Building December 2010 January 2011

The

2010 LEED Inventory PLUS: Emerging Trends in Canadian Real Estate Audited Greenhouse Gas Statements Changes to National Construction Codes

www.building.ca December 2010/January 2011 CDN $4.95

N AT I O N A L R E S E A R C H C O U N C I L C A N A D A • C O N S T R U C T I O N

Available NOW! 2010 National Model Construction Codes Building • Fire • Plumbing

The 2010 Codes provide the minimum requirements for safe and healthy built environments, and are used as models for virtually all building and fire regulations in Canada.

The new 2010 Codes: • Include close to 800 technical changes since 2005 • Address technological advances and health and safety concerns • Are indispensable for building, fire and plumbing officials • Are a must-have for construction professionals and educators

Choose from: • Print format (binder and soft cover) • Electronic format (downloadable PDF or online subscription)

Order your 2010 Codes from NRC Construction’s virtual store at www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/virtualstore

Visit www.nationalcodes.ca or call 1-800-672-7990 or 613-993-2463 (Ottawa-Gatineau and U.S.) for more information.

The 2010 National Model Construction Codes are published by National Research Council Canada and prepared under the direction of the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes in partnership with Canada’s provinces and territories.

Coming in February 2011 Free online presentations on the most significant changes in the 2010 Codes. www.nationalcodes.ca BM10

Volume 60 Number 6

december 2010/january 2011

Editor

Peter Sobchak Legal Editor

Jeffrey W. Lem Contributors

Stephen Carpenter, Jim Gallagher, David G. Reiner, Adolfo Silva Art Director

Andrea M. Smith Circulation Manager

Beata Olechnowicz Tel: (416) 442-5600 ext 3543 Reader Services

20

Liz Callaghan Advertising Sales

Greg Paliouras Tel: (416) 510-6808 Email: gpaliouras@Building.ca Senior Publisher

Tom Arkell Vice President, Publishing Business Information Group (BIG)

Alex Papanou

Bruce Creighton Building magazine is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 12 Concord Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Tel: (416) 510-6780 Fax: (416) 510-5140 E-mail: info@building.ca Website: www.building.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATE: Canada: 1 year, $29.95; 2 years, $51.95; 3 years, $63.95 (plus applicable taxes) U.S.: 1 year, $37.95 (U.S. funds) Elsewhere: 1 year, $44.95 (U.S. funds).

BACK ISSUES: Back copies are available for $8 for delivery in Canada, $10 US for delivery in U.S.A. and $15 US overseas. Please send prepayment to Building, 12 Concord Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 or order online at www.building.ca For subscription and back issues inquiries please call 416-442-5600, ext. 3543, e-mail: circulation@ building.ca or go to our website at www.building.ca Please send changes of address to Circulation Department, Building magazine or e-mail to addresses@building.ca NEWSSTAND: For information on Building on newsstands in Canada, call 905-619-6565 Building is indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index

by Micromedia ProQuest Company, Toronto (www.micromedia.com) and National Archive Publishing Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.napubco.com).

Association of Business Publishers 205 East 42nd Street AuditYork, BureauNY of Circulations New 10017

mber of Inc.

Occasionally we make our mailing list available to reputable organizations whose products or services can be of interest to our readers.

If you do not wish to be included, please e-mail or write to us.

Building is published six times a year. Printed in Canada. The content of this ­publication is the property of Building and cannot be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

G.S.T. #890939689RT0001 ISSN 1185-3654 (Print) ISSN 1923-3361 (Online) Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. Customer Number: 2014319 Canada Post Sales Agreement #40069240

Proud member of

27

18

President, Business Information Group (BIG)

Features 11. Teranet’s Amazing Billion Dollar Renewal / How does a 50 year monopoly sound to you? By Jeffrey W. Lem and David G. Reiner

13. Change Begins with Measuring / Audited greenhouse-gas statements are a good way to get a denominator on a building’s environmental performance, and may become mandatory sooner that you think. By Adolfo Silva

14. Emerging Trends in Canadian Real Estate / “In Canada, real estate behaves as advertised; producing steady cash flow–oriented returns without much volatility, but an ownership hold mentality frustrates investors looking for opportunities to buy” according to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2011 forecast from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute.

18. Project of theYear: Southeast False Creek Community Centre / Van­couver has a right to boast: projects that received LEED Canada-NC Platinum certification in 2010 are located in this city or its suburbs. And the best of the best from this noteworthy group, measured by final score, was the Southeast False Creek Community Centre.

20. The 2010 LEED Inventory 27. The Code / The newly-revised 2010 National Model Construction Codes are now available. By Jim Gallagher

Departments 4 Editor’s Notes

6 Upfront

29 Infosource

30 Viewpoint

Cover: Southeast False Creek Community Centre, Vancouver. Image © Michael Elkan Above images courtesy of: Michael Elkan; Enermodal Engineering; National Research Council Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC).

editor’s notes

Follow the bouncing arrows What a year for a New Year.

With a non-stop phalanx of pundits, oracles and soothsayers analyzing, explaining and predicting every blip on the radar tracking our transition out of the newlychristened Great Recession, it can get not only confusing but downright exhausting trying to decode if we are out of the worst of it yet, or if that light at the end of the tunnel is actually the headlamp of an oncoming train. (Am I the only one who thought double-dipping was just something George Costanza did with a tortilla chip at a wake?)

Naturally as 2010 comes to an end, our urge to assess what has happened and speculate on the conditions of the landscape that lays before us in the coming year becomes even more amplified. So what are the eggheads saying about what to expect in 2011? What is the prognosis on our forward progress? In a nutshell, not bad.

Let’s start with the word that is on everyone’s lips — the economy. In its Economic Outlook for 2011, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is saying that the Canadian economy has transitioned into a period of subdued growth. After an initial strong rebound from the recession, Canada’s economy expanded at a sluggish 2.3 per cent annual rate in the second quarter of 2010 and a meager one per cent in the third quarter. “The Canadian economy is chugging along but not at full steam,” says Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Perrin Beatty. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce expects the Bank of Canada to stay on the sidelines until the summer of 2011 and predicts the overnight target rate will reach two per cent by year-end 2011 and three per cent by year-end 2012.

From the real estate side of things, the mood is cautiously optimistic. Canada’s largest institutional and private real estate investors think that the market has reached rock bottom and is on the verge of an upswing, according to Colliers International’s Global Investor Sentiment Survey. The global survey of more than 200 major real estate investors with a total investment portfolio of $710 billion also found respondents are increasingly looking at home and abroad for investment opportunities. And here at home, the majority of

Canadian respondents are looking to expand or rebalance their portfolio. “The relatively sound Canadian economy and its ability to weather the recent recession better than other countries, have increased investors’ confidence and appetite for risk,” says Milton D. Lamb, Chair, National Investment Services, with Colliers International in Canada.

This sentiment is echoed in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2011 forecast from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute (covered more fully in this issue). In Canada, at least, “2011 promises slowing, steady growth and decent prospects for real estate investors as long as the U.S. economy does not drag [us] down.”

Speaking of which, how are the Yanks predicted to do in 2011? After three years of dislocation and unprecedented loss, commercial real estate industry investors and professionals hint at hopeful signs that the deterioration of industry transactions and fundamentals has started to plateau, and early stages of recovery may be imminent, according to both the ULI survey and Deloitte’s Commercial Real Estate Outlook: Top 10 Issues in 2011 – Generating Momentum for Recovery.

Back north of the border, the housing market is expected to see greater stability in 2011, and not a single Canadian city will see house prices fall next year, according to a market forecast by Re/Max, as low inventories prop up prices. The residential real estate brokerage said there will be ‘greater stability’ in the market in 2011, with the national average price forecast to rise by three per cent to $350,000. It expects sales to stall, however, with the same number of homes — about 441,000 — changing hands in 2011 as in 2010.

So what does this all mean? Is it time to break out the bubbly? Well, yes, but only to help us forget the frustration that was 2010. We’re not out of the woods yet, as we are continuously cautioned that these are very uncertain times for the global economy and risks abound. Carefulness and vigilance is necessary to help us navigate the unclear roadmap that lies ahead, for to paraphrase that Chinese curse, we are still living in interesting times. B

Peter Sobchak

4 building

december 2010/january 2011

Building welcomes your opinions.

E-mail your comments to editor@building.ca

Before any property transaction or site assessment, identify your envirnonmental risks...get ERIS. Canada’s BEST source of environmental risk information for real estate

An ERIS Report includes and identifies: • Waste disposal sites • PCB storage sites • Spills • Contaminated sites • Underground tanks • Nearby industrial facilities Information Services include: • Aerial photographs • City Directory Search • Fire Insurance Maps • Property Title Search • Topographic Maps

Visit www.eris.ca

Call toll free: 1-888-245-5460 Email: info@eris.ca

Vicwest MCM decorative walls… welcome to the great indoors Interior solutions built to your specs, ready to install Whether for a lobby, conference room or simply a tastefully appointed interior space, consider Vicwest MCM panels. Available in a wide range of colors and finishes such as marble, granite and wood grain, they are the elegant solution when you need an upscale accent for your interior design challenges.

Expand your design possibilities and talk to your Vicwest representative today… welcome to the great indoors.

Detail of Granite finish

www.vicwest.com

upfront

property values along the Wadi corridor.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, the forty-ninth hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture. The award is presented every three years and selection is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by the Aga Khan. The selection process emphasizes architecture that not only provides for people’s physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural and spiritual expectations.

Whiterock REIT purchases office and industrial properties in the GTA and Montréal

Moriyama & Teshima Planners wins Aga Khan Award for Architecture for largescale Saudi Arabian watershed restoration

TORONTO—Moriyama & Teshima Planners has been awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for its work on the Wadi Hanifah restoration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The award was presented by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Accepting the award were George Stockton, president, Drew Wensley, executive vice-president Moriyama & Teshima Planners and Jason Moriyama, partner Moriyama & Teshima Architects. 19 projects were shortlisted in the 2010 award cycle with five selected as Award recipients.

Located in the middle of the Najd Plateau of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Wadi Hanifa (or Hanifa valley) is the longest and most important valley near Riyadh, a natural water drainage course for an area of over 4,000 square kilometres and a unique geographical feature in this dry region. Until recently, many segments of the valley had been exploited in an aggressive and environmentally destructive manner. Moriyama & Teshima, in joint venture with engineers Buro Happold, successfully developed a design solution that enabled restoration of a 120-km watershed within a 4,032 square kilometre catchment that had become a toxic landfill in the heart of Riyadh.

Results of the Wadi Hanifah include: the development of 53.2 kilometres of roads; six major parks; three lakes; 43 kilometres of recreational trails; the bioremediation of 400,000 cubic metres per day of waste water cleaned and recycled back to the city; the plantation of 35,500 shade trees and 4,500 date palm trees; a reduction of flash floods; the removal of 1,000,000 cubic metres of dumping; a 10-fold increase in

6 building

december 2010/january 2011

TORONTO—Whiterock REIT has acquired an interest in $112 million of multi-tenant office and single-tenant industrial buildings, consisting of a combined 960,000 square feet located in the Greater Toronto Area and Montréal. The majority of these properties will be purchased in partnership with Return on Innovation (ROI) Capital with Whiterock owning a 40 per cent interest and providing property management.

