April 23, 2008

Green Building

New LEED Canada model tracks building performance

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

The Canada Green Building Council is collaborating with leading commercial property owners in development of a new building performance tracking and management model.

Through their participation in the LEED Canada pilot project, owners and managers of commercial buildings are testing the design of new energy measurement, efficiency data analysis tools and web-based delivery.

Building performance baselines will be integrated into the next generation of the green building rating system, to be launched in spring 2009. Provisions will be made for certification at distinct stages of a building’s life cycle to foster continuous improvements in energy and environmental efficiency and an ongoing reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Thomas Mueller, council president and CEO said the CaGBC is conducting the pilot program to ensure that the next generation of LEED fully meets the needs of Canada’s commercial building owners and managers.

“The input and collaboration from pilot participants is instrumental to the design of a system that will support their efforts in the continuous improvement of their building performance,” he said.

The pilot project involves 44 buildings across the country. Canadian Construction Association (CCA) spokesman Jeff Morrison said that while contractors have more of a stake in design and construction of buildings than operations, the council initiative is nevertheless an exciting one.

“I think the big drawback of LEED right now is that it is a one-time measure of a building’s performance at the time of construction,” said the CCA’s director of government relations and public affairs and environment committee secretary.

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