Downtown
Ottawa's first office complex to achieve LEED Platinum
Existing Building certification
OTTAWA, May 25, 2015 /CNW/ - Oxford Properties, the
real estate arm of the OMERS Worldwide Group of Companies, has
announced Ottawa's Constitution
Square has achieved LEED EB: Operations & Maintenance Platinum,
marking it the first downtown Ottawa office complex to achieve LEED Platinum
certification for an existing building.
With three towers comprising over 1 million square feet of
office and retail, the Constitution Square team worked diligently
to achieve the 80 points accredited for Platinum designation –
placing a keen eye toward energy efficiency improvements, waste
reduction, sustainable procurement and indoor air quality.
In addition to LEED Platinum EB status, Oxford is making great
strides for continued wellness in the Ottawa community. Some highlights of active
programs include a 'take the stairs' campaign – encouraging people
use the stairwells for exercise; Constitution Square will also
launch a produce pick-up program at their building this summer,
partnering with local farms to encourage the use of fresh, local
food for occupant personal or corporate use.
"For Oxford, LEED certification is not just about securing the
best energy efficiency ratings for our buildings. We take a
holistic approach to sustainability that also encompasses the
wellness of our tenants' employees," commented Andrew McAllan, Vice President, Real Estate
Management at Oxford Properties Group. "If we can create great and
healthy workplaces, we provide a platform for employees to perform
at their optimum levels while, at the same time, reducing our
environmental footprint."
In an Oxford study of over 2000 Canadian office workers, clear
among the results were high approval ratings for workspaces that
adopted strong sustainability practices. Over one-third of
respondents stated an environmental focus was very important
to them, consistently ranking it high among desirable workplace
features and beating out options such as access to an on-site gym
and innovative design.
In accordance with the LEED Platinum EB rating status,
Constitution Square offers high performance and efficient features,
including:
- Maximum commuting points, with that more than 75% of
building occupants take an alternative method of transportation to
work such as public transit, biking/walking, car-pooling, etc.
- An Energy Star score of at least 94, meaning
Constitution Square is in the top 5 per cent of buildings for
energy performance.
- Occupant Comfort Survey – Exploration on issues that
affect workers comfort, such as air quality, temperature, noise or
odour.
- Indoor Air Quality – Audit of the building to look for
sources of potential air contamination and address any issues
found.
- Sub-metering – Water and energy sub-metering at the
building to understand where your water/energy is being used, which
helps you target reduction efforts.
- Energy efficient washroom fixtures that reduce water
consumption.
About Oxford Properties Group
Oxford Properties Group is a global platform for real estate
investment, development and management, with over 1,750 employees
and $30 billion of real assets that
it manages for itself and on behalf of its co-owners and investment
partners. Established in 1960, the company's portfolio includes
over 50 million square feet of office, retail, industrial,
multi-family and hotel properties. Oxford is the real estate arm of
the OMERS Worldwide Group of Companies. For more information about
Oxford visit: www.oxfordproperties.com. For more
information about OMERS visit: www.omers.com
SOURCE Oxford Properties Group