Canada has been ranked second in the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual List for Top 10 Countries and Regions for LEED certified projects internationally, the Canadian Green Building Council (CAGBC) says.
Since 2005, Canada’s more than 3,200 LEED buildings have supported climate action efforts by reducing 3.24 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 16.7 million eMWh of energy and 30 billion litres of water.
LEED is currently used in 167 countries around the world. The USGBC’s LEED Top 10 list recognizes markets outside the U.S. that are using LEED to create healthier, more sustainable spaces where citizens live, learn, work and play. Canada earned its second-place international ranking for its current total of 46.81 million gross square metres of LEED certified space. Canada has the largest number of certified projects outside the U.S. with 3,254.
China was ranked first on USGBC’s Top 10 Countries and Regions for LEED certified projects list based on 68.83 million gross square metres of space. Canada has more than twice as many LEED certified projects as China’s 1,494. India ranked third on the Top 10 list with 897 certified projects totaling 24.74 million gross metres of space.
“Canada’s top ranking in the world recognizes the leadership of the Canadian green building industry,” CAGBC president and CEO Thomas Mueller said in a statement. “With climate change on everyone’s mind, the newly launched version of LEED makes it easier than ever before to achieve high performance and scale-up market adoption to reduce carbon emissions and increase the resiliency of buildings.”
LEED v4.1 helps project teams meet changing market conditions, including updated energy performance expectations and code requirements, and a growing recognition of the critical importance of addressing carbon pollution. New options and paths ensure LEED continues to drive market transformation by making requirements more broadly achievable.
“Across Canada there are more than 3,250 buildings that serve as examples of how our spaces can be designed to better serve people and the environment,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and chief executive officer, USGBC and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the global certifying body for LEED projects. “The work of companies and green building professionals across the country demonstrate a commitment to improving our quality of life. A better future requires a universal living standard that leaves no one behind – and that future would simply not be possible without the extraordinary work being done in Canada.”
Canada’s LEED certifications in 2018 demonstrate the Canadian market’s leadership globally. Last year saw 313 LEED projects achieve certification, bringing the grand total of certified projects in Canada to 4,025, including homes and neighbourhood developments that were not included in the USGBC data.
Canadian LEED certifications and registrations (combined), to date, are as follows:
Ontario: 3,015
Quebec: 1,643
British Columbia: 1,571
Alberta: 1,194
Atlantic Canada: 378
Manitoba: 282
Saskatchewan: 129
Territories: 24
Additional details about LEED certifications, and their impacts, can be found in CaGBC’s latest LEED Impact Report.
