| Without a doubt, the single best and most exciting thing to happen concerning the built environment in Calgary is the arrival of "sustainability." The city adopted a Sustainable Building Policy last September. It requires that new municipal buildings meet or exceed the Silver level of the LEED rating system. LEED is a points-based building rating system for quantifying the "greenness," or sustainability, of building projects. The Canadian version of the LEED standards came into being in December. (Until then, projects going for LEED certification used the U.S. set of standards.)
Calgary was the first Canadian municipality to make LEED mandatory on its building projects. In February, the Crowfoot Public Library became the first LEED-certified building in the city. (The Canmore Civic Centre achieved LEED Silver in January.) There are now several municipal projects pursuing LEED certification. The University of Calgary and Mount Royal College also have projects going for LEED certification. The Acqua and Vento residential projects in The Bridges are going for LEED as well.
There are now more than 250 people in Calgary who have passed an exam that allows them to call themselves "LEED Accredited Professionals" (and I’m proud to say I’m one of them). Kudos to the policymakers, design and engineering professionals, contractors, trades workers and others who have contributed to the arrival of sustainable building practices in Calgary. |
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