Sun Life Financial Centre
Ottawa, Ontario
June 8, 2013
- Rating System/Standard
- LEED v1
- Certification Level
- Platinum
- Building Type
- Office
Situated in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the Sun Life Financial Centre (SLFC) is comprised of two office towers connected through a bright and welcoming central atrium. At over one million square feet, the centrally located building is home to a mix of local, national, and international organizations.
The SLFC first received LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certification in 2011 and in March 2017, the building earned LEED for Existing Buildings Platinum recertification.
The following case study was written using responses previously provided for a LEED Spotlight in May 2017, and is the result of an interview with Brandon Malleck, Manager, Technical Services and Projects at Bentall Kennedy.LEED certification provides credibility For Bentall Kennedy, LEED certification drives value for their clients, reduces risks and costs to their tenants and motivates their staff. “Operating a high-performance building is a part of Bentall Kennedy’s market-leading approach to Responsible Property Investing which integrates environmental, social and governance principles into everything that we do,” says Mr. Malleck. “We have certified under the most relevant rating systems as they were available. Certifying a green building provides credibility to the industry-leading work that we do as an organization and the operations team at the Sun Life Financial Centre.”
Project Team
- Project Owner/Developer
- Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada | AIMCO Investments Bentall Kennedy (Canada) LP
- LEED Consultant
- WSP
- Commissioning Authority
- Energy Profiles Limited
LEED Platinum delivers significant energy and water savings
The building now has over 200 metering points that include all tenant loads, heating and cooling systems, and lighting systems. With this additional metering for energy and water, Bentall Kennedy anticipates that it will lead to future performance improvements. The building’s ENERGY STAR Score has increased significantly from their previous certification and they plan to improve further. “You could say that our ENERGY STAR target is 100. At our last certification we had 75 now we are at 95. We also look at normalized energy use intensity as a target metric – our January 1, 2020 target NEUI is 13.9 ekWh/sqft/year, which should yield a score of 98,” says Mr. Malleck.
100% of the water performance credits were achieved, in part due to the ongoing washroom upgrades and focus on improved performance.
Additional project features
- LEED requirements have been included in most service contracts executed over the past few years (such as cleaning and pest management)
- Central location with great access to cycling and bus routes
- Future connection to the Ottawa Light Rail
- Tracking tenant commuting habits in order to monitor commuting for future GHG focus shifts
- A five year commitment to maintain a substantial area of green space through the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
- An improved waste auditing process
- Development of an IAQ training program for operations staff
LEED SCORE CARD
| Certification Level | Platinum |
| Rating System | LEED Canada for New Construction and Major Renovations 2009 |
| Total Points earned | 81 |
| Sustainable Sites | 20 out of 26 |
| Water Efficiency | 8 out of 14 |
| Energy & Atmosphere | 30 out of 35 |
| Materials & Resources | 4 out of 10 |
| Indoor Environmental Quality | 9 out of 15 |
| Innovation | 6 out of 6 |
| Regional Priority | 4 out of 4 |