The GTA properties are: 10 Lower Spadina, a seven storey office building totaling approximately 60,000 square feet; 2010 Winston Park Drive, a five storey, 80,000-sq.-ft. office building; 6501-6559 Mississauga Road, with 156,000 square feet of gross leasable area in an office park setting located at the intersection of Erin Mills Parkway and Mississauga Road; and 55 Norfolk Street, with approximately 13,000 square feet and serves as the Royal Bank of Canada branch for the town of Simcoe.

The Montréal properties are: 10001 Metropolitan East Boulevard, a 327,000 square foot, state-of-the-art distribution centre; 1155 Chomedey Boulevard, consisting of 115,000 square feet of gross leasable area; and 1125 50E Avenue, a single tenant state-of-the-art production and storage facility with 211,000 square feet of gross leasable area.

Subsequent to these acquisitions, Whiterock will own and co-own a portfolio that totals approximately 7.4 million square feet across 70 properties.

New multi-tower development project design for False Creek Olympic Village area unveiled

VANCOUVER—The Executive Group of Companies has closed on an agreement with Argo Ventures Inc. to design and build a three tower mixed use project comprising the entire 100 Block section of W. 2nd Ave in the False Creek area of Vancouver, opposite the newly constructed Olympic Village.

The project is being designed to house approximately 500 boutique-style residences in three towers atop an approximately 40,000 square foot lifestyle-oriented retail plaza. A

upfront

feature of the project is anticipated to be a new ergonomically designed LEED Gold children’s daycare component set amid a landscaped green roof setting. Completion date of phase one of the project is anticipated to be mid 2013. The project’s design was first presented to the City of Vancouver by Francl Architects on December 1, 2010 and its construction is subject to all required regulatory land use permits and zoning requirements being obtained.

ics for psychiatry, diagnostic imaging and medical services; and innovative research and academic spaces.

Plenary Health will receive annual payments from the province over a 30-year period. Payments cover construction, building maintenance, lifecycle repair and renewal and project financing. Lifecycle refers to ensuring that heating and cooling systems, windows, floors and roofing structures, for example, are kept in excellent working condition over the 30 year period. The payments are like a fixed-rate mortgage with maintenance and repair expenses included. The total value of the payments to Plenary Health spread over 30 years is approximately $1.196 billion. In present value dollars this is equivalent to approximately $581 million.

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are working with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton to develop the new hospital. Construction will begin in January 2011 and is expected to be completed in summer 2014. Labour will be drawn largely from Hamilton and the surrounding communities and it is expected at the peak of construction more than 650 workers will be on site daily.

The Cutler Property Group acquires Samuelsohn building in Montréal Argo Ventures Inc. initially acquired the property in 2009 after the completion of its successful project financing on the $400 million New Westminster Skytrain station / Azure Plaza 88 development. With its recent acquisition of the historic Sun Tower building near Rogers Arena and their funding participation in the Jameson House, designed by world renowned Foster & Partners Architects, Argo Ventures Inc. has over 1.2 million square feet of assets under its ownership and management.

The Executive Group’s last residential offering launch in Greater Vancouver, called the Parc Exclusive Residences Tower, had over 90 per cent of the homes sell quickly. The design of this current project is anticipated to have all the same components of Executive’s serviced lifestyle concept. It is anticipated pre-sales and leasing for Phase 1 could start as early as September 2011.

Contract awarded for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton West 5th campus

HAMILTON—St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Infra­ structure Ontario announced Plenary Health has signed a contract to design, build, finance and maintain the new West 5th Campus project, signaling that all contractual steps are complete, the financing set and construction can begin.

The new hospital will provide larger, state-of-the-art facilities in order to better support people and families struggling with mental illness and addiction. Highlights of the redevelopment include: approximately 800,000 square feet of new construction; increased capacity of up to 305 inpatient beds and all associated support services; expanded outpatient clin-

MONTRÉAL—The Cutler Property Group has acquired the Samuelsohn Building, comprised of 105,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 35 indoor parking spaces. The building is located at 6930 ave du Parc, Montréal, just north of the Plateau Mont Royal District and one block south of Jean Talon Metro / AMT train station. It is currently leased on a long term basis to Samuelsohn Ltd., manufacturer of fine hand-made gentlemen’s clothing. Samuelsohn Ltd. was founded in 1923 and has been located at the same ave du Parc address since 1947. In 1997 the original building was completely overhauled and expanded.

The investment represents a “paid to wait” redevelopment strategy to eventually benefit from the $1.4 billion new Université de Montréal Outremont Campus located directly adjacent the property. Work began on the new campus in October 2010 with the first building providing 600,000 square feet, scheduled to be completed 2012-2014. building december 2010/january 2011

7

upfront

A planning, design and compliance team has been selected for the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games Athletes’ Village

TORONTO—Infrastructure Ontario, in partnership with Waterfront Toronto, announced the selection of HOK as the leader of the planning, design and compliance (PDC) team responsible for the section of the West Don Lands that will be home to the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village.

HOK, Montgomery Sisam, DTAH, Quadrangle Architects and Populous are in collaboration and are responsible for developing output specifications and preliminary design documents for the project. These documents will form the guidelines and performance requirements within which the successful bidder team must work when preparing the overall design. The Athletes’ Village project will proceed under Infrastructure Ontario’s Alternative Financing and Procurement model whereby risks associated with designing, constructing, and financing the facilities are transferred to the private sector.

The Village will serve as the home-away-from-home for the athletes and officials of the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games, and will increases the pace of the West Don Lands revitalization, which is part of the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. The design for the Athletes’ Village will be based on Waterfront Toronto’s vision for a green, modern and vibrant new community as outlined in the West Don Lands Precinct Plan. After the Games, the village area will become a predominantly residential neighbourhood that includes affordable housing. Creating a green community is a key component of this project, and the legacy buildings of the athletes’ village will be designed to LEED NC – Gold.

Douglas Coupland/Plant Architect team wins Canadian Firefighters Memorial competition

OTTAWA—The National Capital Commission, the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation (CFFF) and the Government of Canada announced the winning concept for the construction of the Canadian Firefighters Memorial which will be erected on LeBreton Flats. The team, comprised of artist Douglas Coupland from Vancouver and Mary Tremain, partner at PLANT Architect Inc. from Toronto, won the Canada-wide competition with their concept “We Were There”.

The jury emphasized that the winning concept will encourage site interactivity and exploration by visitors. The concept addresses all four seasons with a thoughtful vegetation strategy and landscape forms and depicts a sense of renewal over time.

“I wanted the monument to convey deep emotion and simple dignity,” said artist Douglas Coupland. “I want people to eat their lunch there, read, play with their kids, and each time they do so, a small part of themselves will reflect on firefighters and what they

8 building

december 2010/january 2011

do every day when they go to work.”

“We are pleased that after seven years we finally know what the memorial will look like. The Coupland/Plant Architect Inc. design is quite dramatic and a fitting memorial for the more than 1,000 firefighters who died serving their communities in all corners of Canada since the 1840’s,” said Robert Kirkpatrick, president of the CFFF. In the coming months, the concept will be refined to meet the requirements of various federal laws and regulations and approvals by different committees. Construction will begin in the summer of 2011 and the monument should be unveiled in September 2012.

North America’s largest outdoor green wall unveiled in B.C.

VANCOUVER—Green over Grey Designers has completed planting the largest and most biologically diverse outdoor green wall in North America, covering the Semiahmoo Public Library and RCMP Facility in Surrey, B.C. The unique design is nearly 3,000 square feet and consists of over 10,000 individual plants representing more than 120 unique species, and includes ground covers, large perennials, shrubs and small trees.

“The large diversity of plant species chosen creates a balanced ecosystem that is an urban oasis for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds,” says Patrick Poiraud, principal at Green over Grey – Living Walls and Design, the Vancouver-based company designing and constructing the wall and whose previous clients includes developments for the City of Surrey, ING Direct Bank, and The Globe Foundation. “The living wall helps to insulate the building, purify the air and transforms the grey concrete into hundreds of shades of green.” The technology being used is soil-free, and the plants receive water and nutrients from within the vertical support instead of from the ground. It closely mimics how plants grow vertically in nature such as on cliffs, bluffs, tree branches or next to waterfalls. “The initial inspiration for this garden came from the artwork of the Coast Salish (including Semiahmoo) First Nations People,” says designer and artist Mike Weinmaster of Green over Grey. “This will be our first large-scale green wall in Surrey,” says Mayor Dianne Watts.

CEI Architecture wins award for its Vancouver residential development

VANCOUVER—CEI Architecture Planning Interiors has won an international Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies for its design work on a proposed energy-efficient luxury residential site in Vancouver’s Kerrisdale neighbourhood.

upfront

Vancouver-based CEI designed the project together with its joint-venture partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

The client is Emaar Canada.

The four-storey, multiple dwelling at Balaclava Street and West 41st Avenue has been designed to meet the needs of the most rapidly expanding demographic in the Canadian market — young seniors. It was also designed to meet a number of sustain-

able objectives contained in the City of Vancouver’s Ecodensity Charter. The proposed 66-unit project also meets the objectives of the Dunbar Community Vision to allow seniors to remain within the community as they age, or as their housing needs change.

“The award underscores the success of Emaar’s objective of advancing community-based residential projects that will attract empty nesters who wish to remain in their neighbourhoods after moving out of their large, single-family homes. Balaclava is a sustainable solution both in terms of the physical adaptability of the units and of its environmental responsibility,” said John Scott, senior partner at CEI. The ecological footprint of the proposed development will be reduced through the use of features such as sunshades, efficient mechanical and geo-exchange systems. Residents may also have the option of using shared cars, while the development will contain 100 bicycle spaces.

Urban Land Institute announces winners of the 2010 Global Awards for Excellence WASHINGTON D.C.—Five outstanding developments have been selected as winners of the 2010 Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition. The winners are: LA LIVE, Los Angeles; Miasteczko Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland; Rouse Hill Town Centre, Rouse Hill, Australia; The Southern Ridges, Singapore; and Thin Flats, Philadelphia.

The competition is part of the Institute’s Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979, which is based on ULI’s guiding principle that the achievement of excellence in land use practice should be recognized and rewarded. ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/ private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial success.

The winners were announced during the ULI Fall Meeting in

Washington D.C. “While each 2010 winner is unique in craft, they all raise the design standard for their own region of the world,” said 2010 Global Awards for Excellence Jury Chairman Joseph E. Brown, Group Chief Executive of AECOM in San Francisco. “People sometimes think that challenging economic times results in low quality development; however, it often leads to the most creativity and this year’s winners are proof that great projects are still being executed globally.”

The 2010 winners were selected from 19 worldwide finalists, all of whom were winners in their region: The Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. The global awards jury evaluated these projects with additional criteria, including: innovative concepts that can be emulated around the world; strong urban design; response to the surrounding environment; and design that contributes to a livable, sustainable development that demonstrates relevance to the needs of the community.

The 2010 Global Awards for Excellence winners (developers in parentheses): — LA LIVE, Los Angeles, California (AEG): The $2.5 billion LA LIVE is a fivemillion-square-foot entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, creating a 24-hour destination and sparking further private development in a formerly underdeveloped area of the city.The project implements sustainability, mass transit, and a vibrant streetscape while helping to bring over 600 live sports, concerts, major awards telecasts, family shows and corporate events to the 35-acre campus.

