Jan 30 2013
Ottawa Convention Centre – Canada's Meeting Place has officially received LEED® Gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council.
Ottawa Convention Centre
"Ottawa Convention Centre is a model of sustainable development and operations in the meetings and conventions industry," says Ottawa Convention Centre President & CEO Pat Kelly. "The building functions as a green meeting facility providing a healthy and invigorating environment for our delegates' meetings and conventions, while minimizing our eco footprint in the local community. The OCC adheres to a strict Environmental Charter that ensures we take responsibility for the impact our operations have on colleagues, guests, the community and the environment. We would like to thank all who assisted in the construction of Canada's Meeting Place including our Board of Directors, PCL Constructors Canada, BBB Architects Inc., Project Manager Graham Bird and Associates, LEED Consultant Enermodal Engineering Ltd., and I commend our Executive Leadership Team for their governance of the project."
"Congratulations to the Ottawa Convention Centre on obtaining LEED Gold Certification," says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. "The OCC has quickly become one of Ottawa's most notable structures. It is a perfect example of how a large, modern building can make a positive environmental impact and impress convention visitors with the City's commitment to sustainability."
As a LEED Gold certified facility, Ottawa Convention Centre is attracting a completely new and growing segment of convention and meetings to Ottawa that are looking to provide delegates with a cleaner, "greener" venue in which to host their event. "Congratulations to the OCC for receiving LEED Gold Certification which says a lot about the commitment of the OCC to sustainability." states Sandra Wood, CMP Manager, Annual Meeting, Canadian Medical Association and member of the Green Meeting Industry Council "This is an important operational benefit and, as a Planner, this makes my job so much easier in ensuring that we do our very best to make our meetings sustainable."
Ottawa Convention Centre's commitment to sustainable practices began during construction and is embedded in all aspects of business operations. Strategies to reuse and recycle construction waste successfully diverted an impressive 94.3% of materials away from landfills, and enabled Ottawa Convention Centre to reuse major building elements such as the steel from the previous building in the roof in Canada Hall, the OCC's 55.000 sq. ft. multipurpose event space. The building's white roof reflects, rather than absorbs heat, thus lowering its air conditioning costs, reducing global energy consumption and helping to alleviate Ottawa's Heat Island effect. The wood wall that extends through all four floors is made from existing logs that sunk to the bottom of local rivers during the logging era of the 1800's. Ottawa Convention Centre has championed a Green Housekeeping Program which embraces our commitment to sustainable operations. The underground cistern, which allows the use of rainwater in place of potable water for toilets and irrigation, has resulted in 67% less indoor water use and 71% less outdoor water use than a conventional building, conserving over 3.6 million litres of this precious natural resource every year. These initiatives, among others, have contributed to its success in reaching LEED Gold certification, and have advanced its goal to minimize the environmental footprint of the OCC's operations. To learn more about Ottawa Convention Centre's commitment to the environment, please visit http://www.ottawaconventioncentre.com/en/about-us/environmental-certification.
The official announcement of Ottawa Convention Centre receiving its LEED® Gold Certification comes just a short time after achieving Gold Certification for convention centre performance from AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres). The program standards identified and audited ten key areas, including Customer Service, Quality of Facilities and Operations, Employee Relations, Health, Safety, Security and Emergency Response, Financial Integrity, Community Relations, Environmental Responsibility, Industry Relations and Supplier Relations.
Ottawa Convention Centre was constructed through the funding contributions and support from the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada and the City of Ottawa.