Project Profile

PCL Construction, Toronto Offices

Green Reason’s Role
Sustainability Consulting

Project
When PCL Construction set out to create their new district offices in Oakville after 25 years at their previous location, they were committed to taking a new approach: creating workspace with a focus on overall sustainability and wellness. One of the means to achieve their desired outcome was to be early adopters of the LEED® v4 for Commercial Interiors rating system. They were awarded Silver in August 2020.

What Was Done

The new space provides open office areas, a multi-functional cafeteria, designed for recreational purposes (lunch, celebrations, break, etc.) and work (networking, informal meeting, brainstorming, etc.) for PCL’s nearly 250 person Toronto team. By utilizing the project as a living lab for the new LEED v4 rating system, we explored its challenges and opportunities together for application on future client projects. One of the most challenging aspects of the project’s certification goal was the location. We soon learned that even a LEED 2009 Silver certified base building only gets you so far under LEED v4 if your location is suburban rather than in a downtown area. This challenge served to keep the team focused on exploring every opportunity to design and construct the highest quality space possible from the outset.

The following was accomplished:

  • Achieved LEED v4 Silver certification with over half the achieved points related to energy and water efficiency
  • Upgraded building make-up air controls to balance energy efficiency with recommended levels of ventilation
  • Achieved exemplary performance in Building Product Disclosure points for both environmental product declarations and health product declarations
  • Implemented an ongoing ergonomics strategy to improve staff health and comfort
  • Focused design on both quality of artificial lighting and access to quality views
  • Purchased carbon offsets as part of PCLs overall sustainability commitment

Results Speak for Themselves

A high-quality space that reflects PCL’s workplace culture as well as its commitments to employee wellness and sustainability.