We are pleased to announce The Flack Block, home of the Renewal group of Companies, has been awarded LEED Gold certification of 39 points from Canada Green Building Council. 

The certification covers the 2nd – 5th floor tenant improvements in the office component of the building. These offices were designed to support co-location with Renewal’s collection of independent organizations and other change maker organizations - Tides Canada on the 4th floor; Junxion Strategy; Boldt Communications and others.  
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System® “LEED” is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:

• sustainable site development
• water efficiency
• energy efficiency
• materials selection
• indoor environmental quality

The Flack Block has achieved points in all five areas; the highest category, achieving 11 credits, was Indoor Environmental Quality “IAQ”.   This was achieved by a combination of utilizing the historic operable windows, IAQ management plan during construction, product selection of low emitting adhesives, sealants, painting and coverings; carpet tiles; Greenguard IAQ certified furniture and seating; and non-PVC teleshades.

We would not have been able to achieve this success without Shelley Penner and her team at Penner & Associates Interior Design, Inc., with their 100% dedication to sourcing rapidly renewable, FSC-certified wood and regional materials.  Whenever possible recycled materials utilizing post-consumer content were selected: some examples:  IceStone (Renewal investee) concrete countertops/backsplashes; Shaw carpet tiles; stainless steel countertops and backsplashes; Dinoflex Sport mat rubber flooring; DIRTT wall system and doors.  Credit was achieved by Penner & Associates sourcing over 61% of materials used in the building from regional manufacturers (within 500 km).

The Flack Block also achieved 5 credits in the Innovation and Design category.   Credits were given for the Transportation Management Plan that is supported by a significant quantity of bike storage, change rooms with showers available; the many modes of public transportation serving the neighborhood.  The end result is that 80% of we occupants in the building are using “alternative transportation” – mainly bicycles! 

Developer Robert Fung and his team at The Salient Group worked in cooperation with us to install HVAC&R systems free of HCFC’s.  We applaud his decisions to provide maximum preservation of this heritage structure instead of a quicker, less expensive method and his several additional decisions that also led to LEED credits. The most noticeable of these is the re-created beautifully carved stone arch at the Hastings Street entry.

The full report from CaGBC’s LEED review will be available shortly.