Six older Vancouver office buildings have been retrofitted to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, including five at the gold level of the international standard.
All of the buildings are owned and operated by Cadillac Fairview. They are Granville Square at 200 Granville Street, Waterfront Centre at 200 Burrard Street, 701 West Georgia Street and 777 Dunsmuir, all of which are now LEED gold; and the TD Tower at 700 West Georgia, which achieved LEED silver.
Achieving LEED in a retrofit building is considered a challenge, since LEED was primarily designed for new commercial construction.
In order to achieve LEED gold certification the existing buildings underwent an energy audit and a retro-commissioning study. They had to meet strict, measurable benchmarks and earn credits in six categories: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation in operations, explained Tom Knoepfel, senior vice president and portfolio manager, Cadillac Fairview Western Canada.
“Our tenants want greener, more cost effective buildings, and we understand that operating our properties sustainably is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do,” Knoepfel said.
