Purpose statement
The purpose of this procedure is to guide sustainable construction for Town of Oakville (town) new buildings as well as maintenance and repair of town-owned facilities and to assist with the town’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals, reduce the use of non-renewable resources, improve energy efficiency and implement a life-cycle costing process.
Scope
This procedure applies to the construction of new Town of Oakville buildings and maintenance and repair of all town owned facilities.
Procedure
All town departments and staff shall follow the Sustainable Design Guidelines (SDG) in order to ensure consistency, compliance, where applicable, and to assist in attaining the Town’s goals. Where not covered in the SDG all building design decisions shall consider:
- Ventilation systems designed for efficient heating and cooling
- Energy efficient lighting and appliances
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and reduced water use
- Reduction of heat island reflection effect
- Water saving plumbing fixtures
- Building orientation and landscaping planned to maximize passive solar energy
- Minimal harm to the natural habitat
- Use of alternate and renewable power sources
- Use of non-synthetic and non-toxic materials
- Use of locally obtained woods and stone
- Use of responsibly-harvested and certified woods
- Use of recycled content materials
- Adaptive reuse of older buildings and materials
- Use of local recycled architectural salvage
- Efficient use of space
- Safe and comfortable indoor environment
Definitions
Ecological footprint: is a measure of the demands humans place on nature. It measures what humans consume from nature, for individuals, organizations, cities, regions, nations or humanity as a whole. It shows how much biologically productive land and water is occupied to produce all the resources consumed and to absorb waste.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG): Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases in the atmosphere that trap energy from the sun. Naturally occurring GHGs include water vapour, ozone, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
Life-cycle costing: involves taking the entire life-cycle of a product into consideration before purchasing. The life-cycle of a product includes all stages of a products development including extraction of fuel for energy used in production, marketing, transportation, maintenance, use and disposal.
Sustainable building design: provides for the development of green buildings which integrate environmental and social goals, with the result that their ecological footprint is reduced and they are healthier and more comfortable.
Responsibilities
Facilities and Construction Management (FCM) department is responsible for implementing, ensuring compliance, interpreting and updating the Sustainable Design Guidelines.
Environmental Policy department is responsible for updating, reporting and interpreting the Sustainable Design Guidelines in conjunction with FCM.
All other town departments are responsible for implementing the Sustainable Design Guidelines.