LEED for Homes Building Project
When Coro and her partner, Phillip Legg, built their new home, they wanted to make it as energy efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. Following a steep learning curve, myriad decisions and 11 months of planning and construction, the Strandberg-Legg house became the second residential home in British Columbia to achieve LEED Gold status under the LEED for Homes rating system. The home also received an environmental award from the City of Burnaby in the planning and development category for its demonstration of innovative environmental features. Find more details below.
Photo credit: www.architecturalphotographer.com
View a builder-produced virtual tour of the home.
What is LEED?
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. An internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, it is a third-party certification program that gives building owners the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.
LEED Canada for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Certification is based on the total point score achieved, following an independent review and an audit of selected Credits. There are four levels of certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum. The Strandberg-Legg home received LEED Gold certification. See a list of the home’s green features.
Strandberg-Legg LEED For Homes Project
In order to ensure their home was as energy efficient as possible, reduced their water consumption and limited their exposure to chemicals and toxins, Coro and Phillip targeted and received a Built Green™ Gold designation in addition to the LEED Gold certification. Built Green is a voluntary industry program that promotes green building practices to reduce the impact buildings have on the environment. Like LEED, it provides guidance to builders on priority practices to reduce a building’s environmental footprint.
Coro and Phillip also participated in the Light House Sustainable Building Centre 2010 Green Building Challenge, a program in which 10 British Columbian home owners, small business owners and strata councils received free technical assistance for targeting a stringent set of energy, water, and waste reduction targets and strategies. Coro and the other participants benefitted from 5 days of technical assistance from a green building professional and 240 hours of research and assistance from professional volunteer interns.
Coro and Phillip received LEED Canada for Homes Provider and Green Rater services from e3 eco group. They contracted with Wallmark, custom home builders familiar with the Built Green program, to build their home. Read the 2010 Challenge report on the Strandberg-Legg home.
The Strandberg-Legg LEED for Homes Project has been covered by BC Hydro, Burnaby Now and Today’s Vancouver Woman (formerly SharedVISION).
To view the original goals Coro and Phillip established to guide their green home project, see Strandberg-Legg Sustainable Building Goals