— Miasteczko Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland (Prokom Investments with IN-VI Investment Environments development consultant): Miasteczko Wilanów is the ongoing construction of a coherent neighborhood of retail, office, entertainment, and single family homes on 169 hectares within the boundaries of the city of

Warsaw. A long-term project, the midrise, mixed-use, socially inclusive and architecturally-rich street and pedestrian oriented district is now home to over 20,000 residents.

— Rouse Hill Town Centre, Rouse Hill, Australia (The GPT Group): Rouse Hill Town Centre, an ecologically-conscious regional shopping center, features more than 210 retailers, 104 apartments, 2,800 square meters of office space, 10 restaurants, and a cinema. The development incorporates sustainable design, great architecture, retail, and active public spaces to deliver an authentic Australian town centre.

— The Southern Ridges, Singapore (Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore): The Southern Ridges is a nine-kilometre chain of open spaces that

connects the rolling hills of three existing parks. The project, visited by more than a million people since its opening, creates a rare contiguous recreational space in densely populated Singapore.Through careful planning and the innovative use of limited space, the project mixes elevated walkways, nature trails, and bridges to create an attractive public space.

— Thin Flats, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Onion Flats): Certified LEED for Homes Platinum, Thin Flats is an eight-unit infill development in north Philadelphia that uses solar hot water heating, green roofing, and rainwater harvesting to reduce energy consumption by an estimated 50 per cent. The development’s architectural design was inspired by the Philadelphia “Row” home, while reconfiguring the relationship between the interior and exterior. building

december 2010/january 2011

9

upfront

Mergers / Acquisitions NORR expands U.S. design practice

TORONTO—NORR has acquired Chicago-based DM Design Group, which has more than 35 years in the design of hospitality and retail facilities, multi-family and senior housing, education and a wide range of other public sector projects.

Their portfolio includes luxury, boutique, full-service, and select-service hotels, ranging from renovation and conversion to adaptive re-use and new hotel design in low-, mid-, and high-rise configurations.

“NORR’s planned, steady expansion in U.S. regional markets has proven to be a successful strategy, bringing our clients the benefits of additional skills and capacity, with superior local service. The acquisition of DM Design Group adds to our strengths in business sectors that will be increasingly important to the American economy and expands our reach into the Midwest,” says Victor Smith, NORR’s president and president and CEO of its parent organization, the Ingenium Group.

DM Design’s current projects include hospitality work in Asia and a major new prototype project for an international hotel client, including three hotel designs for projects across Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. Ongoing senior housing projects include market rate and affordable developments for independent living, assisted living and supportive living facilities for both profit and not-for-profit clients. DM Design Group will now operate as NORR Illinois Inc., a member of the Ingenium Group of companies, which is a global architecture, engineering, planning and construction organization.

Ingenium Group acquires Archial U.K.

TORONTO—The privately held Ingenium Group has purchased the majority of the U.K. business and assets from the administrators of Archial Group PLC, Archial Holdings Ltd., Archial Architects Ltd., Archial Resources Ltd. and Alsop Sparch Ltd. Archial is an international architectural specialist with public and private-sector clients and employs approximately 300 employees in offices throughout England and Scotland.

“We have been seeking a U.K. company to form the regional base for our international work and…the purchase of Archial is in line with our corporate strategy of focused and measured expansion around the globe,” said Victor Smith, president and CEO, the Ingenium Group. The newly acquired organization has been registered as Ingenium Archial Ltd. and will operate under the name of Archial and Alsop Sparch. Christopher Littlemore will continue as CEO and Victor Smith will take on the role of Executive Chairman.

Diverse and significant projects presently underway include: London’s 251-room Puddle Dock hotel, a multi-faceted Thamesside facility of 27,000 square metres over seven levels; living quarter and leisure facilities for the 800 Shetland construction workers for the new Total E&P UK Limited gas processing plant at Sullom Voe; the £46.5 million Plymouth Life Centre and the flagship Michael Faraday School on the Aylesbury Estate in London.

10 building

december 2010/january 2011

Halsall Associates, Pivotal Projects and Loop Initiatives join Parsons Brinckerhoff

TORONTO — Peter Halsall, chairman of the Halsall group of employee-owned professional services companies, announced that they have become the Canadian operating company of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), a 14,000-person global professional services firm specializing in infrastructure planning, design and program/construction management. The merger includes Halsall Associates, the consulting engineering firm founded in 1956; Pivotal Projects, the national project management company; and Loop Initiatives, the corporate sustainability consulting business.

In communicating the opportunity to employees, Halsall stated, “PB’s values, culture and commitment to being best of market in technical expertise and service delivery mirror ours.

We are joining PB to enhance our ability to generate great career opportunities as we expand our impact.” Halsall, Pivotal and Loop will continue to serve clients through the current executive leadership, project managers and staff.

The Halsall group of companies has over 300 employees in offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Burlington, Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury and Dubai. Parsons Brinckerhoff is the professional services division of Balfour Beatty plc, an international infrastructure group operating in professional services, construction services, support services, and infrastructure investments.

Recently created Canadian mega-firm chooses new name

VANCOUVER — Cohos Evamy, Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden, Mole White Associates, and Office for Urbanism have adopted a new name for their recent merger, and the Canadian architecture, engineering, interior design, planning and urban design mega-firm will now be known collectively as DIALOG, and will be working from studios in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

When asked about moving beyond the original names, firm managing principal Tom Sutherland said, “We believe the most effective way to design and plan for our increasingly complex world is to use a highly collaborative approach, one that brings unique perspectives together, bridges traditional boundaries, and engages clients and their communities. Today we’re putting a name to this shared vision.”

Calgary managing principal, Rob Adamson, underscored the fit of the new name, “Dialogue is the language of collaboration. It’s central to how we work and increasingly important to the world in general. We all need to work together to find the best solutions to the issues at hand.” Toronto principal Jennifer Keesmaat indicated that, “the creation of DIALOG presents an endless range of new opportunities for truly creative collaboration amongst diverse yet like-minded professionals. We’re very enthusiastic about the creative potential.”

“There’s a lot of change afoot in how we’re building our communities,” noted Vancouver principal Joost Bakker. “On the one hand there’s a desire for greater open public engagement while on the other, a shift to a more concentrated and intense building process be it with design-build or P3 initiatives. As DIALOG we are able to seamlessly span and integrate this breadth.”

B

legal

BY JEFFREY W. LEM AND DAVID G. REINER

Teranet’s Amazing Billion Dollar Renewal How does a 50 year monopoly sound to you?

The Ontario government recently announced that it had nego- ing in 2015, so long as the increases are no more than 50 tiated the principal business terms of its renewal of the Teranet per cent of the then corresponding percentage increase in the franchise to provide electronic land registration services in consumer price index over the same period. In theory, since Ontario. As most readers of Building already know, Ontario the annual permitted fee increases after the initial five has the benefit of one of the most sophisticated digitized year moratorium could never exceed 50 per cent of land recording systems in the world, with registration inflation, it follows that the fees would always decline volumes exceeding two million registrations per year and in real terms over the course of the renewal term. Of with more than five million digitized titles throughout course, critics have suggested that the limitations the province. This world-class real estate registraon price increases are illusory because the fees are tion system is managed by Teranet Inc., the incumalready too high to begin with and because, in bent third party service provider owned by Borealis real terms, the cost of registration should in fact Infrastructure, under a monopoly license from be falling over time. the government. Under the recently announced There are apparently also provisions ensuring proposed renewal of this monopoly the province has the ability to share license, Teranet has agreed to in potential windfall profits that pay the province an upfront might be made through a sum of ONE BILLION sale or exceptional busiDOLLARS for an addiness performance, as tional 50 years of the well as commitments monopoly! to continually upgrade In addition to the the technological infrainitial billion dollar lump structure as technolosum payment, there will gies change, but the final also be future annual royalty documentation on how this payments beginning in 2017, starting “upside participation kicker” or the Thinkstockphotos.com at approximately $50 million per annum, “technology innovation covenant” might work and growing in future years thereafter. Not much appears to be has not yet been publicized. different in terms of the arrangement between Teranet and the Teranet was formed in 1991 as a so-called public-private-partMinistry of Government Services, with the Ministry maintaining nership between the Province of Ontario and the private sector to ultimate oversight of the Electronic Land Registration System, as create an electronic land registration system for the province (one it currently does. of the few such “P3 projects” not to involve a building or some The proposed agreement provides for a five-year freeze in other sort of bricks and mortar structure). In August of 2003, registration costs, but allows for limited fee increases start- the Province of Ontario sold its 50 per cent interest in Teranet

Jeffrey W. Lem, B.Comm. (U of T), LL.B. (Osgoode), LL.M. (Osgoode), practises in the areas of commercial real estate and finance with the law firm of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, and has been called to the bar in Ontario, England and Wales. He is an executive member of the Real Property Section of the Ontario Bar Association and is editor-in-chief of the Real Property Reports, published

by Carswell Thomson Professional Publishing.

David G. Reiner, B.Comm. (Concordia), LL.B. (Osgoode) is an associate practising in the area of commercial real estate at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and is called to the Bar in Ontario.

This article provides general information only and is not intended to provide specific legal advice.

Readers should not act or rely on information in this article without seeking specific legal advice on their particular fact situations. building december 2010/january 2011

11

legal

BY BRIAN G. CLARK AND JEFFREY W. LEM

to Teramira (the then other owner of Teranet) for $370 million (but with certain participation rights in future transactions). In June of 2006, the initial public offering of the Teranet Income Fund netted the province additional participation proceeds of approximately $573 million and in November of 2008, Borealis Infrastructure, Teranet’s then current owner, announced its successful takeover bid for the Teranet Income Fund ultimately making it the sole owner of the Teranet system.

Under existing agreements with the province, the Teranetexclusive franchise to operate Ontario’s electronic land registration system was not set to expire until 2017, with the government having until 2014 to decide about a renewal. The government’s decision to renew the franchise a bit earlier than the 2014 deadline was telegraphed on March 25 of this year, when the government, as part of one of its budgetary bills, passed the Electronic Land Registration Services Act giving it authority to enter into such a long term renewal, with royal assent as of May 18, 2010.

As one might expect, there have been concerns for the future of Ontario’s Electronic Land Registration System under such an extended monopoly. Some of the most senior and well-respected members of the real estate bar have criticized the fact that, by introducing the legislation through one of the government’s budgetary bills, the Electronic Land Registration Act passed

12 building

december 2010/january 2011

through the legislature without any real public knowledge, no publicity and no input from the public. Readers interested in the debate should read the excellent articles by Stephen Pearlstein of Minden Gross in the August 27, 2010 edition of The Lawyers Weekly, and by Bob Aaron of Aaron and Aaron in the May 29, 2010 edition of the Toronto Star. Likewise, readers should also consider the observations of Maurizio Romanin set forth in his speech delivered at this year’s Six Minute Real Estate Lawyer conference at the Law Society of Upper Canada, wherein he queried, amongst other things, how a monopoly that has just been extended out 50 more years would ever be incentivized to technologically innovate!

The long process of converting Registry Act titles into Land Titles Conversion Qualified (“LTCQ”) title is now all but completed, with congratulations owing to the Ministry and Teranet for such an impressive conversion record. The province’s entire stock of Registry Act properties has now been converted into LTCQ, save and except for approximately 50,000 “difficult” Registry Act titles. If the Ministry approves more aggressive conversion protocols, Teranet might soon be able to whittle down the orphaned Registry Act titles to approximately 25,000, and if the renewal deal goes through as announced, Teranet will have an extra 50 years in order to do so!

