New Construction

The LEED^® Canada NC rating system applies to new construction and major renovations of commercial and institutional buildings, i.e., buildings regulated by Part 3 of the National Building Code. It also applies to retail, mid- and high-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), public assembly buildings, manufacturing plants, and other types of buildings.

Applicants with space that is not fitted out at the time of certification (e.g., intended for future lease) may wish to consider LEED Canada for Core & Shell Development. Alternatively, those projects with at least 50% of the building fit-up for certification may use the leased tenant space guidance for NC projects found in the LEED Canada Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction 2009.

LEED Canada NC 2009

The latest version of LEED Canada NC provides many advantages over version 1.0, including:

Consolidation of documentation: all the Application Guides and relevant CIRs have been incorporated.
Updated reference standards: the new rating systems refer to more current reference standards.
New and updated pathways: several alternative credit compliance pathways have been introduced, and thresholds have been adjusted to better reflect the state of the industry.
Re-weighted credits: the number of points that may be earned for each credit has been re-evaluated using a more scientific approach, resulting in greater emphasis on preventing climate change.
Familiarity: the majority of credits have not substantially changed.
Faster certification: the audit round of the certification process has been eliminated, and streamlined compliance pathways are available for some credits.

LEED Canada NC 1.0 projects are welcome to switch to the new rating system.

Rating System and Reference Guide

LEED Canada NC 2009 and LEED Canada CS 2009 Rating System - released June 21, 2010 - outlines credit requirements and provides a credit checklist.

LEED Canada Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction 2009 (online purchase - if you have already purchased the Reference Guide in electronic format it is available in the My Documents section of My CaGBC) - a detailed outline of the credits that may be utilized for LEED Canada NC 2009 registered projects. Strategies and additional resources are included to help in meeting the requirements of each credit and prerequisite.

Minimum Program Requirements

Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) for LEED Canada Rating Systems (pdf) – The MPRs list the basic characteristics that a project must possess to be eligible for certification under the LEED Canada rating systems, therefore defining a broad category of buildings and spaces that the LEED Canada rating systems were designed to evaluate. These MPRs replace those found in the LEED Canada Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction 2009 for all LEED Canada NC projects registered on or after September 1, 2012. All projects required to follow the MPRs must provide a signed MPR form with their project submission, declaring the project meets all MPRs or allowed exceptions.

Minimum Program Requirements Declaration Form (xls) – This form is a requirement on all LEED Canada NC 2009 projects.

Workshops

LEED Canada NC 2009: Technical Review - don’t you wish you knew more about the most popular LEED rating system? Learn about the current version.

Project Resources

One of the benefits of CaGBC membership is access to supplementary LEED Canada documents and tools. In order to view these documents, you must be a Member and you must be logged in.

LEED Canada NC and CS 2009 Letter Templates version D (xls) - support the required declarations for each of the prerequisites and credits under LEED Canada NC 2009 and LEED Canada CS 2009. This version incorporates important clarifications to regional priorities for rural areas within Statistic Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, as well as clarifications to base credit thresholds for Regional Priorities where those levels were not immediately apparent.

Portland Cement Reduction Calculator (xls) - provided in support of Materials and Resources credit 4 (Recycled Content). Version 2, July 2012. This document is not limited to CaGBC members. A Technical Bulletin explaining the proper use of the calculator may be found on the website of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario.

CaGBC Durable Building Tables (xls) - provided in support of Regional Priority credit 1 (Durable Building).

LEED Canada NC and CS 2009 Project Checklist (xls) - helps project teams track their credits against requirements for certification.

LEED Canada 2009 Supplementary Energy Modelling Guidelines (pdf) - supplements and/or clarifies the energy modelling guidance provided for LEED Canada for New Construction and Major Renovations 2009 and LEED Canada for Core and Shell Development 2009 EA Prerequisite 2 and EA Credit 1, Option 1 – Whole Building Energy Simulation.

LEED Canada 2009 Interpretation Guide for District Energy Systems (pdf) – all projects registered on or after April 1st, 2012 must use this guidance document. LEED Canada NC/CS 2009 projects registered prior to this date may use either this new guidance or the Interpretation Guide for District Energy Systems (March 2008), published as part of the Application Guide for Campuses and Multiple Buildings. It is recommended that such projects adopt the new interpretation guide as it provides much clearer guidance overall. LEED Canada-NC/CS 1.0 projects may opt to use this new guidance for EAp2 and EAc1 only, the March 2008 document must be used for all other prerequisites and credits.

Guidance for Non-Traditional Fuels in LEED Canada (pdf) – this document provides guidance for EAp2 and EAc1 for LEED Canada projects that use Non-Traditional Fuels (NTFs) to provide heating, cooling, and/or electricity to buildings. All projects registered on or after April 1st, 2012 must use this guidance document. Projects registered prior to this date are encouraged to adopt this guide as it greatly clarifies the previous guidance.

Energy Modelling Information

Approved Energy Simulation Software (pdf)

CaGBC’s Experienced Modellers List (pdf)

Criteria and Application Process for CaGBC’s Experienced Modellers List (pdf)

Application form for CaGBC’s Experienced Modellers List (xls) – deadline for the next evaluation round is September 16, 2013.

Application Fee form for CaGBC’s Experienced Modellers List (xls)

Guidance for Energy Modelling Compliance Documentation in LEED Canada (pdf) - this document describes the energy modelling compliance documentation for LEED Canada projects pursuing EAp2 and EAc1 using whole building energy simulation. All LEED Canada projects are encouraged to adopt this guidance.