UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability

CaGBC set LEED records in 2013

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) certified a record 574 projects with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program in 2013.

This brings the total of LEED-certified projects in Canada to 1484. An additional 598 projects are registered to pursue certification in the near future..

Out of last year’s certified buildings, 173 received LEED Gold, while 32 were given LEED Platinum certifications.

“In 2013 we saw a steady increase in both small and large projects certifying,” says Mark Hutchinson, director of green building programs for CaGBC. “It is also encouraging to see so many projects attaining the highest levels of LEED certification as it proves that the industry has the skills, knowledge and technology to produce high performance buildings at a reasonable cost and effort.”

Ontario had the most certifications at 221, followed by Quebec (121), British Columbia (87) and Alberta (78). This total amount of certified space came in at about 6.1 million square metres, bringing Canada’s total amount of LEED-certified space to 23.9 million square metres.

Other 2013 highlights included:

  • Nova Scotia Power headquarters in Halifax received LEED Platinum certification in March. This project saw the conversion of a thermal generating plant to office space, which incorporated features including chilled beams to decrease energy use and increase thermal comfort.
  • University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Sustainability in Vancouver was certified LEED Platinum in September.
  • In Toronto, Oxford Properties’ MetroCentre at 225 King St. West became the country’s first multi-tenant office building to receive a second certification under LEED for Existing Buildings when it upgraded its original 2008 LEED Silver rating to LEED Gold.

It is expected that 2014 will be another strong year for LEED certifications, with the rollout of LEED v4 in Canada.

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