CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 09/09/16 -- Editor's Note: There are two images associated with this release.
Just days before pre-sales of its inaugural residences are set to launch to the public, Calgary's University District has been awarded top honours in the country for its commitment to sustainability excellence by becoming the largest residential project in Canadian history to earn LEED® for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND) Platinum certification. LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - is an internationally recognized certification system based on a range of principles and practices that reduce the environmental impact linked to the construction and operation of green buildings and developments, and is administered in Canada by Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
"Our goal from the very beginning was to create a sustainable and vibrant community that residents felt proud of and the surrounding communities supported," says James Robertson, West Campus Development Trust President and CEO. "We scrutinized every detail of the community in the planning stages to be certain that we were creating a legacy community that would change the way communities in Calgary, and the rest of the country, were built in the future."
All criteria for achieving the certification are considered to contribute to an increased standard of living and building. The community was awarded the designation for its excellence in three categories: location, design and green building.
Location: The community plan incorporates functional location with housing close to jobs, diverse uses of space, protection of endangered species and ecological communities conservation, as well as habitat restoration and long-term conservation management.
Design: The walkable community will be affordable for a range of incomes. The developer engaged with the community on plans for mixed-use buildings, a neighbourhood centre, a reduced parking footprint, public and recreational spaces throughout the neighbourhood, tree-lined and shaded streets, access to transit facilities, intentional connection to bike and foot transport pathways and provisions for bike storage.
Green Building: To achieve a green building standard, WCDT incorporated energy efficiency through water conservation, both inside buildings (water-efficient fixtures) and out (landscaping with native and drought-tolerant plantings), construction activity pollution prevention, solid waste management, storm water management (retaining the majority of storm water onsite), recycled content in infrastructure, light pollution reduction, integrated pest management throughout the neighbourhood's landscaping and ongoing green education.
LEED for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system was developed by the the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to guide and assess sustainable community development projects that are then registered and certified through the Green Business Certification Institute (GBCI). CaGBC works with GBCI to ensure the certification process serves the needs in Canadian project terms. To learn more about LEED and CaGBC, please visit www.cagbc.org.
About University District: University District is a comprehensive, 200-acre community with a bold new vision for urban life in Calgary. Developed by an independent team of community builders, the neighbourhood applies the best ideas in city design, adapted to Calgary's own unique local urban fabric. For the many hospital and university employees, this is a rare live-near-work opportunity, and for other urban employed, this location will provide more of life's most precious asset - time. Highly-walkable and inclusive to people of all life stages, the University District offers a diverse range of housing options, services, amenities and public spaces that encourage the organic growth of community.
Myuniversitydistrict.ca
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