Review of the LEED Points Obtained by Canadian Building Projects

Abstract

The expansion and advancement of businesses, cities, municipalities, and populations in Canada are increasingly demanding the effective usage of land and resources in building development. Companies, organizations, and individuals are seeking to construct more environmentally responsible buildings to help minimize the negative effects that structures place on the natural environment, as well as on the people that have either direct or indirect contact with them. In an effort to set a benchmark for what constitutes a green building, the Canada Green Building Council provides a certification system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is a point scheme that seeks to measure sustainability. Many stakeholders in the construction industry in Canada are increasingly employing this system to validate their achievement in sustainable development. This paper reviews the usage of the LEED system in Canadian building construction and the potential challenges and barriers associated with LEED implementation that specifically pertain to Canadian circumstances. Information from 42 new construction projects across Canada that achieved LEED certification were collected and analyzed. The points most often awarded, as well as those that are granted the least frequently, were tabulated. The percentages of points obtained were compared to American projects. Credit frequency indicators (CFIs), which were used to depict the achievement of credits by each project, can provide decision makers with information on credits awarded in the past and insight into credit implementation in future projects with similar goals. The energy and atmosphere and materials and resources categories proved to have the lowest CFIs, whereas the innovation and design process and water efficiency categories yielded the highest CFIs. The study also found that there were differences in the points obtained by LEED projects in Canada and the United States as some credits are influenced by climate, such as weather and temperature, as well as regional location.