TOWARDS AN "ECO-COMMUNITY"
An eco-community may not save the universe but it will make a positive difference. Besides energy savings and creating healthier spaces, which by themselves are significant objectives, it will help purchasers promote a more sustainable environment for themselves and for future generations.
It is our belief that in the future green buildings with LEED certification will have plus value over regular buildings because they will give buyers the assurance of quality and will be in keeping with the times. This is why we are designing and striving for a LEED certification. If all buildings follow the LEED criteria, the cumulative effort in terms of environmental benefits would be very significant.
Proment's eco-communities
Le Vistal is our first trial in the green construction. Vistal will be seeking the LEED certification, the highest standard in the classification of green building in North America. Vistal will be one of the first residential condominium towers to attain such a certification.
We are also proud to announce that our next housing development, which will be located on the northern tip of L'Île-des-Soeurs, has been accepted as a green neighbourhood pilot project (ND Neighbourhood Development.), certified LEED. This means that only the housing project will be green, but the entire community will be conceived according to the green principles.
WHAT IS A LEED GREEN BUILDING?
LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" and is an evaluation system that certifies the ecological performance of buildings. The standard was developed by the US Green Building Council TM and adapted for Canada by the Canada Green Building Counsel TM (CaGBC).
THE BENEFITS OF BUILDING AN ECO-COMMUNITY
There are a number of significant benefits that come with a building designed and constructed to meet the standards of Le Vistal - a higher quality of construction due to more rigorous supervision; healthier living and quality of air; significant energy cost savings as well as living in a more responsible and sustainable manner in relation to the broader environment.
a. Quality Supervision:
Striving for a LEED certification means additional supervision of design and construction beyond what we already do. Proment's “Green Team” must address a wide range of issues in an integrated way, including building durability, planning for building management systems, and modeling expected energy performance. This additional supervision alone should result in higher quality of construction.
b. Healthier Living:
Larger windows in private areas and skylights in the common areas will bring in more natural light. A state of the art ventilation system brings in fresh air directly into each condo and exhausts the stale air directly to the outside. Low emitting materials, which don't pollute the air, are carefully selected. All of these products are chosen to ensure that the materials used in building the Vistal will not pollute the air inside the building, and will ensure a high quality indoor environment. By providing more natural light, fresher air and the use of non-toxic materials your indoor environment will be a healthier one.
c. Energy Saving:
It is the objective in Vistal to save more than 25% with a target of 40% of energy consumption as compared to a building designed according to the standards of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. This could represent approximately $95 000 of savings per year at today's energy prices. This will be achieved by optimizing the design of the building envelope and of the mechanical and electrical systems. A team of accredited professional engineers specialized in sustainable development have simulated the effect of different building envelope specifications as well as types of HVAC and electrical systems so as to achieve the maximum savings of energy for the dollars invested.
d. Encouraging Sustainable Development:
International climate scientists have been telling the world for years that people need to reduce their use of fossil fuels and their production of greenhouse gas emissions in a dramatic way in order to slow the effects of a changing climate.
1) Based on preliminary modeling, reductions in energy consumption could exceed 2 tonnes of green house gas emissions per unit per year, helping the purchaser make his/her personal contribution for Canada to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments.
2) Water, which is a valuable and limited resource, is conserved through the recuperation of rainwater, which will be used for irrigation in order to eliminate the need for additional potable water.
HOW DO WE MAKE IT HAPPEN? THE GREEN TEAM
To obtain a LEED certification requires all our architects and engineers to focus on the "green" objectives of their respective disciplines, as well as for the project as a whole. A “Green Team” under the direction Louis-Joseph Papineau, eng. from Proment and the lead project architect Jean-Pierre Bart, of Design Consultant has been assembled. Martin Roy, mechanical engineer, will oversee the modeling and the energy conservation aspect of the program as well as serve as the commissioning authority for the project. Daniel Pearl, architect and a most respected environmentalist of the firm L'OEUF, who has won many awards for his environmental work, will serve as consultant on particular architectural issues. Rodney Wilts of Loop Initiative and Scott Denmark of Halsall Associates, will provide advice on the selection and installation of healthy green building materials.
Upon occupancy, a "sustainable living program" will be created for the co-owners by the Green Team to help them understand how to use their building's green aspects and to help continue in the green direction.