Green Building in British Columbia: A Special Report for Architects, Engineers and Contractors
British Columbia is leading the charge in Canada’s rapidly growing green building movement. In fact, BC is poised to become a global leader in green building if BC firms succeed in accelerating market transformation, catalyzing economic development and stimulating export growth.
The report titled Green Building in British Columbia: A Special Report for Architects, Engineers and Contractors was created by the Light House 
Sustainable Building Centre to facilitate and accelerate market transformation and economic development activities for the sustainable building cluster in British Columbia.
Tracking green building activity in BC is challenging due to a paucity of consistent market metrics. In 2006 Light House published the first State of the Industry report which presented an analysis of an extensive literature review, stakeholder interviews and conversations with prominent local business leaders. In 2007 and 2008, Light House carried out two further surveys which focused on the AEC community. The first created a profile of this vital service sector which has been key to driving BC’s green building industry forward. The second investigated current documentation services in Greater Vancouver as it relates to third party certification (such as LEED).
The Green Buildings Special Report forms the first in a series of sector-specific products and expands on the findings of the 2006 State of the Industry report with specific reference to the AEC community.
About the Light House Centre
Light House Sustainable Building Centre is an enterprising non-profit society dedicated to advancing and catalyzing sustainability in British Columbia's built environment. The Centre offers a range of free and fee-based programs and services. The purpose of the Centre is to:
- Provide a “first-stop” integrated service shop that connects British Columbians with the inspiration, information, services and skills they need to implement sustainable building solutions.
- Provide education, training and outreach programs that will foster a deeper awareness of and commitment to sustainable building practices
- Support and advance public sector programs and private sector initiatives through community engagement, research, partnership development, technical assistance and consulting services.
- Facilitate and accelerate market transformation and economic development activities for the sustainable building cluster in British Columbia
Defining green:
Green projects have the explicit goal of minimizing the negative environmental impact of the building and the building process. These projects reach high standards in energy efficiency, water conservation, natural ventilation, and waste reduction.
Posted August 2008