As Prime Contractor for this project, Pomerleau managed and coordinated the trades and was also responsible for ensuring that the construction and documentation processes meet the criteria for this LEED®-registered project.
This four-storey, 17,641-m2 office building has a central atrium and parking garage below. It features a concrete construction and raised floors with glass and masonry exterior.
Both the construction process and the final product were planned and designed to meet the Government of Canada's standards for sustainable development, which include minimizing both long and short terms effects on the environment. A Gold Certification was sought for this project, LEED®-registered with the Canada Green Building Council before construction began. This certification was obtained on October 7, 2011.
Some of the steps taken for LEED® certification:
- Pomerleau prepared a project-specific environmental protection plan.
- Because a minimum of 75% of the waste had to be recovered for recycling, all waste leaving the site had to be documented, in terms of where it was going and how it was going to be recycled.
- Pomerleau has to ensure that a minimum of 20% of the products or materials used had at least 80% of their content extracted, processed and manufactured within an 800-km radius of the site by road or within a 2,400-km radius of the site if shipped by rail or water. It was necessary to know where each product that came on site originated and have the required documents to prove it.
- In order to ensure interior air quality, Pomerleau chose products with low toxic emissions. The building's ventilation systems were sealed off until start-up and site housekeeping was meticulous. All of this involved detailed planning and scheduling.