Nov 7 2012
EllisDon celebrated six LEED certifications over the past few months, further solidifying the company's reputation as a leader in sustainable construction services.
Five story bio-wall at Algonquin College Centre for Construction Excellence (CNW Group/EllisDon)
The projects contained a few firsts for EllisDon, including the first LEED Platinum project for the company in Eastern Canada. All projects were certified under CaGBC's LEED Canada for New Construction and Major Renovations and their certification brings the total number of LEED certified projects EllisDon is directly involved in to 106.
Last month, Woodstock General Hospital project earned LEED Silver. On this state-of-the-art healthcare facility, EllisDon self-performed the LEED facilitation role. EllisDon was obligated to deliver a LEED certified project within 24 months of substantial completion but through the efforts of the company's Sustainable Building Services group, along with the consultants and owner, the project was awarded LEED Silver 9 months early.
EllisDon was also notified last month that the Algonquin College Centre for Construction Excellence was awarded LEED Platinum certification. This is EllisDon's second LEED Platinum building, and the first in Eastern Canada. This facility is considered a leader in LEED building design due in part to features such as a green roof with native vegetation and a five storey bio-wall that helps clean indoor air and control humidity levels in the atrium of the building.
Other note worthy EllisDon projects that achieved LEED certification are:
- West Orillia Sports Centre - LEED Silver
- Connaught School Modernization in Calgary - LEED Silver
- Nova Scotia Community College, Centre for the Building Environment - LEED Gold
- Trillium Health Centre Administration Building in Toronto - LEED Gold
"Sustainability has migrated from being a competitive advantage to becoming a market expectation," said Andres Bernal, Managing Director of Sustainable Building Services at EllisDon. "As the industry progresses in terms of green construction, expectations are higher, more complex and even becoming part of contractual obligations."
He further acknowledges, "Besides the net benefits, a successful certification also shows the implementation of creative and concerted efforts of all the project partners to address risk management. This collaboration is leading the industry in the right direction."