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Summer 2007 Volume 2 Construction Project Underway As Greek mythology fans know, it took Odysseus 9 years to reach home after a 9 year Trojan war. And while the Fifth Town project's journey can also be described as a challenging odyssey (we even encountered our own versions of cyclops, sirens and sea witches along the way!), it won't take us that long to reach our version of home. After much planning and design refinements, the "greenest" cheese dairy building project in North America is finally well underway and we expect completion in late November, 2007. The contractor chosen to animate this complex and innovative project is Knudsen Construction Ltd (Belleville). Congratulations to Peter and his team!  Photo 1 (top): The footings and foundation work is underway Photo 2: The FT Construction Team: L to right is Craig Nicoletti (Blackwell Engineering), Kieth Lawday (Site Supervisor), Peter Knudsen (Knudsen Construction), Francis Lapointe (Lapointe Architects) and Paul Dolick, (Lapointe Architects). What is LEED®? AND WHY DO WE CARE? We are asked this question all the time. In a nutshell, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. |
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. And the reason we are so committed to the LEED system is because it is the most rigorous, wholistic, and well developed green building rating system available. More importantly, the accreditation is based on third party audits--versus a self assessment. LEED® requires a project to submit detailed documentation of performance standards which are technically reviewed before certification. And this increases authenticity and accountability. Currently, there are only 71 LEED certified projects in Canada (19 in Ontario), and among those, only 1 has received a Platinum rating (Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, BC, government office building). There are currently over 550 building projects registered as in pursuit of LEED certification in Canada, and several times that in the U.S, however, of these, none are dairies. In fact, when we achieve our certifcation, we will likely be the only LEED certified cheese dairy in all of North America! The Business Case for Green A recent Industry Canada report notes that the green building industry is in its infancy, however statistics show that 1/3 of our energy resources are used by buildings, 50% of our extracted resources go into buildings, and 35% of greenhouse gases come from buildings. It is therefore not surprising that interest in the role that green buildings can play in reducing our impact on the environment has increased. But what about the cost premium associated with constructing a green building which can range from 2-7 percent? Well when we consider the projections for energy costs within the next 5 years, it looks like a green penny spent today is a pound saved tomorrow. The business case for investing in green buildings is indeed strengthening. Intensive energy use manufacturing facilities will likely see a material operating cost advantage within the next 5 years. Real estate values will soon reflect green investments (Who wants to buy a building with ballooning annual energy operating costs?). And finally, the socially and environmentally concious consumer is increasingly rewarding organizations who work to reduce their impact on the environment with their patronage. Going green is not a "nice to do", quaint, or idealistic initiative. We believe it has become a competative as well as a social and environmental imperative. |
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