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The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is providing free Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registration and certification for rebuilding projects in Fort McMurray, Alta.
Further, CaGBC will work with EcoAmmo Sustainable Consulting and 4 Elements Integrated Design to offer free administration services to residents who would like to rebuild or renovate.
“Canadians across the country watched in horror as Fort McMurray’s homes, businesses, and schools were threatened by a natural disaster that is becoming far too common in Canada due to our changing climate,” says Thomas Mueller, president and CEO of CaGBC. “The resilience of the citizens and surrounding regions is inspiring, and the council wanted to do its small part to help rebuild this wonderful community. Sustainable housing with durable, quality construction, improved energy and water efficiency and healthier indoor spaces will provide lasting benefits to residents.”
Brandy Burdeniuk, founding principal of EcoAmmo, said there is now an opportunity to rebuild homes that are more efficient, comfortable, and healthier, allowing citizens to thrive and rebuild their strong community
“Our friends, families, and colleagues were impacted by the fires…. we want to support the community of Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to rebuild,” she said.
Tyler Hermanson, director and lead designer at 4 Elements, saw the fire as a reminder of the fragility of people’s homes.
“Having recovered from several floods myself, I know the pressure to ‘get back to normal’ as quickly as possible, but when completing a full rebuild families have a huge opportunity to build better, stronger, and more resilient communities that all of Alberta can learn from,” he said. “Designing and building with LEED in mind can create more sustainable, comfortable, durable and energy efficient homes.”
This is the third time in recent years CaGBC has offered free LEED registration and certification to Canadian communities hit by disaster. Intense flooding in 2013 in Calgary led to the damage of thousands of homes in the region. That same year, the council worked with Québec homebuilder Écohabitation to rebuild the town centre of Lac-Mégantic, after a train derailment led to the destruction of roughly 40 buildings in the community.
