CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island, October 7, 2011 — The Government of Canada is adorned in “gold and green” after the Jean Canfield Building in Charlottetown, P.E.I., received its official Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification. This makes it the first Government of Canada building to receive Gold certification in Atlantic Canada under the category of New Construction or Major Renovations.
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, unveiled the official LEED® plaque at an event today in Charlottetown.
“As the federal Minister Responsible for P.E.I., I am proud to see that our Government is taking an important leadership role to protect the environment, and is achieving real results right here in P.E.I. for today and for a cleaner tomorrow,” said Minister Shea.
The Jean Canfield Building is a showcase for many innovative environmental technologies, and uses natural light to reduce indoor lighting requirements, recycles rainwater to reduce water usage and has a reflective roof to reduce the amount of heat the building absorbs from the atmosphere.
The LEED Green Building Rating System® is an internationally recognized third-party certification program that encourages and recognizes achievements in the environmental design, construction and operation of buildings. The Jean Canfield Building’s LEED® Gold designation recognizes not only that the building’s construction was executed in an environmentally conscious manner, but also that since completion, the facility continues to operate in an efficient manner, minimizing waste and pollution, while fostering a healthy and productive work environment.
The four-storey, 17,500-square-metre facility was officially opened on April 25, 2008, and currently houses approximately 500 federal employees representing more than 10 federal departments and agencies.
The Jean Canfield Building was designed by Bergmark Guimond Hammarlund Jones Architects in joint venture with HOK, and its construction was carried out by Hervé Pomerleau Inc. The design and site preparation were guided by the three Government of Canada initiatives of sustainable development, connectivity and supportive work environments.
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Michelle Bakos
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
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A/Regional Manager, Communications
Public Works and Government Services Canada
902-496-5835
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Backgrounder
Jean Canfield Building, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certification
One of the most environmentally friendly buildings ever constructed by Public Works and Government Services Canada, this four-storey building combines new environmental design features and technologies, while still reflecting the character and historic architecture that is evident throughout downtown Charlottetown. The building is a showcase for environmental technologies and includes the use of natural light to moderate indoor temperatures, recycled rainwater to reduce water consumption and a reflective roof to reduce the amount of heat the building absorbs from the atmosphere.
Three Government of Canada initiatives guided the design and site preparation for the Jean Canfield Building: sustainable development, which minimizes the negative impact on the environment during the design, construction and operation and the maintenance of the building; connectivity, to increase government efficiency and make services to Canadians more accessible; and supportive work environments, to ensure that employees have the space, tools and technology they need to be comfortable, effective and efficient.
Description:
- This four-storey building has a site area of 5,002 m2 and a gross floor area of 17,500 m2.
- The building’s anticipated capacity is 500 employees.
- Tenants of the building include Veterans Affairs Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Service Canada, Environment Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Industry Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Canadian Heritage, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the PEI Federal Council, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Canada School of Public Service.
- This is a $53.8-million project.
Highlights:
- The building has received official certification of LEED® Gold. It is the first Government of Canada building in Atlantic Canada to receive official LEED® Gold certification under the category of New Construction or Major Renovation.
- Since the building is located on a brownfield site in downtown Charlottetown, its environmental footprint is reduced.
- Local recycled and renewable material was used in the building’s construction, resulting in less construction and operating waste.
- Annual consumption of water is reduced through capture, storage and treatment of rainwater for building operations and water efficient fixtures.
- The building uses radiant chilled/heated slabs, rather than cooling or heating the ventilation air only.
- The building’s design incorporates a raised access floor, providing for highly flexible and serviceable building services and eliminating the need for ventilation ductwork.
- The building’s layout is flexible to accommodate future relocations without the need for costly mechanical renovations.
- Operable windows and the use of atrium exhaust allow the building to be naturally ventilated.
- Energy loss through exhausted air is recovered and reused to assist in cooling/heating new incoming air.
- The use of Charlottetown’s District Heating System eliminates the need for fuel-fired boilers.
- Natural and reflective lighting levels, with individual user controls, reduce energy consumption while providing a more productive work environment.
- Daylight harvesting allows for more use of natural light, and occupancy sensors activate lighting only when it is needed.
- Office bays offer daylight/views on both sides and cross-ventilation for maximum productivity and energy savings.
- The building is equipped with a roof-mounted photovoltaic array, which will generate 130,000 watts of electrical power from solar energy. This has the equivalent energy reduction of 80 cars per year.
- Electrical power is purchased for the building from the provincial power grid, which is complemented by wind turbines that yield virtually zero emissions.
- Shared boardrooms, business centres, computer centres, training rooms, mailroom and a learning centre reduce the building’s environmental footprint and operational cost per tenant.
- Community engagement allowed for active involvement of Holland College, the University of Prince Edward Island and local schools.
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