Photos courtesy SpecialEventPhotography

Inside and outside (pictured below) the LEED Canada for Homes archetype sustainable house at the Kortright Centre's Living City Campus in Vaughan, Ont. Projects from around the country were profiled on poster boards. For more information, visit www.sustainablehouse.ca.

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has simultaneously launched its residential version of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED Canada) in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Applying to new single-family homes and low-rise, multi-family buildings not higher than three storeys, LEED Canada for Homes provides a framework through which dwellings can be constructed up to 70 per cent more energy-efficient than regular houses.

Dwellings certified under the program use energy and water more efficiently, are constructed with sustainable and more durable materials, and offer improved occupant comfort and health. In addition to the six credit categories found in the established LEED Canada for New Construction, the residential version includes two new sections—Locations and Linkages (LL) and Awareness and Education (AE). To gain LEED certification, a new home must attain performance measures across these categories.

The new rating system is adapted from the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) LEED for Homes to fit Canadian building codes and climates. A case study program was used to help determine how best to adapt the USGBC version for Canada—more than 400 homes were enrolled from 50 participating builders across the country.