Water Conservation

• Low flow plumbing fixtures
• Drought tolerant native/adaptive plantings for landscaping
• Irrigation: 100% of all irrigation is reclaimed rainwater
• In Building: 52% reduction in potable water use (over the LEED baseline) as a result of the rainwater collection cistern system

Other Features & Measures

• The project site has a very small parking footprint (14 parking spots) with preferred parking for VRTUCar (an Ottawa car-share program).
• A life cycle analysis was performed for multiple structural systems at the preliminary design stage. The steel structure selected was chosen because of its low embodied carbon and embodied energy. Throughout the project, the builder sourced regional and recycled materials. By the project conclusion, over 30% of construction materials are regional and 16% recycled (as defined by LEED).
• The project includes a small educational demonstration solar hot water heater and solar photovoltaic which save approximately $1,600 in operational costs per year but more importantly are a demonstration for future students to study.
• The building included an extensive education system that provides real-time data on the system functions, energy and water consumption and structural elements. This information is available throughout the building.