Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a third-party green building certification program. It focuses on limiting the environmental impacts of construction and encourages sustainable infrastructure that is also healthy for the user. Gift Lake Learning Centre is excited to offer tours of our facility to inform the community about the LEED strategies utilized in the school. Tours of the facility will be held the first Tuesday of every month. Please call to reserve your spot today.
Click here to read the Gift Lake Learning Centre Case Study.
Green Construction Approaches
- Construction Activity Pollution Prevention - An erosion and sedimentation control plan was implemented and executed throughout construction to limit the potential to damage the environment. This plan was based on the EPA 2003 Construction General Permit and the Alberta Transportation Erosion and Sedimentation Control Standards and included the following measures:
- Topsoil piles were seeded
- Liners were provided on catch basins and manholes on site
- Silt fencing was provided in high-risk areas
- Stripped land was developed in a timely manner
- Surface water was temporarily diverted on site when necessary
- Construction Waste Management – The contractor diverted over 80% of construction waste from the landfill to recycling/reuse facilities.
- Recycled Content of Building Materials – The permanently installed building materials contain over 20% (by cost) recycled content.
- Indoor Air Quality – During construction and before occupancy
- During construction, indoor air quality measures were taken for the health of the contract workers and the future users. Some of these include HVAC equipment protection from dust and particulate, source control of materials that may emit gases, housekeeping policies and controlled scheduling of construction activities.
- Prior to occupancy of the building, a flushout was performed. New filtration media was installed and 4,300.3 of outdoor air per m2 of floor area was “flushed” through the building ventilation systems to clear out any dust or particulate that was present due to construction.
- Low-Emitting Building Materials – All adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring systems, composite wood and agrifibre products installed inbound of the building’s water-proof membrane meet the required low-emission standards set out by the USGBC.
It is evident that these practices contributed to the health of the community and environment, those who worked on the building and the current users of the centre.