B

MEASURING

CHANGE BWEIGTHINS

Audited greenh ouse-ga denomin s statem ator on ents ar a e a goo building and ma d way t ’s y becom environ o get a mental e mand perform atory so ance, oner th an you think.

By Adolfo Silva “Sustainability” is a word with many shades of meaning. For those of us in corporate real estate, it indicates that you understand your carbon footprint. Specifically, your facility’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We already have forums for businesses to demonstrate their greenness, such as the Dow Jones Sustainability indexes on the New York Stock Exchange and the FTSE Carbon Strategy indexes in London. Both recognize corporations that lead the way in the new carbon economy. I predict that within five years, you’ll see corporations—banks are leading the way— providing not just audited financial statements, but audited GHG inventories as a new measure of performance.

Several forces are driving this trend. First, governments are setting regulations that require large organizations to reduce their GHG emissions. In Canada, our government has implemented regulations that require larger industrial firms, such as the banks, to report GHG emissions and to implement carbon capture programs by 2012. This is part of a program intended to reduce our carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. While the regulations address the bigger firms, their aim is to establish a practice that will trickle down to smaller companies throughout the economy.

Second, performing a GHG audit—and we assist com­panies to do this—turns out to be a good overall evaluator of a firm’s environmental performance. It mon­itors factors such as energy consumption at their facilities, corporate travel and other operations. Undertaking a GHG inventory is a good way to get a denominator on your environmental performance.

With this information, you can easily benchmark your company and compare it against others in your industry. Once you start tracking its performance over time, you can set useful, measurable targets, such as reducing your carbon footprint by half over 10 years.

Third, external, competitive pressures are spurring GHG audits. Giants such as Wal-Mart put strict conditions on their suppliers’ carbon footprint. Wal-Mart wants to see their GHG report. Here and abroad, we’re increasingly seeing companies say to their partners and suppliers, “We’ve played our GHG part. What are you doing?” As an example, I recently met with a client who is designing a new office building. The RFP required not only that it be built to LEED standards, but it asked about the builder’s sustainability plan.

What’s happening as we move down the sustainability path is that it’s no longer good enough for your company to provide green products and services. Your company also needs to have green processes in place.

Many of the companies we’re working for are doing this very quietly because they don’t know where they stand. It’s like the first time you weigh yourself in a long while: you are shy about how bad it might be.

How does this big shift affect corporate real estate? Big players like Cadillac Fairview, Bentall and Oxford now look into their carbon footprints so that they can show the results to prospective tenants and investors. And the big banks, for instance, who are major tenants in these buildings, may want to know the building’s GHG information before they commit to moving in.

In turn, this change has spurred upgrades in building intelligence. Now it is possible to gauge each tenant individually instead of relying on traditional proportionate-share methodology. A 24/7 call-centre operation, for instance, may be a heavy energy user, whereas another tenant has very efficient lighting and barely uses electricity. Why should they pay the same amount per square foot for utilities? Smart metering is essential in the carbon economy. After all, you can only manage what you can measure.

The big picture here is corporate real estate will have to re-adjust and focus. GHG accounting is complex, thanks to the number of stakeholders (owner, manager, tenant), the physical and operational differences among commercial buildings, and whether the property is in the industrial, office or retail sectors.

Organizations need to develop a plan that accommodates these complex calculations.

Fortunately, an excellent source of accounting guidance is at hand, a report from the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac) released in March. Recommended Best Practices in Accounting for GHG Emissions in the Canadian Commercial Real Estate Sector is available as a free download at www.realpac.ca.

B Adolfo Silva, CFM, LEED AP, is principle at Ecovert Sustain­ability Consultants. This article first appeared in Con­nect, the quarterly journal of the Canadian Chapter of CoreNet Global (corenetglobal.org).

Reprinted with permission. building december 2010/january 2011

13

EMERGING TRENDS in Canadian Real Estate “In Canada, real estate behaves as advertised; producing steady cash flow-oriented returns without much volatility, but an ownership hold mentality frustrates investors looking for opportunities to buy.”

Canada barely experienced recession and jolted into a V-shaped recovery. Now, 2011 promises slowing, steady growth and decent prospects for real estate investors as long as the U.S. economy does not drag them down, predicts the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2011 forecast from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute. “Relieved” Canadian property owners and financial institutions cannot help contrasting their reasonably healthy condition with parlous U.S. markets. Fundamentals trend near equilibrium, “employment bounces back,” and banks boast sound balance sheets. Most industries experience growth, including finance and energy, which helps support the service sector. “The domestic consumer has been pushing the economy, and jobs levels bounced back to pre-recession levels. It’s been phenomenal compared to the U.S.”

Investment Prospects

U.S. Connection. Recent experience puts “Canada in a better place” and boosts confidence “that we can escape U.S. problems.”

Always linked to its more populous southern neighbour, the nation “tries to diversify” beyond a dependence on U.S. exports, extending trading relationships to Europe and Asia, particularly China. Still, a weak U.S. greenback and sputtering U.S. economy dampen cross-border commerce, hurting especially Ontario industrial markets, which serve Midwest manufacturing centres.

No Distress. The big difference for Canada has been the sound condition of its banks—“you can get a loan for anything”— since lenders maintained relatively strict underwriting standards and never were sucked into the CMBS maelstrom.

“We have no distress—no distressed banks, no distressed owners, no distressed sales.” Now, rising interest rates coupled with tight bank requirements tamp down a recent homebuying spurt, particularly in Ontario and British Columbia, where purchasers stepped up activity before a new sales tax went into effect.

14 building

december 2010/january 2011

Investment Malaise. For 2011, “fundamentals should be okay, not great.” Capital is back—“all the savvy players have dry powder”—and (as usual) investment opportunities will be limited; institutions dominate the major central city markets, holding on to assets for steady income instead of trading. Emerging Trends respondents exemplify the hold-on mentality: they think it is a good time to buy, but do not want to sell. “Bids are strong,” says a broker, “but nothing’s for sale.” Investors “go crazy because there isn’t anything to buy,” and try to show discipline by walking away rather than overpaying for what is available. They have only slim chances to land discounted bargains—maybe off market in a fringe suburban district or a hotel where the owner has cash-flow problems. In this “compressing cap rate” environment, many deal-starved Canadians will be active in the United States, where

have fear of losing money.” For whatever reasons, the system works, and the country and its consumers have “no credit hole to dig out of.” During the past several years, “very cheap debt” propelled housing prices, but recent government interest rate hikes discourage further bubble formation, and lenders never sold exotic mortgage structures. Overall in 2011, Emerging Trends respondents expect a reasonable balance in debt market capital availability and an oversupply of equity capital, the result of nonsatiated buyers.

Insurers and Pension Funds. A dominant handful of large insurance companies and public pension funds, which link liabilities to steady property cash flows, will continue to command ownership of the country’s trophy commercial assets— downtown office space and regional malls. This story does not change.

REITs. Prices levelled off after strong run-ups in 2009. For 2011, analysts do not see “much room for big gains,” and these stocks should stick close to valuations. Managements “can’t significantly improve cash flow generation,” but returns should be solid.

Foreign Investors. If it is not hard enough for domestic investors to find good acquisition opportunities, foreign players struggle even more to break in. “It’s just hard to buy in Canada with markets dominated by a few players, so offshore investors can’t build portfolios easily.”

Markets to Watch they should have greater opportunity to spend their bankrolls and find higher yields.

Restrained Development. Except in Calgary, Canada’s version of Wild West hot growth, builders have not overstepped.

Imagine: “no large developers have gone bankrupt” in the country. North America’s largest condominium market, Toronto keeps erecting high rises, but a greenbelt boundary to encourage denser neighbourhoods helps support urban residential development. Toronto probably needs to take a breather in new office construction: four major new buildings come on stream. And the country does not need much additional retail space. Ontario typically provides good industrial development opportunities, but until the U.S. economy strengthens, sluggish demand does not support much new building. Pushed by municipal policies and code changes, Canadian developers increasingly buy into green building trends: “Anyone who doesn’t embrace it will be economically imperilled.”

For 2011, major Canadian real estate markets settle in a fair to good investment range, with only modest investment prospects and constrained development potential. Toronto bumps Vancouver from the top ranking in the Emerging Trends survey, while Calgary must hope to recuperate from cooled demand and a touch of development binging. Population continues to concentrate in and around a handful of major 24-hour cores scattered from coast to coast, leaving extremely limited investment opportunities in small cities and rural areas in between. Shut out of primary cores, some investors scrounge for product in select secondary and suburban markets.

Capital in Balance Canadians admirably restrain any national gloating, but they can lay claim to having one of the world’s healthiest capital markets.

“Liquidity is back; no one’s hard pressed.” Except for some hotel owners, few borrowers confront refinancing issues. “In Canada, the real estate industry didn’t get over-levered,” and the markets never suffered any interruption of credit availability. Canadian banks benefit from a combination of institutional risk aversion and relatively stringent government regulation. Bankers prefer to credit their own discipline rather than regulator oversight: “We building december 2010/january 2011

15

Toronto. Canada’s “where-to-be market,” Toronto stands out as a primary North American gateway and the country’s most important economic engine. This vibrant metropolitan area radiates “lots of positives”—the rock-solid Bay Street financial sector and diverse manufacturing industries and service businesses, as well as immigration flows to support growth. “We’re hard to slow down.” Some softness creeps into the office market as major tenants “play musical chairs” and move into new Class AAA development projects. No one gets too worried about vacated buildings because institutional owners will spend the necessary money to upgrade, reposition, and release space into future demand. Market vacancy will not increase materially above the current mid-single digits, and any near-term additional office development will be “small and niche.”

Observers wonder how the condo market just keeps expanding: new apartment projects pop up in all directions, fashioning one of the world’s most expansive vertical skylines. Provincial policies encourage density in high-rise development south of a legislated greenbelt, which pressures demand. “We need approximately 40,000 new housing units to keep pace with population growth, but new projects provide less than 20,000.” Smart money figured out “you can make a ton on infill land parcels,” and anything near transit stations looks like gold. However, opportunities are few: “If you’re already in the game and own, you can make a lot of money; if you’re not, it may be impossible to get in.” Some interviewees worry about flattening apartment rents as a surfeit of condo investors lease out units. High housing prices and immigration flows help make apartments a good bet.

Investors retain interest in buying and holding industrial properties, which should recover from higher-than-average vacancies and rent declines once the United States gets untracked.

Vancouver. “Office and condo markets almost defy logic”; they stay “red hot.” Instead of experiencing a post-Olympics dip, the city caught the attention of well-heeled international visitors, who stuck around and bought apartments after the games. “Everybody wants a view and waterfront location, but not everybody can afford it.” Many wealthy Asians park money and look for a path to eventual citizenship. Institutional investors control the relatively small office market, which enjoys minuscule vacancies. Surrounded by water and mountain vistas, Vancouver’s natural barriers control development and attract investors—a powerful combination. But some interviewees grow uneasy: “The market is artificially inflated; it’s been too hot for too long.”

A new provincial sales tax raises costs and temporarily cools demand for mid-tier housing in some areas outside the core.

Ottawa. Canada’s federal centre offers low risk and little upside. “Nothing much changes.” The government does not downsize, but the Canadian capital will never attract the same lobbying intensity or contractor-related business drawn to Washington, D.C.’s much more vast bureaucracy and military/ life sciences-related enterprises. A new convention centre opens next year and could provide a potential market lift, especially for hotels and retail.

