Green Building Movement is growing some legs
PETER HADEKEL
The Gazette
Montreal—Friday, April 06, 2007
As concern mounts over climate change, more attention is being paid to the environmental impact of building design and construction.
It is estimated that buildings and homes account for more greenhouse gas emissions than vehicles do. This has inspired a "green building" movement among architects, engineers and builders that is growing rapidly across the world.
Now, Montreal wants to position itself at the centre of this expanding universe.
Montreal International, the private-public agency that promotes foreign investment here and seeks to attract international organizations, is leading a bid to make the city home to the World Green Building Council. The council's role is to set standards of certification for green buildings, in conjunction with bodies at the national level. A decision is expected by the end of the month. So far, the only competing bid is from Toronto.
The idea of bringing the organization to Montreal was spearheaded by software developer Andrew Culver. His company, iLiv, supplies the green building industry with a Web-based application that co-ordinates work flow.
Culver says locating the council in Montreal could be a big boost to the green building movement here. The Canadian public seems ready to buy the idea. In a recent Ipsos-Reid survey conducted for TD Canada Trust, 90 per cent of respondents said choosing an ecological and energy-efficient building would be a priority when buying a condominium. However, such buildings need certification in order to satisfy consumer concerns (just as consumers want to know if food is certified as organic).
That's where the councils play an important role, by setting standards for so-called LEED® certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More than 230 construction projects across Canada now carry a LEED® designation.
A study by the real-estate advisory firm GVA Devencore in Montreal points out that a number of local projects have been built to LEED® standards, including La Cite des arts du Cirque, which is equipped with passive geothermal air conditioning, a rainwater retention and treatment basin and a co-generation heating system.
Certification generally requires sound design practices in at least five areas: site planning, water efficiency, energy efficiency, choice of materials and use of resources. There are nearly 70 different evaluation criteria, and three levels of certification: silver, gold and platinum.
Jean Laurin, president of GVA Devencore, acknowledges that construction costs can be somewhat higher for such buildings. But occupants reap savings in lower energy bills and operating costs, as well as enhanced value and reduced liability risk. Insurance companies have begun to reward green buildings with special premiums and policies.
The green building movement has grown quickly in the United States. Five years ago, there were 400 architects and builders accredited as LEED® practitioners. That number is now approaching 40,000. There are about 6,000 listed projects in the U.S. The United States Green Building Council expects the number to grow exponentially over the next few years, Culver says.
The goal is to have all new buildings in the U.S. by 2010 carry at least some degree of certification. That would include one million homes and 100,000 commercial buildings.
The concept for a world council was born about five years ago and it has existed as a virtual organization until now, Culver says.
Last year, support for a world governing body came from the influential Clinton Foundation backed by former U.S. president Bill Clinton. The goal is to create national councils in more than 100 countries that do not have anything like that now.
Both the incoming chairman of the world council and the executive director are based in Montreal, making the city a logical destination for the head office, Culver says.
That should help to increase a critical mass or cluster of Canadian companies that specialize in green building techniques, he adds.
"It's obviously the issue of the moment. What's nice about the council is that it's addressing climate change through transformation of an existing market. It's a business-led coalition."
© Peter Hadekal and The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
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