façade, a rain water collection system, a white roof to mitigate the heat island effect and lighting occupancy sensors.

 

2.     5750 Explorer Drive in Mississauga (LEED NC Silver) –

 

An office building intended to provide tenants with measurable health, environmental and operating cost benefits, the CaGBC featured this project in their monthly e-newsletter. EllisDon was the Design Builder on this project, owned by Explorer Drive Equities, and developed by Redcliff Realty Advisors. Construction began in June 2006 and was completed November 2007.

 

3.     Nova Scotia Community College - Waterfront Campus (LEED NC Silver) –

 

Certification was announced on Nova Scotia Community College's Waterfront Campus building on May 20, 2010. The Waterfront Campus boasts recycled material use, thermally efficient walls and windows carrying natural light deep into public areas, and enhanced energy performance. At the time of certification, the campus was the second building in Nova Scotia to achieve LEED Silver certification.

 

4.     The K-Rock Centre in Kingston (LEED NC Silver) –

 

The building was certified recently on May 25. Several LEED credits were earned under the Innovation & Design Process category including Green Education, Green Housekeeping, Low Emitting Materials - Furniture, and Water Use Reduction of 40%.

 

“May has been a very exciting month for EllisDon with four of our earliest LEED projects achieving certification,” said Cameron Blair, EllisDon’s manager of Sustainable Building Services for Eastern Canada. “Overcoming the learning curve associated with the LEED Rating System during its initial sweep through eastern Canada has been a challenge for our teams on these projects, on top of tight construction schedules and budget constraints. We are proud of these certifications, and have all the more to offer our clients in terms of our green building knowledgebase and integrated team experience as a result.”

 

For more information, visit www.ellisdon.com.

Tridel and Mason Homes were recognized for their leadership in sustainable development and green building as both companies came away from the 30th Annual BILD Awards, held April 30, 2010, with Green Builder of the Year honours.

 

Tridel captured the Green Home Builder of the Year trophy for the third time since the award's inception in 2007. The developer was the inaugural winner, repeated in 2008 and narrowly missed the “3-peat” last year.

 

“Tridel is a company that absolutely gets it when it comes to green building, not to mention quality and service,” said BILD President and CEO Stephen Dupuis.

 

On the low-rise side, the Green Home Builder of the Year award also went to the 2007 winner, in this case Mason Homes. Mason Homes was recently recognized as Provincial Green Builder of the Year by EnerQuality Corporation and local Green Builder of the Year by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders’ Association.

 

“In our humble opinion, Mason faced its toughest competition in the BILD Awards, coming out on top under the leadership of founder Gord Mason, who was a green developer and builder long before it was cool, and Sean Mason, who has inherited his father's commitment to sustainable development and green building and taken it to the next level,” said Dupuis.

 

The Green Builder of the Year award recognizes the low- or high-rise builders who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the implementation of green building practices, be it resource conservation (energy, water, etc.) or any other sustainable building practice or program.

 

Judging criteria evaluates how much each company has differentiated itself in the market through the adoption of green building practices, from the site planning stage right through home design and construction. Green marketing techniques, campaigns and partnerships are also weighed when reviewing submissions.

 

BILD Awards

At last year’s Green Real Estate Conference in Toronto, it was clear that the enthusiasm for green buildings was on the cusp of hitting the mainstream. This year, we seem to have passed that tipping point. However, no matter how enthusiastic a building owner or manager might be about greening their facilities, it can be a challenge with an older building. At this year’s conference, a few experts offered their suggestions on how to manage the process.