LEED BUSINESS CASE STUDY FOR HILLCREST CURLING FACILITY

Authors: Kathy Wardle, Senior Associate and Director of Research, Busby Perkins & Will
Jennifer Sanguinetti, Principal, Stantec

Environment Canada, Industry Canada and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) commissioned Busby Perkins & Will and Stantec to conduct a business case analysis for improving the environmental and operational performance of the Hillcrest Curling Facility. In so doing, the report provides a roadmap to improve Hillcrest’s LEED-Canada certification ranking and a LEED business case justification for venue developments in general.

Three LEED certification scenarios are proposed for the analysis, with different GHG reduction and offset potential, and varying capital cost increases, payback predictions and LEED certification ratings
Using the LEED-Canada rating system, the study team proposed three LEED certification scenarios using 20 sustainable design measures that would, over the project’s existing design, further: 

These scenarios identified opportunities for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, GHG offset potential, simple payback, capital cost increases and LEED certification enhancements due to specific green design measures.

Scenarios generate results ranging from: 10 LEED points, 0.03 per cent in cost premiums, 4-year paybacks, and GHG offsets of 395,000 kg
to: 24 LEED points, 2.5 per cent in cost premiums, 4 to 51-year paybacks and GHG offsets starting at 721,000 kg

Scenario 1 results in an additional 10 LEED points, at a cost premium of $238,000, or 0.03 per cent of total project construction costs, with the simple payback of 4 years and GHG offset potential starting at 395,000 kg carbon equivalents.

Scenario 2 yields an additional 13 points, at a cost premium of $776,000 or 1.1 per cent of the total project construction costs, with a minimum simple payback of 4 years and the potential for GHG offsets amounting to 963,000 kg.

Scenario 3 projects the achievement of an additional 24 LEED points, at a cost premium of $1.7 M, or 2.5 per cent of construction costs. The minimum simple payback ranges from 4-51 years. Potential GHG offsets start at 721,000 kg in carbon equivalents.

The study team recommended the implementation of Scenario 2 which provides a wide range of additional architectural, landscape, energy and water-related measures, while selecting those with high GHG offsets, and low water and energy consumption, with a cost premium of 1.1 per cent and a payback of 4 years.

The study provides a cost matrix tool that can serve as a decision grid for venue developers interested in improving environmental, operational and financial building performance.
The study provides a cost matrix tool offering a useful analysis framework for venue developers to determine which green measures are most appropriate to implement in a given project, based on desired criteria. Once costing and energy modeling have been conducted on a project, sustainable design measures can be sorted by one criteria, such as costs, and further sorted for their potential to offset GHG emissions and contribution to the project’s LEED score. This business case study, then, provides an approach to analyzing ways to achieve higher levels of LEED certification and the overall impact it can have on capital costs, operational savings and GHG emissions.

Viable options exist for the Hillcrest Curling Facility to improve its triple bottom line performance over the current baseline
The study concludes that there are features to incorporate into the design of the Hillcrest Curling Facility that will not only bolster the current LEED gold target, but also achieve offsets to further VANOC’s climate-neutral goal.

For a copy of the study, visit the Stantec and Busby Perkins & Will websites at: http://www.busby.ca