Building Green

Calgary Water Centre

We have the technology to build more green buildings but why, for the most part, are we still building traditionally?  Much of the push back against going green is the perception of cost. Done right most of these green building premiums are recovered over the lifetime of the building.  When Calgary architect Jeremy Strugess designed the Calgary Water Centre he was allocated $200 per square foot.  This meant making some choices around simplifying the building but every cent saved was put into leading edge technologies and smart design choices regarding energy and water savings.  Lets look at a life-cycle costing method rather than the first cost decision making used today.  Instead of a 20 year building (the industry average for government/commercial buildings) the architect, Jeremy Sturgess believes this building is good for at least 50 years and probably much longer. Building Green is  good for the environment and our bottom line.
To learn more go to the Canada Green Building Council web site  http://www.cagbc.org/