Green building certification system launched by BOMA

BOMA, the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada, has unveiled a new green building certification program. BOMA made the announcement at BOMEX 2008 in Vancouver on October 2.
Called BOMA BESt, the program combines the previous BOMA building assessment program and guidelines known as BOMA Go Green Plus and Go Green. Over 900 buildings had been certified under the Go Green Plus program by the end of July.
The BOMA BESt program now combines a framework of best practices and an assessment tool. It has four levels of certification, with Level 4 being the highest. The “BESt” name stands for “Building Environmental Standards.”
The program is currently designed for existing commercial buildings, intended for owners and operators to be able to assess the standing of their building in terms of energy and water management, emissions and effluents, waste reduction, the indoor environment and environmental management programs. Third party reviews are required for certification.
Diana Osler-Zortea, president of BOMA Canada said that the new program “provides a cost-effective way to make buildings more environmentally friendly and to cut operating costs. It’s a learning tool and a team building exercise.”
While the program is now focused on office buildings, new criteria are being developed for assessing shopping centres, multi-unit residences and industrial developments.
AT the BOMEX conference the first 12 recipients of BOMA BESt certification were announced. They are:
The Manulife Building at 736 Sixth Avenue in Calgary, Alberta
Commerce Place at 10155 102 Street in Edmonton, Alberta
Bentall 5 at 550 Burrard Street in Vancouver, British Columbia
The Brandon Federal Building at 1039 Princess Street in Brandon, Manitoba
The Customs Building at 189 Prince William Street in Saint John, New Brunswick
The John Cabot Building at 10 Barters Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland
The Manulife Financial Business Centre at 2723 Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax, Nova Scotia
The Enterprise Building at 427 Laurier Avenue West in Ottawa, Ontario
Garden City Tower at 301 St. Paul Street in St. Catharines, Ontario
The Daniel J. MacDonald Building at 161 Grafton Street in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
The Centre CDP Capital at 1000 Place Jean-Paul-Riopel in Montreal, Quebec
The Regina Alvin Hamilton Building at 1783 Hamilton Street in Regina, Saskatchewan
Of these Garden City Tower in St. Catharines was recognized as a BESt Level 3 certified building.
See www.bomabest.com