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, Senior 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
Oxford Property Group: Jordan Ostapchuk, +1 416.865.8362
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