Stantec worked for the building’s landlord and needed to create a workplace that met robust governmental sustainability standards. “Our client was providing a walk-in-ready build-out and we needed to certify the space,” says Blake Jackson, Sustainability Design Leader at Stantec Architecture. “We chose Green Globes for its flexibility – it doesn’t have hurdles that risk an all-or-nothing proposition.”

“The turnaround time on communications was much faster than expected, and I felt like they treated the success of the project as their success too.”

Heather Thacore, Senior Associate at Stantec Architecture, appreciated Green Globes applicability to the project’s specific scope so unrelated items weren’t forced onto the design. “Green Globes ease of rollout allowed us to achieve a high level of sustainability for a workplace project, which a lot of other systems don’t address well.”

Jackson took an innovative approach to the Green Globes criteria. “We bundled the credits from the questionnaire into a menu of items for each discipline’s work, and then staged mini-charrettes for each discipline to streamline the process,” he says. “Once we got a momentum going, Green Globes flowed well with the natural project process.”

The project received the maximum number of points in multiple assessment areas:

• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on 22 materials/products accounted for 82.1% of the total materials’ cost, maxing out the number of points awarded of EPDs in the Performance Path option.
• Maximum points were awarded for Project Management, helped by integrated design meetings and full building commissioning.
• The Water and Emissions categories also achieved maximum points.
• Daylit areas have automatic photocell lighting controls, and 100% of the lights have occupancy sensors.
• The energy submetering system permits the owner to separately monitor electrical usage by lighting, plug loads and HVAC equipment.

Uplifting Collaboration
Green Globes’ transparent process was a welcome change for Jackson, who had never used the rating system before. “The GBI has great customer service, and you can reach out to people to get the answers you need,” Jackson explains. “The turnaround time on communications was much faster than expected, and I felt like they treated the success of the project as their success too.”

Having a dedicated Green Globes Assessor gave the team an experienced and reliable point of contact. The assessor performed a virtual walkthrough of the project, as COVID-19 precluded an in-person visit.

“I’ve never gone through a face-to-face review. Other certifications we’ve done have been an anonymous back-and-forth online,” recalls Thacore. “It was great to have the ability to talk to a live person, and he taught us things along the way.”

Jackson has led the charge for sustainable design at Stantec for years and is a firm believer in the scrutiny of a third-party review process. “We need green building and design certification systems because they’re clearinghouses to make an environment both sustainable and healthy,” he says. “But with the changing standards of some systems, clients are putting in more time and more effort to achieve less – it’s under- whelming.”

Green Globes provided a stark contrast. “The Green Globes process created an atmosphere of ‘can-do’ that encouraged our staff and our client,” Jackson explains. “Getting Four Green Globes made people feel uplifted. We had a very positive outcome.”