The Chapelview affordable housing project in Brampton, Ontario is the first high rise affordable housing building in North America to be designed and built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum. The project architect was HCA Architectural Architects, Stephenson Engineering was the structural engineer and Enermodal Engineering of Waterloo was the LEED consultant.
Brampton’s Chapelview affordable housing project has received LEED Platinum designation and its developer says to never underestimate the pre-planning that goes into such a project.
“If you plan for the beginning you will find things will not be as bad as you think they may be,” explained John D’Angelo, president of Martinway Developments. “If you understand the LEED program, become better educated on what it is all about, you begin to understand it is a matter of choice and materials you put in the building and how you construct it. You have better control.”
Chapelview is a 15-storey 200-unit mixed income apartment building in downtown Brampton and is the first high rise affordable housing building in North America to be designed and built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum. The project architect was HCA Architectural Architects and Stephenson Engineering was the structural engineer.
Enermodal Engineering of Waterloo was the LEED consultant which was an integral part to Martinway acquiring the necessary LEED points for a platinum designation.
“Enermodal kept us in-line on the design perspective,” said D’Angelo. “When we did our drawings they made sure all LEED items, and not just the items and the equipment but also the process for installing them, were right. If you did flooring with water-based glue, there was certain time to put the tile on, not too quickly, it may bubble, or not too late, it will not stick.”
“That process changes on all the materials from the spray foam on the wall to the paint or caulking used.”
D’Angelo said the whole control process required during a LEED process can help you as a company. With the necessary control to achieve certain LEED benchmarks “you have better quality and efficiencies and can finish a project even quicker.”
“We had full control on site. We knew which garbage bins were going to what transfer station and each bin was logged from beginning to the end,” said D’Angelo. “We knew where that material ended up in the end of the day.”
A common industry complaint as it concerns LEED is the cost associated with the process and achieving a designation. D’Angelo acknowledged there is a “huge cost associated with it” from the fees to join the Canada Green Building Council to registering a project and the fee for the evaluation process. Roughly 10 per cent of the project’s value was dedicated to LEED.
Compound those fees with the cost of hiring an expert like Enermodal and the process may not be that appetizing for some developers or contractors who figure all that investment could go into a building another way, added D’Angelo.
“Having said that, Enermodal was worth every penny,” he said. “Something needs to be done with that end of the spectrum for those costs. How some developers are dealing with it is getting individual LEED certified professionals within their staff and teams.”
D’Angelo said having Chapelview achieve LEED Platinum was a special moment and that he is a big supporter for high quality affordable housing and special needs housing.
“It is an accomplishment in construction and its service to people in need in our communities,” he said.
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