Dec 17 2012
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer, officially announces it has received LEED Gold certification of its international head office in Burnaby, B.C.
This 15,200+-square-metre (164,000-ft2) commercial office is home to 400+ employees, a corporate child-care centre, fitness facility and café. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The Ritchie Bros. head office was certified by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) under the category of New Construction and was officially opened in 2009.
"This is a very important achievement for Ritchie Bros. as it showcases our dedication to our employees and the environment around us," said Peter Blake, Chief Executive Officer of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "We had a great team to help guide us through the planning, design and construction process for LEED certification: B+H Architects, MHPM Project Managers Inc., Ventana Construction, Core Group Consultants, Applied Engineering Solutions Ltd., Stantec, Steelcase Inc., CBRE Ltd. and The Great-West Life Assurance Co. Together we focused on achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health, resulting in the construction of a building that is a great home for our employees and has minimal impact on the environment, as well as being energy efficient and cost effective."
Some LEED features of the building:
- Lighting: 75% of work spaces receive natural daylight and 90% have views to the exterior
- Air Quality: Copy & janitor rooms have dedicated exhaust systems; carbon dioxide monitors located throughout the building; carpet, tile and furniture have little to no off gassing
- Recycled and Used Materials: 75% of construction waste was recycled or reused
- Energy Savings: Automatic lighting for interior and exterior to reduce light pollution and save energy; roof built with reflective materials to reduce interior heat (less need for air conditioning)
- Water Use: High-efficiency plumbing fixtures and exterior irrigation system; many native drought-resistant plants used to reduce the amount of watering required
Other employee-focused features of the building:
Child-care centre: Licensed to care for 59 infants, toddlers, preschoolers and a limited number of school age children. The centre is available to staff members' children at a subsidized rate. The centre is also open to neighboring businesses, when space permits.- Café: Catered by Corporate Classics Caterers, the café provides healthy choices for staff at relatively low prices. Also subsidized by Ritchie Bros., the café features a rotating daily menu and a selection of "grab and go items".
- Workout Facility: Contains modern, high quality equipment including treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, stair climber, rowing machine, total gyms as well as benches with free weights. It is available for staff (as well as their family & friends) to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The workout facility is managed and maintained by Fitness Science Corp.