Montreal. Investors tend to short-shrift “slow and steady” Montreal in comparison with Toronto and Vancouver, but the

16 building

december 2010/january 2011

market holds its own. “It’s a good value” with “better yields.”

Besides mainstay Quebec provincial government offices, the city features a fairly diversified economy, including aerospace and financial services.

Edmonton. Edmonton “comes off a boil,” avoiding the level of oversupply that deflates Calgary. Oil services businesses thrive because Canada strengthens its position as a leading supplier of oil and gas to U.S. markets. Locals expect positive impacts to filter through the economy, including employment growth.

Calgary. This market behaves more like a U.S. Sunbelt metro area than the typical Canadian 24-hour city. Sprawl and overbuilding “temporarily” subdue outlooks, but “absorption will come.” Developers retreat in the face of high vacancies and show no appetite for new office projects. Locals put faith in robust commodities markets and U.S. consumption of oil from tar sands. “We may have a dirty process, but not comparable to what happened with BP in the gulf.” Expect spreading hot growth to resume in coming years; voters rejected a high density- development greenbelt modeled after the one in Toronto.

Halifax. Off the radar screens of the big institutions, Halifax muddles along in slow growth mode. The Maritime Provinces fail to draw much new population and industry.

Property Types in Perspective Reflecting modest expectations, property sector ratings improve over last year’s tepid forecasts, especially for apartments and

Industrial. Until U.S. exports increase, expect only “marginal improvement” in warehouse rents and occupancies, which begin to stabilize after a slump. “Owners work hard to fill empty space,” but most are not overleveraged and can persevere through the turbulence. Seemingly insatiable investor demand appears unaffected by market softness. If owners get in trouble, they have ready exits. In Ontario, some warehouse markets outside of Greater Toronto face greater challenges, particularly Windsor.

Hotels. Lodging-sector fundamentals show signs of life, but need a bigger lift from American visitors, who stay closer to home. Some borrowers cry uncle and bail, giving cash investors a rare opportunity for bottom feeding.

Housing. Interviewees expect house prices to level off and soften, possibly slipping five to 10 per cent, after a solid run.

Rising interest rates and higher sales taxes in Ontario and British Columbia douse buyer fervour. The market had taken advantage of “free money”; now it’s time to back off. Overseas purchasers buoy Toronto and Vancouver condo markets.

Best Bets offices. Retail and industrial hold up, but hotels suffer from reduced U.S. tourist travel. Commercial markets promise to deliver cash flow but not much appreciation, while housing prices could ebb after an unsustainable surge. Most investors take heart in consistent metrics from markets, which linger in reasonable equilibrium; it beats write downs, defaults, and foreclosures.

Apartments. Owners do not sell, and buyers bid up any multi-residence deal that comes to market—even older product.

“You can’t wrestle anything away from all the mom-and-pop landlords.” Immigration fuels “high” tenant demand, while operators “fatten bottom lines” with cost controls, and overbuilding is a non-issue. Buying REIT stocks may be the best way to get a piece of this action. Some investors grow concerned about deferred maintenance on aging stock: “You need to factor capex into pricing.”

Office. Occupancies trend well over 90 per cent in all major markets except Calgary, where vacancies settle in the relatively manageable low teens. Even the best U.S. markets cannot come close to approaching these healthy supply / demand fundamentals. Rents generally stay in a narrow range without significant growth drivers. Pension fund owners “don’t like vacancies,” so they willingly make allowances in lease deals. In Canada, office investments behave the way core real estate is advertised, delivering reliable, income-oriented returns.

Retail. Shopping centres lease to capacity: “At two to three per cent vacancies, they’re essentially full.” Low interest rates encouraged higher-than-normal levels of consumer debt, but most Canadians never caught credit fever and avoid going into hock. After only a mild recession, “we have decent consumer confidence and people feel good.” Several U.S. department stores consider expanding across the border—“reinforcing already-strong demand for space”—but find few pad options at potential mall sites. Development activity focuses on small projects in infill areas; urban retail is undersupplied with stores, but land is difficult to find.

Winnow portfolios of select low-yielding assets and reinvest opportunistically in a U.S. market recovery.

Time investments to the market and buy down-but-not-out centre city hotels.

Ditto on struggling industrial properties in the Greater Toronto Area.

Buy apartments if you can find anything available. “They offer the best security.”

Look for underperforming infill retail or commercial space, and position for redevelopment as condos. Canadian cities will continue to grow vertically as planners seek to encourage 24-hour environments.

Husband land sites inside the Toronto greenbelt for future residential development; demand and pricing should continue to increase.

B

building december 2010/january 2011

17

SEFC Community Centre

Photo by Hector Lo

Vancouver has a right to boast: projects that received LEED Canada-NC Platinum certifications in 2010 are located in this city or its suburbs. Even considering the 2010 Winter Olympics as a motivating factor, this is still a significant feat.

And the best of the best from this noteworthy group, measured by final score, was the Southeast False Creek Community Centre.

18 building

december 2010/january 2011

Southeast False Creek has played a significant role in Vancouver’s history, with many key industries that helped build the city over the past hundred years crowding the shoreline, such as sawmills, foundries, shipbuilders, rail yards, metal works, salt distributors, and warehouses.

Until recently, it was also home to the City’s public works yard.

Now, this former industrial wasteland is home to a shining jewel in the crown of Vancouver’s environmentally-sustainable skyline — the SEFC Community Centre, which is not only a signature building designed for a nascent community blossoming on the waterfront, but also the recipient of the highest LEED Canada-NC Platinum score in 2010 (as of the CaGBC list released November 30th) with 54 point out of a possible 70.

During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games the building was used as office space for the Olympic and Paralympic mayor, management staff and Four Host First Nations. Now the 45,500-sq.-ft. facility is a two-level community centre, a child-care facility, non-power boating centre and also includes space for a two-level restaurant. “Sustainable design was a priority for the project and LEED accreditation was the means chosen to achieve this goal,” says Walter Francl, of Walter Francl Architecture Inc., Principal in Charge for this project. “LEED Platinum accreditation was the project goal, to exceed the City mandate that all new major facilities are to be designed to LEED Gold standards.”

The long sloping roof line and a cladding palette of zinc and glass provide a unified coherence to the building form that recalls the industrial heritage of the site. Day lighting of the building interior, solar powered mechanical systems, collection and re-use of rainwater were among the design strategies incorporated into the new centre.

The building links the community to a plaza on its waterfront setting, through a tall glazed atrium passage. The curving arc and glazed façade of the building embraces this plaza, and is both animated by and reveals the programs and activities within the centre. The gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, fitness and daycare uses are showcased to the community and enjoy views to both the street and the waterfront.

A prominent feature on the False Creek waterfront, it presents to the residential neighbours across the street a low profile with a variety of surface treatments including green roofs and lots of glass offering

Photography: © Michael Elkan

Project of the Year

Previous page and below: The long sloping roof line and a cladding palette of zinc and glass recall the industrial heritage of the site. Far left: On the waterfront, the building encloses a sweeping courtyard. Centre: A solar array, landscaped green roof and rainwater collection system were among the design strategies incorporated into the new centre.

Photo by Scott C. Mitchell

views into the life of the community centre. On the waterfront and adjacent to the seawall, the building encloses in a graceful sweep a courtyard for multiple outdoor programming. The seawall skirts the north side of the building and provides easy access for cyclists and pedestrians, and the north side of the facility provides sweeping views of False Creek and the North Shore mountains.

Features that helped the SEFC Community Centre achieve LEED Canada-NC Platinum accreditation includes:

Sustainable sites: educed parking capacity, to encourage people to use bicycles R and public transit; Reduced heat island effect through the use of green roofing and reducing hard surfaces on the site; A charging station has been installed for electric vehicles; Existing contaminated site has been remediated and redeveloped.

Water efficiency: ater consumption reduced by 30 per cent by installing low W consumption fixtures such as dual flush toilets and metering electronic faucets; Rainwater is collected and stored in the parkade in three storage tanks and is used to flush toilets and irrigate the landscaping.

Energy and Atmosphere: he Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) is a community T energy system that will provide space heating and domestic hot water to all buildings within SEFC. The NEU will draw from sustainable heat sources to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions versus conventional building developments. The first phase of NEU development will recover waste heat from the municipal sewer system to serve more than 40 SEFC buildings; Best practice commissioning will be done through third-party commissioning agency KD Engineering; “Green power” is being purchased to meet 50 per cent of the total electrical consumption of the centre; A solar array has been installed on the roof to provide cooling for the building through the use of an absorption chiller and also heating;

Photography: © Michael Elkan

Photography: © Michael Elkan

easurement and verification strategies have been put in M place, in order to accurately measure building energy use and optimize / improve over time.

Materials and Resources: 7 5 per cent of construction waste was diverted from landfills; 15 per cent of the materials used in the building are recycled; 20 per cent of building materials are regionally sourced.

Innovation and Design Process: s part of on-going sustainability education for the public, A online resources and printed brochures describe sustainability features incorporated into the facility’s design. Storage, collection and separation of recyclables, including composting on site, are provided. The on-going operation of the building will include the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Indoor environmental quality: hermal comfort, day lighting and views were the focus here.

T Operable windows and daylight have been provided in all program spaces and offices. The corridors are day-lit to reduce the need for lighting the circulation and gathering spaces when the centre is open.

B Architect: Walter Francl Architecture Inc. / Nick Milcovich Architects Inc. / Arthur Erickson Site Architect: Merrick Architecture Client Group: Millennium Development / Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation / City of Vancouver Owner’s Representative: Tidball Projects Landscape Architect: Durante Kreuk Ltd. Sustainability Consultants: Resource Rethinking Building (design) / Recollective (construction) Certified Professional: Pioneer Consultants Ltd. Structural Engineer: Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers Mechanical Engineer: Cobalt Engineering Electrical Engineer: Acumen Engineering Security Consultant: Acumen Engineering Ltd. Envelope Consultant: Morrison Hershfield Limited Civil Consultant: Vector Engineering Services Ltd. Signage Consultant: Letterbox Design Cost Consultants: Hanscomb Limited (design) / BTY Group (construction) Geotechnical Consultant: Geopacific Consulting Ltd. Acoustic Consultant: BKL Consultants Ltd. General Contractor: MetroCan Construction Ltd.

building december 2010/january 2011

19

The LEED 2010 Inventory DISCOVERY PARK BUILDING 12 City: Burnaby, BC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 5-Jan-10 Area (m2): 13,935 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of Discovery Parks

5750 EXPLORER DRIVE City: Mississauga, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 5-Jan-10 Area (m2): 10,320 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial FIRST CAPITAL-PLATEAU DES GRIVES – BLDG 6 City: Gatineau, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Certified Cert. Date: 6-Jan-10 Area (m2): 423 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial MEC BURLINGTON City: Burlington, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 6-Jan-10 Area (m2): 2,501 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial FIRST CAPITAL-PLATEAU DES GRIVES – BLDG 7 City: Gatineau, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Certified Cert. Date: 13-Jan-10 Area (m2): 1,431 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial ROYAL BANK PLAZA City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED-EB v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 18-Jan-10

20 building

december 2010/january 2011

OIL & GAS COMMISSION CORPORATE OFFICE City: Victoria, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 29-Jan-10 Area (m2): 1,268 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Area (m2): 193,944 Building Type: Mixed Use Owner Type: Commercial NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, BC Rating System: LEED-CI v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 19-Jan-10 Area (m2): 1,566 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE REFRIGERATION BUILDING City: Whistler, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Feb-10 Area (m2): 708 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Nonprofit

