Sustainable Office Buildings

As one of the largest landlords in the country and given the major impact buildings have on the environment, the federal government is working to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations related to real property.

To that effect, the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that new office buildings it constructs and that existing office buildings it renovates be at least 30 percent more energy efficient than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. The mid-life refit of the Surrey Taxation Centre in British Columbia is an example of this commitment.

Since April 2005, all new government office buildings have been required to meet Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED - Canada) Gold level. In July 2007, the Government of Canada's Greenstone Building in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories was awarded its Gold certification, and the government anticipates that two other recent projects, the Normand-Maurice Building in Montreal, Quebec and the Jean Canfield Building in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island will meet the requirements for LEED Gold certification.

Also, the Government of Canada is committed to operating and maintaining its existing facilities in the most environmentally responsible manner. In November 2005, Public Works and Government Services Canada announced that it would adopt the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada) Go Green Plus environmental assessment program.  This tool is used to assess and benchmark buildings in several key areas, including energy, water, indoor environment and environmental management. It is also helpful in planning building maintenance projects, by helping predict how they will improve the environmental performance of a building.  The implementation of Go Green Plus in government buildings began in April 2007.

Please visit these Web sites to learn more about our efforts to design and construct environmentally responsible buildings.

• Fit-up Standards
• The Environmentally Responsible Construction and Renovation Handbook
• The Environmentally Responsible Green Office at a Glance
• An Architect's Guide for Sustainable Design of Office Buildings
• BOMA Go Green
• Recognizing Environmental Achievements