Centre for Sustainable Development Wins ASHRAE Award

Even the most sustainable buildings can improve their energy performance. Our project with the Centre for Sustainable Development (Maison du développement durable) in Montreal recently received first place in the ASHRAE Awards for Existing Commercial Buildings Recommissioning – Region II. Thanks to a partnership with Ecosystem, the Centre for Sustainable Development was able to become even more sustainable, reducing its energy use intensity by 35% and its greenhouse gas emissions by 90%.

The project demonstrated the importance of addressing operating issues by assessing the interactions among all the HVAC systems. This holistic approach was key to leveraging existing assets and delivering the most efficient and cost-effective solutions.

The Centre was built in 2011 as the first LEED® PLATINUM New Construction (NC) certified building in Quebec. Despite high-efficiency technologies such as a green roof, a raised and ventilated floor system, heat recovery, and geothermal heating, the Centre was still looking to improve its energy performance.

Équiterre, the non-profit organization that oversaw the design and construction and now operates the Centre, partnered with Ecosystem on this project.