Creekside Community Recreation Centre certified LEED® Canada platinum

Green building to officially open on September 18

September 14, 2010 (No. 42) - Creekside Community Recreation Centre, Vancouver’s 24th and newest community centre, has been certified LEED® Canada platinum by the Canada Green Building Council for its unique green features and design. This is the highest standard for environmentally sustainable buildings and marks the first time a Canadian community centre has received such a designation.

The $36 million Creekside Community Recreation Centre was designed by Walter Francl Architecture Inc. in collaboration with Nick Milkovich Architects Inc. and Arthur Erickson. The facility was built as part of the development for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Athletes Village.

"The LEED® Platinum certification for the Creekside Community Centre in the former Olympic Village speaks to the high standards and innovation that have been incorporated into the building," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. "Achieving LEED® Platinum is a big feather in our cap as we move towards our goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020."

Earlier this year, the Olympic Village and Southeast False Creek Neighbourhood Development (including the Olympic Village) was awarded the LEED® ND (Stage 2) Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for a range of features including its proximity to the downtown core, mix of uses, affordable housing, green buildings and habitat restoration.

"Creekside’s design is a showcase for sustainability," said Park Board Chair Aaron Jasper. "This exciting project demonstrates how the City and the Park Board are at the forefront of green building construction and facility management practices."

The spectacular 4,227 square metre (45,500 square foot) building, located on the waterfront in Southeast False Creek, housed administrative and retail businesses that served athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games . After the Games, it was converted to a community recreation centre. The state-of-the-art legacy building, which opened to the public in mid-July 2010, features a fitness centre, gymnasium, dance studio, sports performance lab, multi-purpose rooms and (coming soon), childcare facility and commercial space for a potential restaurant and non-motorized boating facilities. The Park Board will officially open the new facility on September 18, 2010.

The community centre’s unique design and green features include:

• 69 per cent energy/cost savings compared to a conventional community centre
• rainwater collection for toilet flushing and irrigation
• best practice and LEED® commissioning
• 50 per cent of total electrical consumption offset by green power
• green roof
• extensive use of natural light
• 25 per cent recycled content (post consumer and post industrial, 27 per cent regional materials, 80 per cent FSC-certified wood
• Construction waste management to divert 82 per cent from landfill

LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

Other recently completed Park Board green facilities:

Killarney Ice Rink / targeting LEED® Gold
Aquatic Centre at Hillcrest Park / targeting LEED® Gold
Mt. Pleasant Community Centre / targeting LEED® Gold
Sunset Community Centre / targeting LEED® Gold
Trout Lake Ice Rink / achieved LEED® Silver

- 30 -

Media enquiries:
Vancouver Park Board: Joyce Courtney, Communications Manager, (t) 604.257.8699, (c) 604.861.4375
City of Vancouver: Corporate Communications, 604.871.6336

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.