When Coro and her partner, Phillip Legg, built their new home, they wanted to make it as energy efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. Following a steep learning curve, myriad decisions and 11 months of planning and construction, the Strandberg-Legg house became the second residential home in British Columbia to achieve LEED Gold status under the LEED for Homes rating system. The home also received an environmental award from the City of Burnaby in the planning and development category for its demonstration of innovative environmental features. Find more details below.

What is LEED?

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. An internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, it is a third-party certification program that gives building owners the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.

LEED Canada for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Certification is based on the total point score achieved, following an independent review and an audit of selected Credits. There are four levels of certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum. The Strandberg-Legg home received LEED Gold certification.

Strandberg-Legg LEED For Homes Project

In order to ensure their home was as energy efficient as possible, reduced their water consumption and limited their exposure to chemicals and toxins, Coro and Phil targeted and received a Built Green™ Gold designation in addition to the LEED Gold certification. Built Green is a voluntary industry program that promotes green building practices to reduce the impact buildings have on the environment. Like LEED, it provides guidance to builders on priority practices to reduce a building’s environmental footprint.

Coro and Phillip also participated in the Light House Sustainable Building Centre 2010 Green Building Challenge, a program in which 10 British Columbian home owners, small business owners and strata councils received free technical assistance for targeting a stringent set of energy, water, and waste reduction targets and strategies. Coro and the other participants benefitted from 5 days of technical assistance from a green building professional and 240 hours of research and assistance from professional volunteer interns.

Coro’s early green building experience was profiled in Today’s Vancouver Woman magazine in March 2009.

Coro and Philip received LEED Canada for Homes Provider and Green Rater services from e3 eco group. They contracted with Wallmark, custom home builders familiar with the Built Green program, to build their home. Take a tour through the Strandberg-Legg LEED Gold home via this Wallmark-produced video.

Coro and the other participants benefited from 5 days of technical assistance from a green building professional and 240 hours of research and assistance from professional volunteer interns. Read the 2010 Challenge report on the Strandberg-Legg home.

View Strandberg-Legg Sustainable Building Goals

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