Hamilton, Ontario - Dundurn Capital Partners Inc. announced that its West Village Suites student residence in Hamilton, Ontario has been certified by the Canadian Green Building Council as a LEED Platinum building.
Located near McMaster University, West Village Suites is a privately-owned 109 unit building, housing 449 post-secondary students. At 225,000-sq.ft., it is the largest LEED Platinum certified project in Canada.
“We are extremely excited about this achievement,” said Robert Manherz, president & CEO of Dundurn Capital Partners. “This is the culmination of a vision we had when we started this project and a commitment we made to the community. This certification is evidence that development can be environmentally friendly and still provide benefits to the community.”
Features of West Village Suites include energy savings of 57% due in part to its insulated concrete form construction and an evacuated heat pipe solar system that includes 60 panels used for domestic hot water. This array is the largest installation of its kind in the world. Additionally, each suite includes EnergyStar appliances and low-flow water fixtures.
Also featured are a white roof, a rain water capture system for reuse as gray water in the toilet system, balconies and extra-large windows in each suite allowing 75% of the living space to be used with natural light. Fresh air is provided directly to each suite by way of an in-suite heat recovery system tied directly to each suite's fan-coil unit. The unit moderates fresh air by capturing heat from suite exhaust before delivering it to the living space. This approach ensures fresh air gets to the residents.
High-quality interior design materials are also featured in the building. Paints, coatings, and adhesives all meet high standards for low off-gassing of volatile organic compounds and the carpeting has CRI Green Label certification.
Students living in the building also have the ability to do their part to contribute to energy savings. An all-off switch at the main entrance to each suite allows lights and ventilation to be shut off when no one is in the unit. Also, a real-time digital watt-meter in the common area of each suite lets residents know how much energy they are using at any given moment. Students are also encouraged to use an in-suite waste separation and a waste management/recycling room provided on each floor.
Dundurn Capital Partners is currently pursuing student residence projects in other Ontario cities including Oshawa and Thorold.