The Canada Green Building Council has awarded the Maison du développement durable – or Centre for Sustainable Development – LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certification, making it the first new construction project in Quebec to achieve the rating system’s highest possible distinction.

The building scored 59 out of 70 possible points – seven points above the threshold for attaining a platinum rank.

The building is equipped with a geothermal heating and cooling system, a high-performance thermal envelope, triple pane windows and an approximately 8,600-square-foot green roof. Features of the project that helped to surpass LEED requirements include: an approximately 410-square-foot living wall; and local, recycled and recovered materials, including wood salvaged from rivers, were used throughout the building.

What the building lacks is a parking lot. The centre obtained permission from the City of Montreal to forgo providing parking spaces, which are generally required by municipal bylaws.

Eight socially and environmentally minded organizations were the driving force behind the Centre, which was designed by Menkes Shooner Dagenais Letourneux Architectes. They sought to create a sustainable building that would inspire both property managers and the general population to embrace environmentally-friendly practices. Many of them have now established a base in the building, including Equiterre, which occupies five floors.