Coinciding with Earth Day, Perkins+Will has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the fifth consecutive year. Announced in The Globe and Mail, the Greenest Employers Award recognizes employers with progressive environmental programs and earth-friendly policies that actively involve their employees. This distinction follows on the heels of the firm being named one of B.C.’s Top Employers for 2013, which honours British Columbia employers that offer exceptional places to work.
A few of the editors’ reasons for selecting Perkins+Will as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers includes that the firm:
• offsets all transportation and operating carbon emissions using the “Climate Smart” tool;
• provides transit subsidies and secure bike storage with shower facilities for its employees to encourage alternative modes of transportation;
• boasts many firsts in its industry, including the first LEED Platinum certified multi-family residential building in North America and the first LEED Gold certified new building in Canada; and
• has two projects currently registered with the International Living Future Institute’s “Living Building Challenge”, which is a standard set to ensure that buildings have a net positive impact on their surroundings.
“We are very proud to have our efforts recognized, both as a progressive employer and as an innovator in sustainable design and operations,” says Susan Gushe, principal and managing director of Perkins+Will’s Vancouver office. “Whether it’s our continued commitment to the 2030 Challenge or our company initiatives like our Green Operations Plan that ensures our day-to-day operations are environmentally responsible, being sustainable is core to what we do.”
The Greenest Employers recognition follows the news that several of the firm’s completed projects have recently earned LEED certification:
- the Energy. Environment. Experiential Learning building at the University of Calgary earned LEED Canada-NC Platinum certification, recognizing it as one of the most energy-efficient laboratory buildings in North America;
- the first phase of the Calgary Public Building received LEED Canada-CI Platinum certification, which marks the first Platinum award for the City of Calgary;
- the Buchanan Complex at the University of British Columbia earned LEED Canada-NC Gold, representing a significant milestone in UBC Renew’s efforts to conserve and revitalize the University’s modern building heritage;
- and the Mount Pleasant Civic Centre, a new multi-faceted community centre facility in the heart of Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant community, earned LEED-BC Gold certification.
“These certifications represent the culmination of an enormous amount of effort from the project teams, client groups, and consultants, as well as our in-office green research department, who managed the LEED certification process,” says Kathy Wardle, associate principal and Director of Research for Perkins+Will’s Vancouver office. “To have this number of certifications is further evidence of the market shift that says sustainable design is good design.”