Sep. 18, 2018
Our newest schools are drawing accolades for environmentally sound design, construction and operation. Hugh A. Bennett School – a 600-student-capacity kindergarten to Grade 4 school in Saddle Ridge – is the newest Calgary Board of Education facility to receive LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) is an evaluation tool and a rating system that is recognized in over 160 countries as the international mark of excellence for green buildings.
“The physical environment where students learn plays an important role in influencing students and helping them prepare to become citizens in a complex and ever-changing world,” says Dany Breton, Superintendent of Facilities & Environmental Services. “By attaining LEED gold certification, Hugh A. Bennett School will both provide a healthy learning environment and a real life model of sustainable development.”
Green buildings contribute to a healthier indoor environment for students, staff, and visitors. Schools that meet LEED requirements are designed and built with natural daylight, better ventilation and are furnished with materials that enhance indoor air quality. They are engineered to conserve energy, decrease water consumption, minimize indoor noise and create better thermal comfort through increased insulation and improved temperature control. Staff and students who live, learn and work in these buildings have been found to be more productive, higher performing and healthier.
Hugh A. Bennett opened in December 2016 and joins the Education Centre and seven other CBE schools in receiving LEED Gold certification. Construction of this school was managed by the CBE, which, in collaboration with the Provincial Government, strives to achieve a LEED Silver rating for all new school construction.
The list of CBE schools with LEED Gold certification also includes:
- Captain Nichola Goddard School
- Cranston School
- McKenzie Towne School
- Nelson Mandela High School
- Nose Creek School
- Ted Harrison School
- Twelve Mile Coulee School
For more information about LEED, visit:
CBE Chair Trina Hurdman (left) holds the LEED Gold Certification plaque for Hugh A. Bennett School, along with Ming Tian, Acting Director, Design & Property Development; Alex Zhang, Acting Facility Team Leader, Area 3 & 4; Robert Ashley, Manager, Design Services; and Deborah Wehnes, Waste and Recycling Coordinator.
