Alternative compliance paths added for Canadian LEED

by editor | June 30, 2014 2:20 pm

Nova Scotia Power’s Corporate Headquarters in Halifax has been certified Platinum under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Now, new Canadian projects pursuing LEED v4 can rely on Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) for success. Photo © Tom Arban

Canadian projects seeking certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 can now take advantage of Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs). The eight ACPs provide equivalent means of meeting the new version of the building rating program’s requirements by referencing standards familiar to Canadian design teams. Available for the Building Design and Construction (BD&C), Homes/Midrise, and/or Interior Design & Construction (ID&C), they are:

● LEED BD&C (all adaptations): Location and Transportation Credit, Sensitive Land Protection;
● LEED BD&C−Healthcare: Sustainable Sites Credit, Places of Respite;
● LEED BD&C−Healthcare: Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) Prerequisite, Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance;
● LEED BD&C–Healthcare: EQ credit, Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan;
● LEED BD&C and Homes/Midrise (residential construction): EQ Prerequisite, Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance;
● LEED BD&C and ID&C (all adaptations): Energy and Atmosphere (EA) Prerequisite, Minimum Energy Performance;
● LEED BD&C and ID&C (all adaptations): EA Credit, Optimize Energy Performance; and
● LEED ID&C (all adaptations): Materials and Resources (MR) Credit, Interiors Life-Cycle Impact Reduction.

These ACPs are available online[2], and will also be incorporated into the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED Credit Library this summer.

“With the publication of the ACPs, the Canadian market is well-positioned to adopt LEED v4 and demonstrate its continued leadership in advancing sustainable building,” said CaGBC president, Thomas Mueller.

To assist Canadians with the transition to LEED v4, the council also offers the Substitution Table[3], which provides a list of LEED v4 credits that 2009 iterations of the program are welcome to adopt. This allows an opportunity to gain experience with LEED v4 pathways, learning about their advantages and flexibility.

CaGBC is also developing other Canada-specific resources to supplement the LEED v4 Reference Guides. This includes the “Introduction to the Canadian Alternative Compliance Paths” webinar[4], beginning July 30. Registration is now open on the CaGBC website, with additional dates to be added over the next few months.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.constructioncanada.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/787-03_05_sc_v2com1.jpg
online: http://www.cagbc.org/AM/PDF/leed/LEED%20v4%20Canadian%20ACP%20Language-as%20of%202014-06-24.pdf
Substitution Table: http://www.cagbc.org/AM/PDF/leed/LEED%20Canada%20Substitution%20Table%20from%20LEED%20v4-20140624-EN.pdf
webinar: http://www.cagbc.org/source/Events/Event.cfm?EVENT=WB14AC0730&section=Calendar_Register_for_Live_Training

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