Anyone who follows new construction in Vancouver has probably noticed that there's a growing number of developments making mention of the fact that they're LEED Certified. But what exactly does this mean?
Well, for starters, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Initially developed by the US Green Building Council, LEED standards have subsequently been adopted by similar national organisations around the world.
According to the Canada Green Building Council, LEED certification means that a building project is being developed "with a commitment to sustainability by meeting higher performance standards in environmental responsibility and energy efficiency."
There are five principal LEED categories:
- Sustainable sites
- Water efficiency
- Energy and atmosphere
- Materials and resources
- Indoor environmental quality
Projects are rated within each of these categories, which in turn produces a cumulative LEED score. The highest scoring projects are given a platinum rating, while lower scoring projects will be given gold, silver, or LEED certified status.
As an example, the RFP for the Vancouver Olympic Village requires developers to submit proposals that meet LEED Gold Standard for all buildings, and Platinum Standard for the neighbourhood's community centre. The Pomaria building is also LEED certified, while the City of Vancouver National Works Yard (pictured above) was the first project in BC to achieve gold level certification.
For more information and a helpful summary of what LEED is all about, click here to see what the BC Construction Association has to say to its members.
