Niagara Regional Housing Building Receives LEED® Certification
Niagara Region, March 2016 - Birchwood Place (also called "Fitch East") in Welland is the first Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) building to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification. LEED® is a rating system that is recognized as the international mark of excellence for green building in 150 countries.
Fitch East opened in June 2014 with 67 non-smoking seniors units that are a mix of rent-geared-to-income (RGI), affordable and market rents. With a score of 57 points, it is now Certified LEED® Silver through the Canada Green Building Council.
"At NRH we are continuously improving our environmental footprint by making sustainable development a top priority. Our Fitch East building reflects this and we are very proud to announce that it is the first LEED® Certified social housing project in Niagara," said NRH CEO Ellen Balmain. "This is a significant achievement and we know it will have a long-lasting, positive impact on tenants and the community as a whole."
Some key certification points:
- Sustainable urban infill site with indoor storage for scooters/bicycles and transit nearby
- Visitability and Universal Design throughout
- Optimized energy performance above Model National Energy Building Code requirements
- Individual light and thermal comfort controls
- Tri-sorter chute system to separate waste, recyclables and organic waste
- Water efficiency through low flow toilets, rain water collection and landscaping with drought-tolerant plants
"Congratulations to Birchwood Place in Welland on achieving LEED Silver certification," said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the CaGBC. "Green building adds value to all types of projects, but the benefits to affordable housing projects like Birchwood Place are second to none. Green buildings allow low income Canadians to save money on utility and energy costs while getting the overall benefits from green, healthy housing. I commend Niagara Regional Housing on their leadership on providing residents with the best housing option."
Contact:
Ellen Balmain
Chief Executive Officer
905-682-9201, ext. 3930
Email Ellen Balmain