Green buildings, that cut energy use by 50 to 70 percent as well as using less water, are going mainstream.
“Currently 600 buildings in Canada are certified with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings. We expect more,” said Thomas Mueller president of the Canadian Green Building Council.
His non-profit organization, formed in 2002 in Vancouver, is comprised of professionals from the building and design industry that certifies those who wish to be rated LEED.
He was the breakfast speaker Thursday morning at an EarthCare Sudbury partners meeting prior to Cambrian College's Living Building Conference.
LEED buildings limit their ecological impact with proper site design, practice water efficiency through reuse and recycling, minimize energy consumption, use many materials that have already been used, buy from local suppliers, design for high indoor air quality, and reduce waste in construction.
“Whereas the first LEED buildings were mostly government or institutional buildings we are now seeing an uptake in certification by the private sector-recently 40 percent with another 40 percent being office buildings and commercial structures. Many developers are seeing that being certified LEED gives them a market advantage, especially when the additional upfront costs to design LEED now mean there is an acceptable payback period,” said Mueller.
Meanwhile, more LEED projects are appearing in the public sector, said Mueller.
“Buildings erected for the 2010 Winter Olympics in BC will be LEED certified at both the main sites for the games. We are also seeing municipalities incorporating LEED ratings for new developments including Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and smaller centres like York Region outside of Toronto, some even including LEED ratings in their official plans,” he said.
Bill Lautenbach, director of planning for Greater Sudbury, said LEED ratings are not part of the city's official plan but energy efficiency is important.
“The official plan does not specifically focus on aspects like energy efficiency because that is not the role of the plan but certainly we promote conservation and the best practices in terms of the utilization of resources so we would encourage that kind of building in the community,” said Lautenbach.
To help green building practices expand in the north a local chapter of the Canadian Green Building Council (CGBC) is being organized for Northern Ontario building professionals and interested people. Contact the School of Computer and Engineering Technology, 566-8101, ext. 7696. The website of the CGBC is www.cagbc.org.
