First Canadian projects to begin pursuing LEED v4 in 2014
Ottawa, ON – January 29, 2014 – The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is pleased to announce the
availability of the next generation of the LEED rating system, LEED v4 in Canada. The CaGBC will continue to deliver and administer LEED in Canada working with its longstanding partner, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Canadian LEED v4 projects will be certified by CaGBC using LEED Online in collaboration with the Green Building Certification Institute. To ensure LEED v4 will meet the expectations of the Canadian marketplace, CaGBC is actively participating in the LEED International Roundtable and leading development of Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs). The ACPs will provide a streamlined way for Canadian projects to demonstrate compliance with credit requirements. This approach to tailoring LEED to the Canadian market allows CaGBC to speed up the delivery of the new system to market, and make all LEED rating systems available in Canada including those specifically designed for schools, healthcare facilities, data centres and hotels, as well as volume certification.
“We are pleased that LEED will continue to be adapted to Canadian standards and Canadian projects will be certified in Canada,” says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the CaGBC. “LEED v4 presents the next generation of building rating systems with increased emphasis on energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, building performance and material lifecycle assessment. Introducing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) is an important first step toward reducing environmental impacts from materials and enhancing public health.”
In order to facilitate the transition to LEED v4, Canadian projects will still be able to register under the current rating system, LEED Canada 2009 until June 1, 2015. This will give professionals and owners a period of time to learn about and prepare for the new requirements.
“LEED is now the most widely used green building program in the world with Canada being the first international user beginning in 2002. Canada has since grown to be one of the most sophisticated green building markets in the world. The Canadian industry is well positioned to meet the increased stringency of LEED v4, continue to drive innovation, and reduce environmental impacts across the country,” Mueller says.
“Canada’s commercial real estate sector has embraced LEED as the best standard to meet tenant demand for green office space and increase the environmental performance of buildings,” says Andrew McAllan, SVP and Managing Director for Real Estate Management at Oxford Properties Group, and Chair of the CaGBC Board. “At Oxford, we look forward to LEED v4 driving the market forward not only in terms of higher requirements for building performance, but also setting higher standards in materials and design that will impact and improve tenant health and employee productivity.”
The USGBC believes that the launch of LEED v4 in Canada and the renewed commitment with the CaGBC are key to the ongoing success of LEED in North America.
“Over the past 15 years, LEED has fundamentally revolutionized how we design, construct, operate and maintain our buildings and communities,” says Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC. “Because of partners like CaGBC, we’ve made it a global system that is experiencing significant uptake worldwide. Canada’s leadership in the global conversation is a testament to LEED’s flexibility and rigour, and reflective of the close partnership we’ve enjoyed.”
LEED v4 and the Canadian ACPs will be officially launched in Canada at Building Lasting Change 2014, the CaGBC’s annual national conference taking place in Toronto from June 2-4.
About CaGBC
The CaGBC (www.cagbc.org) is the leading national industry organization advancing green building and sustainable community development practices. We work closely with our member organizations who are involved in the design, construction and operation of buildings and homes in an effort to make every building greener. The CaGBC reduces environmental impacts from the built environment through education/training, building certification, performance benchmarking and reporting, advocacy and information sharing. The CaGBC is the license holder for the LEED green building rating system in Canada. In addition to LEED, the CaGBC also supports the Living Building Challenge, Passive House Standard and EcoDistricts in Canada.
For media inquiries, contact:
Renée Rietveld
CaGBC Media Relations
613-288-8075
