TORONTO – Maple Leaf Foods Inc.’s corporate West offices and ThinkFOOD! Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, have been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) Core and Shell (C.S.) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (U.S.G.B.C.) — making this only the second project to achieve this level in Ontario.

L.E.E.D. C.S. is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core and shell construction. Core and shell covers base building elements such as structure, envelope and the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (H.V.A.C.) system.

"We have a strong commitment to environmental responsibility across all our operations and activities and this project reinforces that commitment," said Anne Tennier, vice president, environmental affairs, Maple Leaf Foods.

The 152,000 sw. ft. building incorporates many sustainable features including:

  • A thermoplastic olefin (T.P.O.) white roof to reduce the heat island effect.
  • Low flow fixtures that result in greater than 40%water savings.
  • Overall energy performance that is 36% better than a typical model building as a result of advanced H.V.A.C. systems with heat recovery and high efficiency boilers; demand control based ventilation systems that improve part-load efficiency, indoor air quality and provide greater occupant comfort; advanced lighting controls and a design of less than 0.6 watts per square-foot for lighting.
  • Green energy being purchased for base building loads.
  • More than 75% of construction waste diverted from landfill during construction.
  • Meter sockets on each floor that measure electricity use for lighting and plug loads, allowing tenants to better understand consumption patterns.
  • Building materials selected for high recycled and regional content and low volatile organic compound content.
  • Green management initiatives such as green cleaning and recycling programs, that include organic waste, which will divert over 80% of ongoing waste from landfill.
  • Eco parking spaces and bike storage facilities for tenants.

"Achieving Gold level L.E.E.D. certification is a major accomplishment-especially for a facility of this size and complexity-and is the product of strong tenant-landlord collaboration throughout the entire project," Ms. Tennier said. "All teams were on board and committed from day one to achieving the points needed to secure this internationally recognized certification."