Photo courtesy Westcliff Group of Companies

Canada's first LEED–EB Gold: La Maison de l'OACI/Place de la cité internationale in Montreal.

Located in downtown Montreal, La Maison de l'OACI/Place de la cité internationale has been named the nation's first LEED–EB Gold building. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings program recognizes sustainable property management and construction with respect to both energy efficiency and ecological responsibility. (The Canada Green Building Council [CaGBC] does not yet have a program for existing buildings.)

Home of the International Civil Aviation Organization, La Maison de l'OACI was erected in 1996 and required significant work to achieve the Gold status. Modifications were made to lighting, plumbing, ventilation, water consumption, recycling, maintenance processes, and operations.

Work began in 2006, after a strategic study commissioned by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), the building's tenant. Co-owners Westcliff Management Ltd. and Canapen Group worked with PWGSC in pursuing the certification, retaining the services of Pageau Morel and Associates and Aedifica as consultants. The project was completed by the end of 2007.

“The prestigious certification La Maison de l'OACI has received today extends over Montreal and the whole of Quebec, where a firm commitment toward sustainable development has been in place for some time now,” said Line Beauchamp, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Parks.

This is La Maison's second major recognition—in 2000, it won the Office Building of the Year Award (at both provincial and national levels) from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).