Environment
Toronto not taking the LEED?
Green buildings and LEED certification are virtually synonymous in North America. But green buildings and Toronto are not. The city is failing to embrace the "green revolution" in building design, which takes into account sustainability criteria such as energy efficiency, materials, indoor environmental quality, and water use.
According to the CaGBC's data (the LEED authority in Canada), Toronto only has 8 certified buildings, which puts us well behind smaller cities like Vancouver (15 buildings) and Calgary (11 buildings).
An article published on Treehugger.com last month, entitled "Building a Green Toronto: A Tale of Woe", highlights the frustration felt by proponents of green projects in Toronto, who feel the City isn't doing enough. The City is actually holding back such projects, and a lack of coordination between departments means that Toronto is a long way from fast-tracking green development.
The City does have a Green Development Standard, a list a lofty best practices. But it's unclear if the document is anything more than a feel-good document full of things that would be great if there was any sort of implementation plan. In one of the reports on its own website, the City claims, "At this point, Toronto does not have the authority to require developers to meet the green development standard."
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the only recognized certification for buildings that have green design features. There are 3 grades or levels: Gold, Silver, and Bronze and certain criteria are required and verified for each designation to be given. This image gallery shows some innovative design examples of what can be done in a variety of categories to improve building design.
Buildings in Toronto that are LEED certified include:
HOK Canada Urbana Architects Office (505-720 King Street West) (pictured above)
Radiance @ MintoGardens (Yonge & Sheppard)
Herman Miller Canada National Design Centre (462 Wellington Street, West)
Metro Label Printing Facility (999 Progress Ave)
TEDCO/Canpar Distribution Facility (205 New Toronto Street, Etobicoke)
Thomas L. Wells Public School (69 Nightstar Road)
M5V Presentation Centre (363 King St. W)
Minto Roehampton (150 Roehampton Avenue)
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You didn't notice any difference in the bathrooms/lighting/ etc?
environmentally responsible building. I wonder why
it's not considered a green building.
My guess: Either MEC doesn't qualify because it doesn't meet the required critera, or they haven't applied for LEED certification.
I believe that MEC was a purpose-built building. What was there before was completely demolished and MEC started from scratch.
Does that mean MEC falls outside the criteria?
There in might be your answer why there are not more buildings certified.
Perhaps the cost is a deterrent. It would be great to have see cost benefit reports from these 8 buildings that have the certification.
The ward 20 newletter from a few months ago had a long list of buildings that were seeking zoning approval and so forth. One was a LEED platinum certified building to be constructed on the empty parking lot on Queen West, just West of University. See page 8:
<a href="http://www.adamvaughan.ca/AV-newsletter/newsletters/Vaughan-E_Newsletter%20-%202007%2002%2001.pdf";>http://www.adamvaughan.ca/AV-newsletter/newsletters/Vaughan-E_Newsletter%20-%202007%2002%2001.pdf<;/a>
LEED features at the Barns include: geo-thermal heating; ventilation and air conditioning system; a storm water harvesting and reuse system for all non-potable water use (i.e. greenhouse, landscaping, toilets); and energy efficient lighting and appliances and water conserving plumbing fixtures. Through careful waste management, 75% of all construction waste is being diverted from landfill ? almost unheard of in the construction industry. In addition, 30% percent of the building materials used are extracted and manufactured locally. On the sustainability front, the Barns will feature a year-round temperate greenhouse, sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven and compost demonstration site run by The Stop Community Food Centre. The Stop will also host weekly farmer?s markets on the site and education programs for children around food and sustainability.
www.torontoartscape.on.ca/barns
LEED features at the Barns include: geo-thermal heating; ventilation and air conditioning system; a storm water harvesting and reuse system for all non-potable water use (i.e. greenhouse, landscaping, toilets); and energy efficient lighting and appliances and water conserving plumbing fixtures.
Through careful waste management, 75% of all construction waste is being diverted from landfill ? almost unheard of in the construction indiustry. In addition, 30% percent of the building materials used are extracted and manufactured locally.
On the sustainability front, the Barns will feature a year-round temperate greenhouse, sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven and compost demonstration site run by The Stop Community Food Centre. The Stop will also host weekly farmer?s markets on the site and education programs for children around food and sustainability.
www.torontoartscape.on.ca/barns
Through careful waste management, 75% of all construction waste is being diverted from landfill ? almost unheard of in the construction indiustry. In addition, 30% percent of the building materials used are extracted and manufactured locally.
On the sustainability front, the Barns will feature a year-round temperate greenhouse, sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven and compost demonstration site run by The Stop Community Food Centre. The Stop will also host weekly farmer?s markets on the site and education programs for children around food and sustainability.
www.torontoartscape.on.ca/barns
@David: the MEC building was designed and built before LEED ever came out here. It is entirely possible that it could qualify for LEED certification, however, the process of LEED certification involves quite a bit of paperwork (materials tracking, waste diversion, recyced content, etc.)
@Jerrold
There is actually an excellent example of the additional cost of making a building LEED. Vaughan Fire Station No. 7-9 & York Region EMS Paramedic Response Station was built based on the same design as another station in Vaughan, except this time they made modifications to the design to make it LEED Gold. The building has 35% energy savings and 52% water savings compared to its non-green counterpart, and an incremental cost of between 3 and 5%.
Toronto is the biggest city in the country so it has to deal with the biggest expectations. Its "Green Development Standard" is still pretty flawed/useless IMO.
However, LEED is the only brand name out there, so we're kind of stuck with it as a measuring stick. Private developers need to make money by definition to pay back their bank loans and generally do not build LEED unless there is something in it for them - payback on energy savings, or a corporate tenant who insists on it for PR, or city incentives.
Toronto has weak incentives and is filled with cash-poor companies, so there is no great momentum for LEED, or at least there won't be until the banks decide to do it (but if they were that concerned about image over dollars, why are they moving offices to the burbs?)
Public institutions have led the way in the US, but good luck finding a rich university or museum in Toronto (As one example, MoMA's last expansion cost $850m).
Toronto's construction market is driven by condos, so unless someone introduces a requirement for condos (which will essentially be a tax and therefore very risky), don't expect to see too many LEED buildings anytime soon.
but at least we have our kitschy ROM and our fantastic museum station. WHOOO plastic column covers! who the fuck needs LEED when you can architecturally-rape a subway station?
http://www.landscapearchitectureresource.com/2007/05/bird-brains-and-bright-lights.html
You can have all the water-smart taps you want, but if people leave the water on full-blast all the time, we're all still drowning. Thanks for the sleepless nights, HOK.
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