Kingston - The Queen’s Centre will be the newest hub of campus activity – a legacy from students past and present to future generations. The modern, multi-purpose athletic, social and academic complex implements sustainable design throughout.

Built to LEED®-standard certification, the building was designed to reflect the university’s long-term commitment to responsible stewardship.

“Sustainable design and construction are about more than a certification process,” says Ann Browne, Associate Vice-Principal (Facilities). “While the recognition is welcome, what really matters is the forward-looking process behind the scenes that considers current impacts as well as future ones. The result is a highly functional, efficient and sustainable building. This is simply the smart and right thing to do.”

The Queen’s Centre uses 29 per cent less energy and more than 30 per cent less water than a standard building of similar size and nature. Contributing features include:
• A heat recovery system that preheats incoming outdoor air with waste energy
• Premium efficiency standards for all motors with power ratings over 0.75 kW
• CO2 monitors and variable speed drives on fan units that help control and reduce the run times and speeds of the ventilation system
• High-efficiency lamps and occupancy sensors to decrease electrical consumption from lighting systems
• Faucets, showers and urinals with flow and flush rates that are lower than the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and LEED requirements.

In addition, more than 75 per cent of waste material from demolition and construction was diverted from landfill into reuse and recycling streams. The stone exterior of the old Jock Harty Arena, for example, was recovered and used on the facade of the Queen’s Centre, contributing to the building’s overall composition of recycled material.

Commitment to sustainable building includes a comprehensive green cleaning program that will increase the quality of the indoor environment using high-end ecologically-friendly cleaning products endorsed by Green Seal and Ecologo. These products generate less toxic pollution and waste and conserve resources and habitats. The green cleaning program benefits the custodians, building occupants and the environment.

LEED® is a standardized certification system that promotes sustainable building design and construction contributing to overall efficiency and reduced environmental impact. It has been available in Canada through the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) since 2004.