LEED Certification & Green Building Features

The Fredericton Convention Centre (FCC) has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) silver certification standards. LEED provides quality assurance that a project meets baseline green building requirements.

 Commercial and institutional buildings in Canada are responsible for over 35% of the energy used nationally. By reducing the quantity of raw materials that are extracted for use in building construction, reducing water consumption, selecting appropriate building locations, and improving the indoor environmental quality of buildings, we can improve design and create healthier, more environmentally responsible buildings.

 What is LEED?

LEED is a voluntary rating system that focuses on five (5) main categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality, with a supplemental category called Innovation in Design. LEED has various thresholds of environmental performance ranging from certified to silver, gold and platinum. The FCC has been awarded LEED Canada Silver certification standards. 

The Fredericton Convention Centre achieved credits in all categories, achieving the maximum possible in Innovation in Design.  A few highlights that contributed to this achievement are:

Waste Diversion:

• During construction, 50% of waste was diverted from the landfill, and more than 15% of materials used  during construction contain post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled materials
• 20% of materials used in the construction of the FCC were extracted and manufactured regionally

Air Quality:

• The FCC uses no products that contain added urea-formaldehyde
• Priority was given to maintaining indoor air quality for construction workers and future occupants. This was achieved by protecting the ductwork by sealing open ends and installing filtration media to capture dust in the ventilation system, and flushing out the building with fresh air prior to occupancy. In addition, building materials were protected from moisture damage that could potentially result in mold growth.
• During construction, and on-going via maintenance, all paints, glues, carpeting and other materials are guaranteed low VOC, ensuring high air quality for building residents and visitors

Water Use Efficiency:

• Storm, rainwater and snow melt are diverted from the roof to a 106,000 cubic litre cistern, and used to function 118 toilets and urinals in the complex.  This innovative water diversion system reduces the Convention Centre’s demand on the City of Fredericton’s fresh, treated water system by 75.75%. This translates to a water savings (comparing the designed building to a baseline) of 5,304,233 litres every year. As a point of comparison, this is almost 8 times the amount of water it takes to fill the Fredericton Indoor Pool.
• All washrooms in the complex have been equipped with low-flow toilets and carefully calibrated  automatic faucets for optimal performance

Optimized Energy Performance:

• The building’s high albedo white roofing reflects, rather than absorbs, heat thus lowering air conditioning costs, reducing energy consumption and  alleviating rather than contributing to the heat island effect of the downtown core
• Heating and ventilation systems are optimized for maximum energy performance, calibrated to assess factors such as occupancy, outside temperature and humidity.  For example, cooler outside air will be captured and circulated  to cool a room when possible, while  maintaining comfort for building occupants
• The location of the building, access to public transportation, amenities within walking distance combined with features such as secure bike racks and changing areas are factors that contribute to efficient energy use by building occupants
• Low-intensity fixtures reduce unnecessary light reflection and decrease energy consumption
• We time light and escalator use to each event schedule to conserve energy

Attention to the environment was carefully considered during the construction phase:

• Using regional materials from local manufacturers not only helps support local industry, but reduces the carbon footprint of transporting materials. When possible, the FCC sourced materials that were extracted, processed and manufactured within 800 km by road or 2,400 km by rail or water. Locally sourced materials include: gravel and crushed stone, asphalt, certain concrete products, gypsum wallboard and wood products
• All the interior paints, sealants, adhesives, and coatings in the FCC were chosen to be of low VOC content, to help create a healthy indoor environment