Calgary towers earn Canada’s first LEED-CS pre-certification

An office tower development in downtown Calgary is the first high-rise office building in Canada to be pre-certified in the LEED system for Core and Shell (LEED-CS) construction.

LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability in the U.S. and Canada. LEED-CS is used by designers, builders, developers and new building owners to evaluate building projects, where the owner does not control the interior design and fit-out.

Eighth Avenue Place is a mixed-use development, which covers nearly an entire city block at the former site of the Penny Lane Mall in downtown Calgary.

Phase one of the project, which is under construction, is a 49-storey office tower.

20 VIC Management Inc. will manage the portfolio of retail and office space at Eighth Avenue Place. The company announced on April 21 that the development is the first high-rise office building in Canada to be pre-certified in the LEED-CS development program.

“We had to provide design drawings and all the consultants had to complete a report with a checklist for all the systems in the building, including mechanical, electrical, materials, equipment and a green roof,” said John Smith, vice president of 20 VIC Management Inc.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council website, core and shell construction covers base building elements such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, including the central HVAC, etc.

LEED-CS recognizes that the division between owner and tenant responsibility for certain elements of the building varies between markets.

“After going through a design review, we have a report that summarizes all the prerequisite items. The consultant submitted the report and based on the points received (33-44), we qualify for Gold, (LEED certification)” Smith said.

Construction on the development began last December.

A one point credit is given in LEED-CS for recycling demolished materials such as bricks.

More than 50 per cent of the demolished buildings on the site were recycled.

The demolition contractor kept records of every truck that left the site and went to recycling centres around the city.

The excavation and shoring work is currently underway and work has progressed to the fourth level of underground parking.

Upon completion in early 2011, and pending final documentation, Eighth Avenue Place is poised to become Calgary’s, and potentially Canada’s, first Gold LEED for core and shell-certified, high-rise office building.

“At some point in the future, when the building is complete, we will get certification and confirm this Gold rating,” said Smith.

Once the U.S. Green Building Council looks at the base building, which includes the core and the shell, the construction of tenant improvements are examined. This unique rating system was created for newly constructed tenant spaces and enables tenants to pursue LEED-Commercial Interior Certification.

“This is a marketing tool because there are a lot of firms out there that are into the green building concept. The basic building has reached a certain standard and beyond that the tenants do what they want,” said Smith.

This approach allows tenants who want to build a green office environment for their employees to meet standards.

The development manager for the project is Hines and the architects are Pickard Chilton Architects, Kendall Heaton Associates Inc. and Gibbs Gage Architects.

According to Pickard Chilton Architects, the development is to be built in two phases and will total 1.75 million gross square feet.