FIRST CAPITAL-PLATEAU DES GRIVES – BLDG 5 City: Gatineau, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Certified Cert. Date: 25-Jan-10 Area (m2): 876 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial RICHMOND OLYMPIC OVAL City: Richmond, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 29-Jan-10 Area (m2): 46,906 Building Type: Sports Facility Owner Type: Government - Local

Photo courtesy of Stantec

FIRST CAPITAL – ST-DAVID WEST -BLDG 3-PH.2 City: Beauport, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Silver Cert. Date: 3-Feb-10 Area (m2): 824 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of Canon Design

2010 LEED Certifications 2010 LEED Certifications

107 85

(as of Nov. 10)

TS

ROJEC TOTAL P

cts da Proje ED Cana Total LE

(CaGBC

(as of Nov. 10)

)

certified

Rating Systems VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE EXPANSION City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 8-Feb-10 Area (m2): 108,250 Building Type: Assembly Owner Type: Government – Provincial

Rating Systems 3

LEED-EB v2 (through USGBC)

1

LEED-EB v2 (through USGBC)

16

LEED-CS v2 (through USGBC)

2

LEED-CI v2 (through USGBC)

3

LEED Canada-Existing Buildings: Operation & Management (EB:O&M)

12

LEED CanadaCommercial Interiors (CI)

Photo courtesy of Stantec

SWAN VALLEY CREDIT UNION HEAD OFFICE & MAIN BRANCH City: Swan River, MB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 8-Feb-10 Area (m2): 2,069 Building Type: Bank / Credit Union Owner Type: Commercial TROUT LAKE ICE RINK City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 9-Feb-10 Area (m2): 5,264 Building Type: Sports Facility Owner Type: Government – Local

Photo courtesy of the City of Vancouver Parks Department

AIRPORT EXECUTIVE PARK – BUILDING 6 City: Richmond, BC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 11-Feb-10 Area (m2): 6,330 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial MULTILOCATIF BUREAU ANGUS PHASE 7 City: Montréal, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 11-Feb-10 Area (m2): 4,774 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 11-Feb-10 Area (m2): 18,592 Building Type: Mixed Use Owner Type: Commercial

68

2

LEED CanadaNew Construction (NC)

LEED CanadaCore & Shell (CS)

COLLEGE OF LAW EXPANSION PROJECT (AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN) City: Saskatoon, SK Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 4-Mar-10 Area (m2): 3,041 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College

KAMLOOPS TRANSPORTATION BUILDING City: Kamloops, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 18-Mar-10 Area (m2): 3,203 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

FIRST CAPITAL – SOUMANDE – BATIMENT 1 City: Québec, QC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Silver Cert. Date: 9-Mar-10 Area (m2): 413 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

BANK OF MONTREAL, KINGSTON ROAD AND SALEM, AJAX City: Ajax, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 18-Mar-10 Area (m2): 498 Building Type: Bank / Credit Union Owner Type: Commercial

BOWMANVILLE HOME DEPOT CANADA STORE # 7240 City: Bowmanville, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 16-Mar-10 Area (m2): 9,141 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

BANK OF MONTREAL, DUNDAS AND THIRD LINE, OAKVILLE City: Oakville, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 18-Mar-10 Area (m2): 545 Building Type: Bank / Credit Union Owner Type: Commercial

IHS CALGARY OFFICE City: Calgary, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Gold Cert. Date: 16-Mar-10 Area (m2): 5,674 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

CZORNY ALZHEIMER CENTRE City: Surrey, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 19-Mar-10 Area (m2): 3,107 Building Type: Nursing Home / Extended Care Facility Owner Type: Public Health NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, ON Rating System: LEED-EB:O&M Level: Gold Cert. Date: 22-Mar-10 Area (m2): 130,725 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo © BKDI Architects

building december 2010/january 2011

21

Building Type

FUTURE SHOP–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON City: Edmonton, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 23-Mar-10 Area (m2): 4,863 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

Building Type

POMARIA City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 25-Mar-10 Area (m2): 16,072 Building Type: High-Rise Multi-Unit Residential (>10 Storeys) Owner Type: Commercial SAANICH CENTENNIAL LIBRARY City: Victoria, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 6-Apr-10 Area (m2): 1,400 Building Type: Library Owner Type: Government – Local LE NOUVEAU SIÈGE SOCIAL CANADIEN DE GE CAPITAL City: Montréal, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Silver Cert. Date: 6-Apr-10 Area (m2): 6,580 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial MCCLEARY COURT COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRE City: Vaughan, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 7-Apr-10 Area (m2): 800 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Government – Local

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

35 Office Building

14 Retail

13 Residential

9 Other

CASERNE DE POMPIER NO 5, 535 GRÉBER GATINEAU City: Gatineau, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 9-Apr-10 Area (m2): 2,805 Building Type: Public Safety (Firehall, Police Station) Owner Type: Government – Local ABBOTSFORD SHOPPING CENTRE City: Abbotsford, BC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Silver Cert. Date: 19-Apr-10 Area (m2): 2,787 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial CENTRE DE TRI DE MATIÈRES RECYCLABLES DE TERREBONNE – TRICENTRIS City: Terrabonne, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 22-Apr-10 Area (m2): 4,452 Building Type: Industrial / Manufacturing Owner Type: Commercial

SUMMERLAND WATER TREATMENT PLANT City: Summerland, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 7-Apr-10 Area (m2): 2,800 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Government – Local

85 ENTERPRISE BLVD OFFICE DEVELOPMENT City: Markham, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 26-Apr-10 Area (m2): 14,105 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Certified Cert. Date: 9-Apr-10 Area (m2): 246 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

2100 DERRY ROAD WEST City: Mississauga, ON Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 26-Apr-10 Area (m2): 10,293 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

22 building

december 2010/january 2011

8 Lecture Hall / Classroom

8 6 Assembly / Daycare / Community School / Centre / Library Sports Facility

5 Mixed Use

5 4 Bank / Industrial / Credit Manufacturing Union

RANKIN SCHOOL OF THE NARROWS City: Iona, NS Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 26-Apr-10 Area (m2): 3,198 Building Type: K-9 School Owner Type: School Board INVESCO ENTERPRISE SERVICES City: Charlottetown, PEI Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Certified Cert. Date: 27-Apr-10 Area (m2): 3,901 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 28-Apr-10 Area (m2): 808 Building Type: Community Centre Owner Type: Government – Local BAY ADELAIDE CENTRE – WEST TOWER City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CS Level: Gold Cert. Date: 5-May-10 Area (m2): 125,844 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

25 20 15

ICKERING HOME DEPOT STORE # 7238 City: Pickering, ON 10 LEED Canada-NC Rating System: Level: Certified Cert. Date:57-May-10 Area (m2): 10,896 Building Type: 0 Retail Owner Type: Commercial ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO – YORK RESEARCH TOWER (AT YORK UNIVERSITY) City: Markham, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 10-May-10 Area (m2): 23,129 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: University / College BURKE SCIENCE BUILDING (AT MCMASTER UNIVERSITY) City: Hamilton, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 10-May-10 Area (m2): 14,578 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

FRIENDSHIP LODGE City: Prince George, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 10-May-10 Area (m2): 2,119 Building Type: Low-Rise Multi-Unit Residential (≤3 stories) Owner Type: Nonprofit COASTAL FORD VANCOUVER City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 20-May-10 Area (m2): 6,035 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial WATERFRONT CAMPUS – NOVA SCOTIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE City: Dartmouth, NS Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 20-May-10 Area (m2): 24,805 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College 77 KING STREET WEST (THE CADILLAC FAIRVIEW CORPORATION LTD.) City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada EB:O&M Level: Gold Cert. Date: 25-May-10

NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, BC Rating System: LEED-CI v2 Level: Silver Cert. Date: 11-Jun-10 Area (m2): 4,143 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

Area (m2): 118,734 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial K-ROCK CENTRE City: Kingston, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 25-May-10 Area (m2): 12,452 Building Type: Sports Facility Owner Type: Government - Local MILLENNIUM WATER – 1616 COLUMBIA STREET (PARCEL 3) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Jun-10 Area (m2): 19,311 Building Type: High-Rise Multi-Unit Residential (>10 Storeys) Owner Type: Commercial MILLENNIUM WATER – 181 ATHLETES WAY (PARCEL 4) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Jun-10 Area (m2): 16,637 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial MILLENNIUM WATER – 1625 MANITOBA STREET (PARCEL 6) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Jun-10 Area (m2): 16,580 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial MILLENNIUM WATER – 1661 ONTARIO STREET (PARCEL 9) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Jun-10 Area (m2): 3,926 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial MILLENNIUM WATER – 1633 ONTARIO STREET (PARCEL 10) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Jun-10 Area (m2): 25,165 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial STRATFORD TOYOTA City: Stratford, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 9-Jun-10 Area (m2): 2,130 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial

GEORGE HEYMAN UNION ORGANIZING CENTRE City: Langley, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 15-Jun-10 Area (m2): 1,176 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Other GLOBAL HEAD OFFICE – ROLF C. HAGEN INC. City: Baie d’Urfée, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 15-Jun-10 Area (m2): 5,686 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial 2050 DERRY ROAD WEST City: Mississauga, ON Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 17-Jun-10 Area (m2): 11,964 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial MCKENZIE TOWNE PLAZA City: Calgary, AB Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Certified Cert. Date: 21-Jun-10 Area (m2): 2,764 Building Type: Retail Owner Type: Commercial INNISFIL RECREATIONAL COMPLEX City: Innisfil, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 22-Jun-10 Area (m2): 13,046 Building Type: Sports Facility Owner Type: Government – Local

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

GOOD SAMARITAN CANADA, VICTORIA HEIGHTS ASSISTED LIVING City: New Westminster, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 23-Jun-10 Area (m2): 8,668 Building Type: Mixed Use Owner Type: Public Health

building december 2010/january 2011

23

Rating Level 3115 HARVESTER ROAD City: Burlington, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CS Level: Silver Cert. Date: 29-Jun-10 Area (m2): 7,934 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

SIGNAL HILL FIRE STATION #33 City: Calgary, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 22-Jul-10 Area (m2): 1,566 Building Type: Public Safety (Firehall, Police Station) Owner Type: Government – Local NAME WITHHELD AT REQUEST OF OWNER City: Withheld, AB Rating System: LEED-EB:O&M Level: Gold Cert. Date: 27-Jul-10 Area (m2): 95,756 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

AISLING DISCOVERIES TPAS GREEN PROGRAM City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Silver Cert. Date: 7-Jul-10 Area (m2): 1,394 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Nonprofit CHARLES DICKENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 9-Jul-10 Area (m2): 5,020 Building Type: K-9 School Owner Type: School Board

COMMERCE SOUTH OFFICE PARK – BUILDING D City: Edmonton, AB Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Certified Cert. Date: 14-Jul-10 Area (m2): 7,241 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial NORTH CARIBOO COMMUNITY CAMPUS (QUESNEL) City: Quesnel, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 19-Jul-10 Area (m2): 4,460 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College

24 building

december 2010/january 2011

6 Platinum 47 Gold

STREETSVILLE BUS FACILITY City: Mississauga, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 29-Jul-10 Area (m2): 20,264 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Government – Provincial NICKEL RIM SOUTH MINE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING City: Garson, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 4-Aug-10 Area (m2): 5,500 Building Type: Mixed Use Owner Type: Commercial

HUMANSCALE TORONTO SHOWROOM City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Gold Cert. Date: 12-Jul-10 Area (m2): 558 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial WHISTLER PUBLIC LIBRARY City: Whistler, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 13-Jul-10 Area (m2): 1,405 Building Type: Library Owner Type: Government – Local

Rating Level

19 Certified

35 Silver

CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTRE City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 13-Aug-10 Area (m2): 4,227 Building Type: Community Centre Owner Type: Government – Local SEFC PARCEL 2 (MILLENNIUM WATER / CITY OF VANCOUVER HOUSING) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 13-Aug-10 Area (m2): 25,992 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of NRB Inc.

