December 19, 2011

AAREAS INTERACTIVE

The mixed-use Grand Genesis development in Richmond Hill includes two, 15-storey residential towers as well as commercial space. LEED Gold is being targeted.

Guizzetti targets Richmond Hill, Ontario development for LEED Gold

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

For Guizzetti Developments Inc., delivering a project that was green, sustainable and energy-efficient while minimizing extra costs that are usually associated with LEED certification was top of mind when it came to the mixed-use Grand Genesis Inc. development north of Toronto in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

“We were by no means compelled to choose the level of LEED Gold, but Gold satisfied all of those criteria and requirements we aspired to in our ambition to create the highest quality product that would meet the expectations of future condominium owners,” says president Stefano Guizzetti.

The mixed-use development, that has a gross floor area of 270,000 square feet, consists of two, 15-storey residential towers housing a total of 255 condo units, as well as an estimated 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

Shoring is scheduled to get under way in January on the estimated $60 million to $65 million project being constructed on a parcel of land owned by Guizzetti Developments.

The firm is undertaking the project in partnership with Holborn Developments Inc., which has expertise in construction and property management. Ban- Cor Group Inc. assisted with the project’s financial aspects and in the initial development stages.

After numerous in-house discussions, Guizzetti Developments made a decision to target LEED Gold under the guidelines of the Canada Green Building Council’s new LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations format (NC 2009).

AAREAS INTERACTIVE

The Grand Genesis development in Richmond Hill, Ontario will house an estimated 30,000-square-feet of commercial space in addition to 255 condo units.

After retaining Chu Architects Inc. to design the project, the developers brought on board LEED consultant Carl Di Giacomo, managing director of Verde LLC and the manager of green forward planning at the Newman Consulting Group.

Critical energy modeling services were provided by Phil Fung, managing principal of SRS Consulting Engineers Inc.

LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key environmental categories_sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Additional points are available in innovation and design and regional priority areas.

A total of 60 points is required to achieve Gold.

Team members Di Giacomo, Fung and architect Horhon Chu presented a case study of the project at the recent Construct Canada conference in Toronto.

In an interview later, Di Giacomo said the major challenge was to amass a sufficient number of LEED points to achieve Gold without rendering the project prohibitively expensive.

The team believes it has achieved approximately 70 points.

Emphasis was placed on three categories: sustainable sites (potentially 26 points); energy & atmosphere (35 points); and indoor environmental quality (15 points).

Di Giacomo said optimizing energy use by condo owners was a critical consideration.

As part of his responsibilities, Di Giacomo met with the architects in the preliminary design stages as well as with the owners to address their expectations and needs and to explain the nuances of the LEED program.

He also maintained contact with key members of the consultant team, including the energy modeler and the field review and building science consultant Eric Irshad to co-ordinate interaction and avoid overlap and with the principals to get a handle on the number of points that could be attained in their specific areas prior to doing a preliminary point assessment.

In addition, Di Giacomo worked closely with The Brand Factory to ensure information on the LEED program and advantages of LEED certified buildings was properly spelled out in marketing materials prepared for prospective condo buyers.

The team also includes structural engineers Stephenson Engineering and mechanical/electrical engineers Trace Engineering Ltd.

The town of Richmond Hill is located about three miles north of the city limits of Toronto.

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