The green light has been given to Alberta’s first environmentally certified building project.

But the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation recently received by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) in recognition of the sustainability goals it met during the renovation and expansion of its Edmonton headquarters is just the beginning of a number of similar projects now under way in the province and in other parts of Canada.

A voluntary consensus-based national standard for creating high-performance sustainable buildings, the LEED Green Building Rating System is a certification awarded by members of the U.S. Green Building Council.

For AUMA, when it came to the $1.5-million revamping of its offices on Saskatchewan Drive, becoming LEED certified was a logical step.

Photo courtesy of Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.
Revamping its Edmonton headquarters to be LEED-certified was a logical step for AUMA..

“We decided that as an association representing municipalities, we should also provide leadership in the construction of environmentally friendly buildings,” said Ernie Patterson, AUMA’s president and also the mayor of Claresholm.

Others looking into or working on LEED-certified projects include the federal government for a new building in Yellowknife, N.W.T., the Municipality of Spruce Grove and the City of Calgary.

As a framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals, LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

In turn, LEED recognizes and promotes achievements in green building.

AUMA needed to double the size of its original space to handle the $90 million of business it does on an annual basis – aggregate power, gas and insurance purchases for municipalities – in addition to being an advocate for those same communities.

Photo by Joe Zasada, St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance’s Edmonton facility is another project on the cutting edge of high-performance sustainability technology.

But it isn’t easy being green. The environmental bar is set so high that aside from no tobacco smoking in the building itself, it’s also prohibited anywhere on the grounds.

“We spent a bit of extra money to reach those standards, but we have every faith that we’ll recover those costs,” said Patterson.

“More importantly, we’re setting an example of what municipalities can do to help the environment.”

The AUMA building has a number of elements that helped it to receive LEED certification. They include:

* Water consumption will be 50.6 per cent below the use of conventional buildings, using water conservation practices such as dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals and low-water fixtures.

* Energy consumption will be 55 per cent below the standard, assisted by energy-conservation measures that include a ground-source heating and cooling system. Further, thermal power means no longer relying on natural gas to heat the building and lower heating costs.

* Good indoor air quality is achieved by careful selection of paints and finishing materials, to minimize volatile organic compounds.

* Sustainable site design including the provision of bicycle racks and showers.

AUMA, already a strong believer in green power and a power purchaser from green- power sources, received additional credit for this in its LEED grading.

AUMA retained Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd. of Edmonton to design its expansion.

“We’ve been working with LEED as a firm since LEED first came out,” said Vivian Manasc, architect and principal of Manasc Isaacs. “But they had also heard about it from other sources and it was something they were interested in pursuing.”

Energy modelling, using computer software to simulate how much energy the building would use, was employed during the design stage. During construction, the older parts of the building had to be retrofitted to meet LEED requirements.

“What it means is they have a building that’s healthy for their staff, with windows that open and daylight and views. It also means that there’s good indoor air quality and that the building is energy efficient,” said Manasc.

“We’ve been working on sustainable buildings generally for over 10 years. Bit by bit, it’s more broadly agreed upon as to what constitutes a sustainable building,” said Manasc. “That’s where LEED comes in, so people can agree upon what a sustainable building is.”

Another Edmonton building that is on its way to LEED certification is the St. John Ambulance’s Edmonton Area Training and Community Services facility.

The $5-million project, now up and operational, is still awaiting its LEED certification, expected this fall.

“With the LEED certification you have to prove that you have actually done these things,” said Manasc, whose firm is also handling this development.

One difference, though, is that this certification will come from LEED Canada, a new service available through the Canada Green Building Council. The two certifications will be generally similar, with the Canadian version modified to meet conditions on this side of the border.

“There were a lot of things we were thinking about,” said David Hook, president and CEO of the St. John Ambulance Alberta Council.

“LEED stuck out and met the criteria our board of directors wanted. Because our work is about the health and safety of people, we wanted to do something for the health and safety of the environment.”

The 49,000-sq.-ft. building – 32,000 sq. ft. above grade – on the corner of 123rd Street and 118th Avenue does not include air conditioning. Rather, a 50-ton chiller on the building’s roof cools the water, which flows through the pipes and works in conjunction with the air-exchange system, eliminating the use of freon.

Along with water-saving equipment such as water-free fixtures in the men’s washrooms, the building’s electrical systems use halogen lights as well as touchless switches, so when someone walks into a room the lights go on. After a period of time, if there is no motion, the lights switch off.

Even the plants chosen for the exterior are LEED certified, added Hook, in reference to their low-water maintenance needs.

LEEDing Edge
* The LEED Green Building Rating System identifies environmentally preferable design and construction practices in six categories:

– Site Design

– Water Conservation

– Energy & Atmosphere

– Materials & Resources

– Indoor Environmental Quality

– Innovation in Design

* LEED certification provides a third-party audit of the building’s sustainability and demonstrates an organization’s commitment to the highest level of rigour and transparency in meeting their
environmental commitments.

– Source: Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.