If you walk by the Donald E. Armstrong Building, on McTavish Street, you’ll notice a plaque – recently installed – that officially attests to the LEED Silver certification the building was granted. The LEED certification follows the extensive renovation the former home of the McGill bookstore underwent in 2017. The building was transformed to host the Desautels Faculty of Management’s master’s programs and provide the faculty an additional 48,666 square feet.

Throughout the transformation, efforts were made to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the project, primarily by renovating and, thus, reusing the existing building. In addition, the energy efficiency of the building was improved by 37 per cent and water efficiency by 40 per cent.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. It is a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings. There are four levels of LEED certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

McGill has integrated LEED-equivalent standards in its construction and renovation projects for many years. For example, the Life Sciences Complex, inaugurated in 2008, obtained LEED Gold certification.

“Current or recent projects for which McGill is pursuing LEED certification include a new research facility at the Gault Nature Reserve, the new greenhouse under construction at Macdonald Campus, the new central hub for the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, and two other research facilities on the downtown campus,” says Emmanuelle Lapointe, Director, Design Services, Facilities Management and Ancillary Services (FMAS).

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