270 Albert

Why LEED v4

Owners of 270 Albert, Blackwood Partners Corporation pursued LEED v4 certification as it provided an opportunity to elevate the building in the downtown Ottawa marketplace by reinforcing their commitment to sustainable practices and supporting the green initiatives of the building’s tenants. Blackwood’s LEED v4 O+M project has produced tenant satisfaction and improved returns, and exemplifies LEED’s ability to deliver sustainable operational practices and energy efficiency in an existing building that benefits all stakeholders.

About the project

Located in downtown Ottawa, 270 Albert Street is a 14-storey, 164,000 square foot office tower, asset managed by Blackwood Partners Inc. and property managed by Blackwood Partners Corporation. The project is the first LEED v4 certification for an existing building in Canada.

Having undergone several major retrofits since the building was constructed in 1975, the multi-tenant building was already operating efficiently when an energy audit was conducted in 2013. By implementing the recommendations of the audit, the operations team was able to improve the building’s energy performance by a further 25 per cent, resulting in an impressive energy use intensity of 20 ekWh/sf and an ENERGY STAR® score of 91.

A close partnership between Blackwood and the LEED consultant for the project, WSP Canada, allowed the entire process, from initial planning to performance verification and documentation, to be completed in just over one year. The final LEED certification was achieved in only 18 months after the planning process began.