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Green building breaths life into Cambrian College

BY BILL BRADLEY The race is on-to build the most advanced ecologically friendly building in the world. Seattle's Cascadia Region Green Building Council, has challenged all builders, architects and developers in the world to step up to the plate.
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Jason McLennan speaking at the Living Building conference at Cambrian College's e-Dome

BY BILL BRADLEY

The race is on-to build the most advanced ecologically friendly building in the world. Seattle's Cascadia Region Green Building Council, has challenged all builders, architects and developers in the world to step up to the plate.

Cambrian College's proposed Sustainable Energy Centre, future home to its new three year energy systems technology course, is in the competition said John Hood, dean of  the School of  Computer and Engineering Technology.  He was speaking at the Living Building Conference at the e-Dome Thursday.

clipSo far Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci has given $1.1 million in capital cost funding for the $6 million project from the Northern Heritage Fund Corporation. A significant private sector announcement is imminent said Hood last week, enough to ensure half the cost is now in place.

But to win, said Hood, will take a lot of expertise in order to design a building that receives all its energy and water from from its location-from geothermal, solar and wind  energy resources and by harvesting and storing rainwater.

Luckily Greater Sudbury has friends in high places.

One of the world's top green architects, Jason McLennan, formerly with leading edge Kansas City architectural firm BNIM, and now CEO of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council in Seattle, is prepared to work with local green architect Dennis Castellan to help Cambrian College win the race for the most advanced green building in the world.

That's mainly because McLennan is Sudbury born and raised in New Sudbury, graduating from Lasalle High School. He also participated in the re-greening efforts as a youth. Those early years repairing the ravaged landscape of Sudbury's black hills by spreading lime and planting trees were formative in his development.

He was a speaker at the Living Building Conference at the eDome.

“I speak at conferences all over the world and everywhere I go I show slides of Sudbury-before the re-greening and afterwards. What Sudbury was able to do in restoring the earth is an inspiration to every person and every community in the world. It was my personal inspiration and still is every day and because of that I have been working with Dennis Castellan, albeit long distance, in the design of this building,” said McLennan.

While many buildings have some of the features of what McLennan calls a living building-complete energy and water independence or using as much local resources as possible or being esthetically pleasing, McLennan said none have all components in place.

Why should we stretch the envelope to build as best as possible?

McLennan said there are four issues prominent today-climate change, toxic chemicals, habitat loss and social equity,

“All these can be addressed by how we build,” he said.
Buildings use a large amount of a country's electricity grid. Building causes habitat destruction. Buildings contain toxic chemicals and can be detrimental to a local economy if materials are brought in from far away. Living buildings challenge us to reverse these trends by building smarter, he said.

For more information contact John Hood at 566-8101, ext. 7578 or email [email protected].


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