New building type identifiers roll out in CAGBC database

Are you a data nerd? Do you enjoy analyzing CAGBC certification data for market insights? If you are, you will be happy to know CAGBC has just updated the building/project type categories for all certification projects in Canada under LEED, ZCB, IREE, and TRUE. 

Why is this important?

Staff found some critical analytics were missing with the previous breakout in building type variations, limiting market analysis. For example, warehouses are a growing building type under both LEED and ZCB certifications. Previously, these building types could not be broken out from other Industrial / Manufacturing facilities (e.g., wastewater treatment sites), which might have significant differences (e.g., energy use intensity). Independent senior living homes and university dorms which have unique challenges, could not be separated from other residential projects. Finally, “Other” and “Mixed Use” accounted for a significant 10 percent of projects yet offered little information for market insight. 

Enter the new classifications shown below. “Mixed Use” is no more; project buildings are identified by their primary use only. New options include Airports, Data Centres, Industrial – Warehouses, Restaurants, Dormitories, Senior Independent Living, and Transit Maintenance facilities, making market analytics more refined. 

How do you find this data?

The CAGBC Project Database is available under Showcase in the CAGBC website right-hand navigation. The building type is searchable through “Project type” under the Advanced Search options, or you can export the data to Excel for more refined analytics. 

Do project team members need to update their building type?

No. CAGBC staff have refreshed all 11,500 projects to use the new building type categories. If you have a concern with the building type assigned to your project, you can update it under “project type” in My Projects. 

* Newly added classifications