The commitment to incorporating sustainability into the project occurs at the beginning of the of the design process and must involve the client, and the entire design team to review the options presented by site design, building orientation, energy savings, interior environmental qualities, material specifications and design innovation. We are committed to meeting the requirements of sustainable design in today’s environment while maintaining the design standards of an award winning architectural firm.

One way to ensure sustainable principles are incorporated into the project is to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification. LEED® is the most widely used and recognized green building rating system. Excluding reduced operating and maintenance costs achieved by utilizing sustainable design features, LEED® has no financial incentives attached to it. However, a LEED® designation lends a higher profile to a building project and has the legitimacy of a third party review.

In addition, LEED® can be a useful design tool, focusing design team attention on

addressing each of the green issues of the LEED® system from the project’s inception. Our company has a total of 18 LEED® Accredited Professionals (AP’s) on staff – with nine of the AP’s based in our Edmonton Studio. This represents over 50% of our staff in the Edmonton studio and the largest concentration of LEED® AP’s within an Edmonton-based architectural practice.

Our team believes that it is crucial to also look beyond the LEED® criteria and continue to research innovations in sustainable design, materials and construction, and overall carbon footprint.

Recent Group2 Sustainability Experience: University of Alberta Triffo Hall, Edmonton AB LEED® Gold 1st Choice Savings and Credit Union, Lethbridge AB LEED® Silver Red Deer College Building Communities through Learning, Component 1, Red Deer AB Targeting LEED® Silver Red Deer Civic Centre, Red Deer AB Targeting LEED® Gold North East Centre of Community (w/ Gibbs Gage Architects), Calgary AB Targeting LEED® Gold Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit, Edmonton AB Targeting LEED® Gold Meadows Community Recreation Centre & Branch Library , Edmonton AB Targeting LEED® Silver Group2 is a founding member of the Canada Green Building Council. Our team also regularly contributes to conferences, seminars and university courses on the topic of substainability. View a list of recent presentations

Highlighted Projects Our team’s commitment to sustainability is exemplified in two LEED® registered projects, of which one has already been LEED® certified by the CaGBC; Triffo Hall for the University of Alberta has achieved LEED® Gold. As well, Building Communities Though Learning (BCTL) Component 1 for Red Deer College is targeting LEED® Silver. University of Alberta Triffo Hall Sustainable Elements / View Project Red Deer College Building Communities Through Learning Component 1 Sustainable Elements / View Project