ASSINIBOINE CREDIT UNION – FORT RICHMOND BRANCH City: Winnipeg, MB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 11-Aug-10 Area (m2): 609 Building Type: Bank / Credit Union Owner Type: Commercial CITY OF VANCOUVER HOUSING – NET ZERO BUILDING (SEFC PARCEL 9) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 13-Aug-10 Area (m2): 4,489 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Government - Local

SEFC PARCEL 5 (MILLENNIUM WATER / CITY OF VANCOUVER HOUSING) City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 13-Aug-10 Area (m2): 17,581 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS BUILDING (AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA) City: Victoria, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 19-Aug-10 Area (m2): 9,094 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College CROSS ROADS City: Vancouver, BC Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 31-Aug-10

Area (m2): 27,128 Building Type: Mixed Use Owner Type: Commercial CENTRE DE DISTRIBUTION DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES City: Trois-Rivières, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Sep-10 Area (m2): 13,677 Building Type: Industrial / Manufacturing Owner Type: Commercial SUN LIFE FINANCIAL TOWER (150 KING STREET WEST) City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada EB:O&M Level: Gold Cert. Date: 2-Sep-10 Area (m2): 63,295 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial COMMUNITY ENERGY CENTRE City: Sherwood Park, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 8-Sep-10 Area (m2): 512 Building Type: Industrial / Manufacturing Owner Type: Government - Local LEEDER PLACE FAMILY SHELTER City: East Gwillimbury, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 8-Sep-10 Area (m2): 1,185 Building Type: Low-Rise Multi-Unit Residential (≤3 stories) Owner Type: Government - Local RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DU SIÈGE SOCIAL DE GAZ MÉTRO City: Montréal, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Silver Cert. Date: 8-Sep-10 Area (m2): 16,853 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION City: Kleinburg, ON Rating System: LEED Canada EB:O&M Level: Silver Cert. Date: 10-Sep-10 Area (m2): 9,919 Building Type: Other Owner Type: Government – Provincial

SITQ INC. LE 1000 DE LA GAUCHETIERE City: Montréal, QC Rating System: LEED-EB:O&M Level: Certified Cert. Date: 21-Sep-10 Area (m2): 134,754 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

THE RENAISSANCE OF RICHMOND HILL City: Richmond Hill, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 13-Sep-10 Area (m2): 16,546 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Commercial

TOM TAYLOR PLACE City: Newmarket, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 22-Sep-10 Area (m2): 4,781 Building Type: Mid-rise multi-unit residential (>3<10 storeys) Owner Type: Government – Local

WILLIAM P. WILDER ARENA AND SPORTS COMPLEX City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 14-Sep-10 Area (m2): 7,313 Building Type: Sports Facility Owner Type: University / College

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

BILL CROTHERS SECONDARY SCHOOL City: Markham, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 28-Sep-10 Area (m2): 20,603 Building Type: High School Owner Type: School Board

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

CIBC TRINITY SQUARE City: Toronto, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Silver Cert. Date: 20-Sep-10 Area (m2): 3,716 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial BD-CANADA CORPORATE OFFICES City: Mississauga, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Gold Cert. Date: 21-Sep-10 Area (m2): 5,555 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of Brenda Liu Photography

Owner Type Owner Type 2

Public Health

3

1

Other

Nonprofit

14

School Board / University / College

67

20

Commercial

Government (Local, Provincial) Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

building december 2010/january 2011

25

Rating Level Province 37

Omtario

Cert. Date: 2-Nov-10 Area (m2): 11,671 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College

34

British Columbia

17

Quebec

11

Alberta

4

Manitoba

Photo courtesy of Enermodal Engineering

35

Nova Scotia

2

Saskatchewan

1

PEI

1

40

TELUS HOUSE OTTAWA City: Ottawa, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 28-Sep-10 Area (m2): 14,555 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

AD VALOREM PLACE City: Calgary, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Silver Cert. Date: 5-Nov-10 Area (m2): 7,689 Building Type: Office building Owner Type: Government – Local RBC PORTAGE AND EDMONTON BRANCH City: Winnipeg, MB Rating System: LEED Canada-CI Level: Gold Cert. Date: 20-Oct-10 Area (m2): 792 Building Type: Bank / Credit Union Owner Type: Commercial 10830 JASPER AVE PROFESSIONAL BUILDING City: Edmonton, AB Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Gold Cert. Date: 21-Oct-10 Area (m2): 22,160 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial

Photo courtesy of TELUS

METRO VANCOUVER WTEF ADMINISTRATION BUILDING UPGRADE City: Burnaby, BC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Platinum Cert. Date: 29-Sep-10 Area (m2): 412 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial CENTRE DE DISTRIBUTION MONTRÉAL – AKZO NOBEL City: St-Hubert (Longueuil), QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 18-Oct-10 Area (m2): 18,838 Building Type: Industrial / Manufacturing Owner Type: Commercial

CENTRE FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES City: Brampton, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 21-Oct-10 Area (m2): 7,958 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College COMMERCE SOUTH OFFICE PARK – BUILDING E City: Edmonton, AB Rating System: LEED-CS v2 Level: Silver Cert. Date: 1-Nov-10 Area (m2): 6,334 Building Type: Office Building Owner Type: Commercial ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY BUILDING (AT MCMASTER UNIVERSITY) City: Hamilton, ON Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold

Photo courtesy of the City of Calgary

CAMPUS BELL – MONTRÉAL City: Montréal, QC Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Certified Cert. Date: 5-Nov-10 Area (m2): 54,811 Building Type: Office building Owner Type: Commercial UWSA DAYCARE (AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG) City: Winnipeg, MB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Silver Cert. Date: 9-Nov-10 Area (m2): 1,000 Building Type: Daycare Owner Type: University / College UCVM CLINICAL SKILLS BUILDING (AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY) City: Calgary, AB Rating System: LEED Canada-NC Level: Gold Cert. Date: 10-Nov-10 Area (m2): 8,182 Building Type: Lecture Hall / Classroom Owner Type: University / College

Source: Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). Data ending November 10, 2010 Note: CaGBC certifies all projects noted under LEED Canada (NC, CI, or CS) and LEED-BC. LEED-NC v2, LEED-CI, LEED-CS and LEED-EB projects are certified under US Green Building Council (USGBC). Some Canadian projects certify under the USGBC due to the fact that until CaGBC releases a rating system under which specific project types can certify, Canadian projects are welcome to certify under USGBC. Once CaGBC releases an equivalent rating system under which these projects can certify, all new Canadian projects of that project type are required to register and certify under CaGBC.

26 building

december 2010/january 2011

CODE THE

By Jim Gallagher

2010 National Model Construction Codes hit the streets The 2010 editions of the National Model Construction Codes were recently published after five years of close collaboration between the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, the provinces and territories, the construction industry and the public at large. The new codes retain the objective-based format introduced with the 2005 editions and contain almost 800 technical changes that reflect technological advances and health and safety issues raised since that time.

Published by the National Research Council Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC), the model codes comprise the National Building Code (NBC), the National Fire Code (NFC) and the National Plumbing Code (NPC). They are the basis for virtually all building and fire regulations in Canada.

The technical changes were reviewed, validated and approved in the exhaustive, consensus-based process of consultation that is a hallmark of Canada’s national code development system.

While the thought of 800 changes might seem daunting, most are modest. Some are significant and pertain to structural safety and fire protection.

NBC CHANGES

Structural Safety The 2010 NBC introduces changes to requirements in Part 4 dealing with live loads due to use and occupancy. The minimum live loads for arenas, grandstands and stadiums having fixed seats with backs were reduced and differentiated from the live loads for those areas typically associated with assembly use or exiting. The same principle was extended to include churches, lecture halls and theatres. Crane and vehicle loads are more explicitly defined, clearing the way for design to meet need much more closely.

The NBC recognizes wind as a major force or load on tall buildings and is of special concern for structures with long periods of vibration. Part 4 now requires that very tall buildings be designed by what are called experimental methods.

In geographic areas of high risk for wind and earthquakes, safety issues for NBC Part 9 residential began to surface with the trend to open-concept construction, the practice of building on narrow lots, and the use of big windows. These changes

meant there were fewer and lighter supporting walls in certain faces of buildings, and fewer interior walls, causing the structure to wrack or sway from side to side. To address this problem, new requirements for bracing and lateral load resistance were added to Part 9, applying mostly to high risk areas, for example, earthquake design for structures on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia . For these areas, prescriptive requirements have been added to Part 9 so that builders can incorporate adequate lateral load resistance without the need for further structural engineering design. These include constructing walls using “braced wall panels” in “braced wall bands” that are continuous horizontally and vertically throughout the building. The panels and bands extend from the top of the supporting foundation, slab or sub-floor to the roof framing above.

The requirements specify the number and type of walls needed and the spacing and materials that can be used.

Fire Safety Measures have been introduced in Parts 3 and 9 to improve fire safety in residential occupancies. In addition to the requirements for interconnected smoke alarms on each storey of a residential occupancy, interconnected smoke alarms must now be installed in each bedroom. These smoke alarms must be equipped with a battery back-up in addition to being hardwired. Audibility signals are now based on the standard evacuation signal conforming to ISO 8201. This is a continuous temporal pattern, consisting of three short blasts, then a pause, followed by another three blasts.

This pattern has been shown to be as much as four times more effective in waking very old and very young occupants.

Parts 3 and 9 now require that exit signs in new buildings be in pictogram form, green on white. The requirement follows an ISO standard and unlike the old format, using red lettering on white (Exit/Sortie), such signage is not dependent on literacy.

This change reflects the international trend for exit signs and is more universally recognized.

The NBC has added definitions and clarifications to Parts 3 and 9 to improve the understanding of fire stops and fire blocks and the importance of sealing pipe and duct penetra building december 2010/january 2011

27

tions through fire separations. Cables placed within plenum spaces will require either an FT4 or FT6 rating depending on whether the building is of combustible or noncombustible construction respectively. New requirements have been introduced for the protection of conductors serving life safety systems, including fire alarms, emergency lighting, smoke control, elevators and fire pumps.

A number of high-profile and costly fires that impacted multiple homes and buildings have led to new requirements in Parts 3 and 9 to prevent the spread of fire from one building to another. These changes clarify fire department response time assumptions and under certain conditions limit the number and size of unprotected openings, the type of cladding that can be used and the degree to which soffits may overhang buildings.

While building fires represent a risk for young and old, another safety issue is the increasing number of small children falling from open windows in high-rise residential buildings. This has led to new code requirements in Part 3 intended to limit the likelihood of such falls. One safety option is a guard 1,070 mm high, on the front of windows. The other is a limiter restricting the opening of a window to no more than 100 mm.

