Our new office facility is being built to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standard. Once complete, the building will include a number of environmentally friendly features such as the ability to collect rain water for use, a white roof to will keep the building cool, atriums that provide natural light, a system that uses harbour water for heating and cooling, washrooms that make efficient use of water and an energy efficient facade.
The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides comprehensive guidelines for environmentally sustainable construction. The LEED standard provides a clear benchmark for what makes a building "green" as many LEED buildings use significantly less resources than comparable buildings constructed to meet local building codes only. While construction costs can be marginally higher than those for conventional buildings, these initial costs are mitigated by the savings in operating costs following construction.
Construction projects earn points toward LEED certification by meeting or exceeding technical requirements that range from the installation of energy efficiency measures to how close the building is located to public transit routes. Points add up to a final score of one of four possible levels of certification: LEED Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
NS Power’s goal is achieve a LEED Platinum Certification. At a minimum, the building will meet the LEED Gold or Platinum standards once complete.
A number of recent construction projects in Nova Scotia have either been LEED Certified or have been built to LEED standards. They include the NSCC Dartmouth Waterfront Campus and adjacent Centre for the Built Environment, Juno Tower at CFB Stadacona in Halifax and the new Biology Building at Acadia University in Wolfville. The Province of Nova Scotia has also made it mandatory for new government buildings to be built to meet at least the LEED sliver standard.
To learn more about LEED buildings in Canada, visit the Canada Green Building Council’s website.