LEEDing by example

The administration building for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary was renovated to meet LEED gold standards

Renovation is continuing in phases as the RDKB works year round to provide service to its municipalities. — Photo courtesy Greyback Construction Ltd.

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) serves many municipalities, with its services stretching from Fruitvale to Big White, near Kelowna. Elaine Kumar, the director of corporate administration for the RDKB, said that the services provided by the regional district include fire protection, waste management, curbside recycling and landfill operation.

Last March, renovations and redevelopments commenced on the RDKB administration building and completion is scheduled for March 2011. Kumar said the renovations are progressing nicely.

“In the end, the HVAC in the building was not sufficient and we outgrew the space,” said Kumar. “The third floor in the building was only partially used and that has been renovated—actually, the whole building has been renovated, including the electric and the HVAC system.”

Because of the size of this project, a number of companies have been involved, including Fairbank Architects, Yoneda and Associates, Empac Engineering Ltd., Effistruct Consulting and Greyback Construction Ltd., the general contractor.

Jacquie Kenyon is an employee with Greyback Construction and the project manager for the RDKB administration building. She said that this project is impressive because it follows Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) regulations and achieved gold certification, the second highest level. To reach this status, the RDKB incorporated geo-thermal fields for the HVAC systems, drilled 24 wells and installed new heat pumps in order to use as many natural resources as possible.

“We track everything that leaves the site,” said Kenyon, “everything that goes to the landfill, everything that is recycled. We have done a few LEED projects so we are used to the work that is required—it’s a good thing for sure.”