They aimed for silver, will likely get gold - and in the process, ended up with a prestigious Innovation in Architecture Award from the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada.

That's a quick summary of the accomplishments Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd. of Edmonton chalked up through its work on the $28-million Greenstone government of Canada building in Yellowknife, N.W.T.

Designed in its geographic context and reflecting the city's mining heritage, the building is touted as the first structure north of the 60th parallel to achieve gold status via the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program established by the Canada Green Building Council.

With that certification process not quite complete, partner Richard Isaac stops short of saying the gold standard is in the bag. But he will say the firm surpassed its initial aim of silver certification - and has more than enough "points" for gold status.

Photo courtesy of Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.
The Greenstone government building in Yellowknife, N.W.T., demonstrates energy-efficient designs.

Isaac also admits that a booming economy means the firm, well-known for its focus on energy-efficient designs and healthy workplaces, is "so busy that we actually don't take on projects anymore with clients that don't have an interest in sustainability."

The need to show clients how far sustainable technology for building interiors has come was a major force behind a massive renovation just wrapping up at Calgary-based Haworth Ltd., which provides office furniture and architectural interiors, including floors, walls, ceiling and storage.

About 23,000 sq. ft. of interior space just south of Calgary's Foothills Industrial area is being reconfigured to showcase Haworth's approach to what the company calls "intelligent building design."

And how is this sustainable? The raised flooring system, for example, enables the under-floor installation of electrical cables for data and power. Removable carpet tiles (located on 20-ft. centres) let clients move entire offices without ever reconfiguring these connections.

Similarly, performance ceilings give designers a way to design-in decorative features, such as movable bulkheads or hanging lights that can be moved if space is reallocated.

Haworth facilities manager John Woolmer figures up to 80 per cent of the furniture used in the former working space has been re-employed or sold, with less than five per cent sent to landfill. Carpet was also reused, with some going to employees and community groups, including a couple of churches.Working with carpet suppliers that offer recycling programs means none of that carpet went to landfills.

The only drywall used in the new space backs the wall behind the new reception area. This feature wall will be covered with wood reclaimed from the Great Lakes.

Ceiling tracks ease wall installations - and changes, with no need to landfill broken drywall. Virtually all of Haworth's modular furniture systems feature wood having the Forest Stewardship Council stamp of approval, meaning it comes from sustainably managed forests.

Rising interest in indoor air quality has also moved Haworth to focus on low off-gassing products and to make their wall systems formaldehyde-free.

Following the standards set by LEED, Haworth aims to hit the gold standard with all its showrooms across North America, adds Woolmer.

And he's excited about the future.

"The more people do it, the better the technology will get," says Woolmer, who also serves as Calgary president of the International Facilities Management Association.

Photo courtesy of Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.
The Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.-designed Greenstone building in Yellowknife, N.W.T., achieved gold status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Energy and environmental advantages aside, more tenants view green interiors as a faster way to accommodate multiple moves, says Brad Krizan, director of leasing at Opus Building Corp.

With a million square feet of new commercial office space coming online in Calgary over the next 18 months and a shortage of labour in place to get those interior spaces ready, he says more tenants ask about products such as de-mountable walls and modular furniture.

Planning for intra-office moves is also a business practice most companies accept as normal, notes Krizan. While some still feel that drywall systems are the way to go, others want more detail on the perceived benefits of greener interior systems.

Woolmer has numbers they may want to hear. He figures the average interior retrofit costs $65 to $80 a square foot. Significant savings in drywall and carpet alone dropped Haworth's renovation to about $25, a figure that includes some new carpet as well as new lighting and ceiling treatments.

Tenants concerned about paying rent on space they can't yet occupy may also want details on Haworth's timeline. The 23,000-sq.-ft. redesign was announced March 1 and was completed before the end of May. It could have been done even faster, insists Woolmer.

In the meantime, technological improvements definitely make sustainable building designs easier - and more affordable.

Even though Manasc Isaac Architects now insists sustainability be part of a new project's mandate, the firm can "tailor it to a client's needs, so it doesn't necessarily have to cost them more money," says Isaac.

Those who take the time to really look at what's available will see the real costs of retrofitting space, often on short notice, make green interior solutions more cost-effective in the short- and long-term, adds Doug Martineau, regional VP of sales for Haworth.

Working with Haworth as an official supplier, the 2010 Olympics will be the first to build all of its interiors with sustainable products. This ensures all venues are easily and quickly adapted to their post-Olympic uses - a legacy in environmental, time, money and labour resources.

Looking ahead, the amount of new space coming onstream in Calgary by the end of 2008 represents a wave of sorts, says Krizan. But with so many buildings just getting started, a whole lot more in the development and permit stage and continued pressure on labour and resources, there's a virtual tsunami of new space - and new space issues - headed this way.

And facilities managers are taking note, because in an economy like this, no one expects interior real estate to hold a specific shape for very long.

In this kind of market, change isn't just good. It'd better be fast.

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)