Air Quality One of the tenets of ventilation for large buildings is fresh air intake and circulation. Because the air brought in from outside is not always fresh, code authorities approved a new requirement in Part 6 stipulating that intake air must be cleaned beforehand if atmospheric pollution measurements indicate that levels of particulate matter, ground-level ozone and carbon monoxide in the vicinity exceed code-stipulated maximums.

Soil Gas A new Health Canada guideline indicating the maximum allowable indoor radon concentration has been referenced in the NBC and minimum requirements have been set to guard against radon entry. Under Parts 5 and 6 engineers must now consider radon protection in their designs. Air barrier requirements have been consolidated and prescriptive measures have been added to Part 9, including measures for providing a rough-in for an active radon removal system for those sites with higher radon levels.

The typical protective approach in housing is to place an impermeable layer, normally polyethylene film, over a clear, permeable granular base under the floor slab. Builders can install a stub in the slab so that, where radon levels are still too high, a removal system and fan to collect the gas and pump it outside can be accommodated. With large buildings, radon is less of an issue as the more active ventilation provided by powerful HVAC systems can deal with it.

Standards and Climate Data Code requirements are often tied to Canadian or North American standards. Parts 5 and 9 of the 2010 NBC, for instance, now reference a new harmonized North American standard for windows, doors and skylights along with a new CSA instal-

28 building

december 2010/january 2011

lation standard. There is now a new procedure for specifying windows, doors and skylights, as the previous rating system has been replaced with actual design load and pressure ratings.

Performance grades for windows, doors, and skylights will now need to be selected according to a Canadian Supplement to the harmonized standard to ensure that products suit the conditions and geographic location for which they are intended.

A new ASTM standard pertaining to sealants used in building envelope construction has also been referenced in Parts 5 and 9. It reflects changes in technology, materials and design, and replaces a standard that was considerably out of date. Just as timely standards are important elements of codes, so too are up-to-date climatic data and seismic values. New tables for these appear in Appendix C of Division B of the NBC. Climatic tables pertaining to wind, rain and temperature were updated using recent data from Environment Canada (snow load data will be updated in the 2015 code).

Refinements in data used for seismic design have been incorporated along with an improved mathematical equation developed by seismologists. Other changes to Part 9 of the NBC (Housing and Small Buildings) include modifications concerning secondary suites in houses, properties and positioning of low-air and low-vapour permeance materials, and fire-safety aspects of finger-joined studs and prefabricated I-Joists.

NFC AND NPC CHANGES

The National Fire Code (NFC) now requires that buildings or facilities must be protected from fires originating from demolition or construction sites. Requirements for fire safety plans and fire department access to sites have been improved. Requirements for the commissioning and decommissioning of standpipe systems, as well as restrictions on placement of bitumen kettles on rooftops, have been added.

Other key changes in the NFC deal with leak detection, monitoring and handling of certain dangerous goods, and protection of storage tanks, sumps, and piping systems containing flammable and combustible liquids. Limits to quantities of flammable and combustible liquids stored within buildings have been updated.

To draw a clear line between the roles of the NFC and the NBC, building design requirements in the NFC were moved to the NBC (except for spill control measures). Appropriate crossreferencing between the two codes was added.

The National Plumbing Code (NPC) has updated pipe sizing requirements to accommodate the current standard practice of using water-conserving appliances and fixtures in buildings and facilities.

B

Jim Gallagher is the former manager of Publication Services at NRC-IRC. The new codes can be purchased from NRC-IRC. Visit www.nrc.gc.ca/virtualstore. Beginning in February, NRC-IRC will provide online presentations reviewing key code changes at www.nationalcodes.ca

infosource

Advertisers Index:

If you would like to receive free information about any of our advertisers, simply visit the Infosource section on our website. pg. # Name Reader # 31 Architectural Practice – Benchmark Study 15

Envirospec 4C Ad 262-1004:Envirospec 4C Ad 262-1004

Turn roof tops into beautiful, useful decks.

Paver Pedestal System ENVIROSPEC INCORPORATED (905) 271-3441 • Fax: (905) 271-7552

29

12

5

4/23/ 32

29

2

29

5

www.canadianarchitect.com/benchmark ACO Systems Ltd. www.acocan.ca Canadian Standard Association www.csa.ca Eco Log www.ecolog.com

24 14 12

Energy Efficiency Office-City of Toronto

16

www.toronto.ca/energy/ Envirospec www.envirospecinc.com

23

National Research Council Canada

11

www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca Owens Corning www.owenscorning.coa Vicwest www.vicwest.com

25 13

www.envirospecinc.com

building.ca

SUBSCRIBE/ RENEW TODAY!

www.sylvaniaLED.ca

Photocopy and fax to: 416-510-5171 Name/Sub ID:____________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________

The reliable, long-lasting, environmentally-friendly, energy-saving, dimmable light source for any space.

___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

SEE THE WORLD IN A NEW LIGHT

Phone/Fax:___________________________________________ E-mail:_______________________________________________ Sylvania_Ad_BuildingMag.indd 1

10-11-12 3:22 PM

Got an exciting new project?

Do you want our readers to know about it?

1yr – $29.95 (+gst/hst/qst) 2yrs – $51.95 (+gst/hst/qst) FREE Digital Edition

Visa/MC/Amex#:_______________________________________ Name on Card:__________________________________________ Exp Date:______________________________________________

Send information about your new or interesting project to Peter Sobchak, Editor, psobchak@building.ca and we’ll consider including it in an upcoming issue.

Signature:_ _____________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________ Type of Business:_____________________________________ building december 2010/january 2011

29

viewpoint

BY STEPHEN CARPENTER, PEng

The building was a success but the patient died Building owners and design teams put a great deal of emphasis on the design and construction phase of projects, and for good reason.

Energy efficient strategies and technology must be incorporated early to be effective. Yet creating a truly successful green building is also determined by activities that take place long after the last construction truck has left and the design team members have received their cheques. After all, at the end of construction, the trial for the building has just begun with the real judge: its occupants.

Enermodal has conducted occupancy surveys for several of its building projects, including its headquarters, A Grander View, and found the results to be a valuable way to discover and correct problems, quantify the value of various building upgrades, and, as it turns out, a fairly simple LEED point. With LEED 2009, conducting an occupancy survey is a point under Indoor Environmental Quality (thermal comfort). Additionally, this point is a requirement for the increasingly popular LEED Canada EB:O&M (Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance) rating system.

To qualify for the LEED 2009 and EB:O&M points, an occupancy survey must send paper or electronic surveys to all occupants and receive responses from 30 per cent. All answers must be on a seven point scale and fall under certain categories (e.g., acoustic quality, thermal comfort, office furniture). If 20 per cent of respondents indicate they are dissatisfied in a certain area, some action must be taken.

While conducting occupancy surveys for LEED is relatively new, there are a few best practices to follow: using an online survey is easier and generates more occupant responses; if there is a planned renovation to an existing building, do an occupancy survey before and after the changes to quantify the benefits of the improvements (and any areas that were weakened); use a survey that will compare your results to a large database of other buildings of the same type to compare your results as a percentile (for its building clients, Enermodal has access to a database of over 400 North American buildings); using the building’s LEED and energy consultant to administer the survey is a good idea as they have the expertise to analyze the results and provide concrete recommendations with any associated costs.

Enermodal conducted an anonymous, online occupancy survey of all A Grander View employees one year after completion of construction. The results were compared to a North American database of hundreds of LEED and non-LEED office building occupancy survey results. The building received the following results as percentage of satisfied employees and the percentile compared with the database of buildings (see table).

This data demonstrates that green buildings can achieve stellar results against most buildings in terms of occupant satisfaction.

As a result of this data, Enermodal obviously targeted the acoustic quality issues which mostly involved people talking too loudly in the open concept offices. Enermodal installed sound masking equipment and educating people on the importance of using meeting rooms for even relatively short meetings or conference calls. These results, which indicate that acoustics are the greatest

30 building

december 2010/january 2011

General Building Satisfaction Lighting Cleanliness & Maintenance Office Furnishings Air Quality Office Layout Thermal Comfort Acoustic Quality

% Employees Satisfied 100 96 95 95 95 89 81 49

Percentile 100 99 95 99 99 96 98 70

challenge, are consistent with many open concept offices.

Besides the LEED point, there are benefits to the owner and design team. The occupancy survey helps architects and engineers learn what green building upgrades are particularly appreciated by occupants and which areas caused problems and then apply those lessons to their next project. The survey also helps quantify the intangible benefits of green buildings. For years, the building industry has debated how green buildings affect occupant health and comfort and the survey helps get answers to these questions directly from the source.

For the building operator, the surveys often reveal that many employee complaints arise not from true building issues but from a lack of education (e.g., how to correctly customize their work space for thermal or lighting comfort). Also, the survey provides facility managers with a rationale for prioritizing certain building upgrades and expenditures.

And finally, all buildings have a few chronic complainers that feel their numerous complaints are common to everyone. An occupant survey can help owners and facility mangers respond to specialized complaints by proving that, in fact, most people are happy with the temperature, for example. Not all LEED consultants provide the survey administration and recommendations as part of their service offering and the cost will vary by consultant. But generally, the occupant survey is a relatively inexpensive LEED point to target.

Some property managers worry that negative results in certain areas of the survey will shine a light on problem areas of the building leading to employee unrest. However, in Enermodal’s experience, the problems highlighted by the survey are there (and annoy or discourage occupants) regardless of whether they are quantified and solved. And given the amount of time, money, and effort that goes into designing and constructing a high performance green building, it only makes sense to invest in an occupant survey to B find out whether you succeeded.

Stephen Carpenter is president of Enermodal Engineering and was Canada’s first LEED Accredited Professional as well as serving as the current chair of the Technical Advisory Group for the Canada Green Building Council. Enermodal has been Canada’s largest firm exclusively dedicated to creating energy and resource efficient buildings since 1980, certifying more LEED buildings than any other firm.

A groundbreaking study on Canadian architectural firms 2009 Canadian Architectural Practices Benchmark Study A study on architectural practices has just been published

by Canadian Architect magazine and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. For the first time, firms can compare their operations to hundreds of others across Canada. Make sure your firm has a copy of this foundational study.

How does your firm measure up?

Compare your firm to the most profitable firms in Canada. What are they doing that you’re not? Also, find answers to these questions and more: • How does your firm’s growth compare with other similar firms?

• Is your employee compensation on par with everyone else’s?

• How do your billings compare to other firms?

• On average, how many RFP’s do firms respond to per year?

• How does your rate of winning commissions compare to other firms?

• What is the average cost to develop a proposal?

Order Your Copy Today. Go to: www.canadianarchitect.com/benchmark

BETTER BUILDINGS PARTNERSHIP

BUILDING A GREEN BUILDING IS HOW DEVELOPERS AND OWNERS WIN BUILDING A CITY OF GREEN BUILDINGS IS HOW EVERYONE WINS New Construction Program Constructing a new building in Toronto?

Better Buildings Partnership can help you build green to minimize your energy use and carbon footprint.

Energy modeling incentive Energy savings incentive Toronto Green Standard assistance Zero interest loans (institutional and not-for-profit projects) Act now to maximize your results.

416-392-1500 bbp@toronto.ca toronto.ca/bbp Building a better energy future