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News Releases
PARKS CANADA BUILDING RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
SIDNEY, British Columbia, September 22, 2006 -- Parks Canada’s new Operations Centre for Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada stands alone as the most environmentally-friendly federal building in the country. The building on Harbour Road in Sidney is the first to receive the Canada Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum accreditation, for achievements in environmental sustainability in the building’s construction.
The designation was announced today by the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Saanich–Gulf Islands, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, along with Thomas Mueller, president of the Canada Green Building Council.
"The new park Operations Centre stands front and centre as an environmentally friendly and efficient facility," said Minister Ambrose. "By ensuring this building makes a soft footprint on the land, this centre is a visible reminder of Parks Canada’s commitment to environmental stewardship.”
“While all new Government of Canada buildings must meet Gold accreditation standards, this is the first to go beyond that,” said Minister Lunn. “We went the extra mile to have the new Operations Centre achieve the Platinum rating. This reflects Parks Canada’s commitment, as stewards of our country’s most precious natural heritage, to ‘walk the talk’ in all aspects of its operations.”
“Very few LEED projects around the world have reached the Platinum level,” said Mr. Mueller. “This building demonstrates the federal government's leadership in constructing high performance buildings and to reducing environmental impacts that will realize savings and benefits for a long time to come.”
The building features a system that uses naturally occurring heat from ocean water to provide for heating requirements. Other features include rainwater storage for use in the building’s low-flow toilets, a roof-mounted solar panels supplying 10 per cent of the building’s energy needs, use of natural light and ventilation, landscape plantings that won’t require irrigation, energy efficient lighting fixtures, and exterior sunshades to keep the building from overheating. Energy consumption requirements for the building are expected to be reduced by 75 per cent in comparison to a standard building.
The project was managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada. The building was designed by Larry McFarland Architects Ltd. of Vancouver, and built by Ledcor Construction Ltd., Victoria. The Government of Canada’s Federal House in Order initiative provided the top-up funding needed for the project to achieve the Platinum rating.
The building has also been recognized by the Canadian Wood Council with its High Performance Building award for the way in which wood was used in the building’s design as a way to reduce energy and resource use and to minimize pollution.
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve was officially established on May 9, 2003, and is comprised of 35 km2 of land and an additional 26 km2 marine component. Spread out over more than 15 islands and numerous islets and reefs in the southern Gulf Islands, the park protects a representative portion of one of Canada’s most endangered natural regions, the Strait of Georgia Lowlands.
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is part of a system of national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites of Canada that is recognized as one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected areas in the world.
For more information on LEED, visit the Canada Green Building Council website: www.cagbc.org. For more information about the Operations Centre, visit www.pc.gc.ca/gulf.
Information:
Ryan Sparrow
Associate Director and Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
(819) 997-1441
Steve Langdon
Coastal BC Field Unit Superintendent
Parks Canada
(250) 654-4048
Nancy Grenier
Communications Officer
Canada Green Building Council
(604) 681-7002, ext. 4
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