|
LEED Gold Lies at the End of the Learning Curve In-house Energy Expertise Drives Sustainable Design
November, 2008
By Barbara Carss
The gap between basic LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and LEED Silver status is relatively easy to close for developers and building owners willing to invest in the high-efficiency building systems, and positioned to gain other LEED points from easy access to public transportation and locally produced construction materials. The step up to Gold certification involves a greater degree of difficulty.
Builders now making the leap are relying on lessons learned in earlier LEED projects to find ways to balance investments with obvious and faster paybacks against other elements that don't necessarily translate quickly into operational savings. Notably, the developer of Canada's first LEED Gold certified multi-residential building - Minto Developments Inc. - also built the first LEED Canada Silver condominium project, which was certified in early 2006.
Features introduced in the company's earlier LEED Silver developments can also be found at Minto Roehampton, a 16-storey, 148-unit rental apartment tower in Toronto's prosperous Yonge & Eglinton neighbourhood. HRV (heat recovery ventilation) fan coils and the all-off light/fan switch, which were largely unique to the market just three years ago, have now become standard in Minto's projects and in green multi-residential development in general.
Beyond this and other now routine energy and water-saving technology - such as motion-activated lighting controls in common areas, low-e thermal windows, compact fluorescent lighting, low-flow shower heads and dual flush toilets - Minto Roehampton provides rainwater harvesting, tri-sorter waste chutes to separate garbage, recyclable materials and organics, and a pioneering rooftop solar collector that warms incoming fresh air.
It was one of three buildings - and the only private sector building - chosen to represent Canada in the International Sustainable Building Competition, a triennial competition occurring in conjunction with the World Sustainable Building Conference, recently held in Melbourne, Australia in September 2008. Manitoba Hydro's new headquarters, now nearing completion in downtown Winnipeg (see Canadian Property Management, April 2007) and Public Works and Government Services Canada's Gulf Islands Operations Centre, a LEED Platinum building, filled out the Canadian slate.
"It's not a competition in the sense that they pick the best building. Instead, what they do is rank the country, and Canada came in second behind Germany," reports Rodney McDonald, a member of the Canadian selection committee and Chair of the Manitoba chapter of the Canada Green Building Council. "It is quite an honour to place just behind Germany, where there is so much impressive work in sustainable building."
Minto Roehampton achieves 40% better energy efficiency than the standards set in the Ontario Building Code, a marked performance enhancement from the 33% better energy efficiency attained in Minto's first LEED Silver condominium. This was one of the key factors in clinching Gold status.
"In going from Silver to Gold, most of the differences are around energy efficiency and building materials - elements like paints and carpets. You're probably looking at more health features in a Gold building," observes Andrew Pride, a LEED accredited professional and Vice President of the Minto Green Team, the company's in-house division responsible for energy efficiency and sustainability.
The building was a logical first candidate for LEED Gold because, as a rental building, the company plans to hold it in its own portfolio for the foreseeable future. This not only allows Minto to reap the full operational rewards of its investment, but also gives the Green Team a platform to apply knowledge and test new approaches honed from past experience along with ongoing access to monitor the results.
"Design teams are often still immature when it comes to sustainable design," Pride reflects. "We tend to strongly influence the design team, working from what we've learned in retrofitting our existing portfolio and building new projects. Over time, we've seen a huge evolution on the engineering front by pushing it a little bit harder."
At Minto Roehampton, for example, conventional aesthetic concerns were actually the inspiration for the innovative passive solar system. When the architect recommended a design feature on the roof, Green Team members saw a complementary opportunity to house the solar collector. "It was an experiment that we're still testing," Pride says.
Experience and well developed relationships with contractors also helped keep specification of green products and materials on track. "These are things that can, if you're not careful, add a lot of cost," he cautions. "If you aren't doing it right from the design stage, the costs will be quite prohibitive."
Performance monitoring and verification have been a priority in the 18 months since the building was completed and occupied. "Year one of operation is critical to ensure that everything has actually come to fruition," Pride stresses. "There is a lot of green-washing out there with regards to savings. You have to understand what you're supposed to be getting and verify it."
In a continued progression, the Green Team is taking lessons learns at its first LEED Gold building and applying them to a prospective Gold condominium project now under construction in downtown Toronto. "Silver has always been our target and I think Silver will remain our target in most cases, but, if we see an opportunity for Gold, we'll shoot for Gold," Pride says.
|