Green Building

September 6, 2010

BC Housing complex features Western Canada’s largest solar installation

A recently renovated BC Housing complex in Surrey has become Western Canada’s largest solar energy development.

August 23, 2010

Ontario rolls out GreenPave system for pilot projects

A points-based rating system called GreenPave for environmentally-friendly elements of road paving design is being developed by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

August 18, 2010

U.S. roadbuilding program takes cues from LEED

There’s a roadbuilding project under way in central Oregon that looks like so many others in recent years — creating a four-lane separated highway with a grassy median and wildlife underpasses from a four-lane road without separation.

July 26, 2010

Debating the merits of green, white roofs

Just days after being named U.S. President Barack Obama’s energy secretary, Stephen Chu gave a speech praising reflective white roofs for their energy efficiency, and expressing hopes that white roofs would multiply.

July 7, 2010

Green roofs need adequate leak test systems

The growing popularity of green or living roofs is underscoring the need to have an adequate test system in place to detect leaks that may occur in the protective roof membrane during or after construction.

June 23, 2010

Building commissioning, communication tightly linked, conference told

Commission authorities and agents are more effective when there is greater communication on jobsites with the building owner and end-users, delegates recently learned at the Canada Green Building Council national conference in Vancouver.

June 21, 2010

Alberta School Alternative Procurement project benefitted from early documentation

An Alberta construction team outlined how they designed, commissioned and built 18 LEED schools in Alberta, on a P3 contract, with a month to spare inside a 20-month timeline.

June 16, 2010

Canadian contractors warned about LEED certification failure

There’s a green Sword of Damocles dangling over Canada’s construction industry, delegates attending the “LEEDing the Contractors” session heard at the 2010 Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) national conference held in Vancouver June 8-10.

June 16, 2010

Four EllisDon projects earn LEED certification

EllisDon has announced that four of its projects have achieved LEED certification.

June 14, 2010

LEED certification can carry risk for contractors

Canadian contractors need to be aware of the risk factors associated with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System, says a construction lawyer with one of the country’s leading legal firms.

March 6, 2010

Smith Carter Architects’ office building gets LEED Platinum certification

Smith Carter Architects and Engineers Inc., a Winnipeg-based firm, has received the first LEED Platinum certification for an office building in Manitoba.

March 6, 2010

Thermal Insulation Association of Canada working toward LEED recognition

After two years of discussion with Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), the Thermal Insulation Association of Canada (TIAC) might be a step closer to gaining LEED recognition.

March 6, 2010

Port Alberni BC Hydro building shooting for LEED Gold

BC Hydro is heading for higher ground with the construction of its new 23,000-square-foot facility in Port Alberni. The development is shooting for LEED Gold certification and is aiming to use just a quarter of the energy used in an equivalent building built to current market standards.