In 2015, the City of Brandon commissioned Prairie Architects Inc. to address the expansion and redevelopment of the aging 1970 terminal building at McGill Field in order to accommodate larger airline carriers and their enhanced check-in, screening, boarding, luggage and arrival services. The design of the terminal expansion incorporated various aspects of green building performance measures to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
LEED is a green building rating system that awards points for various aspects of green building performance including:
- Selecting and developing the project site in a responsible manner
- Reducing potable water consumption
- Reduction energy consumption
- Choosing materials carefully
- Providing a quality indoor environment
- Innovative building features
Depending on the number of points achieved, buildings can obtain a Platinum, Gold, Silver, or certified LEED rating. The Brandon Municipal Airport terminal project has achieved Gold Certification.
“This project marks a huge milestone for the City of Brandon as a corporation. There are several LEED certified buildings in the community but this is the first municipal LEED certified building,” noted City of Brandon’s Environmental Initiatives Coordinator Lindsay Hargreaves. “Originally the team was striving for silver. We are beyond delighted to learn that everyone’s efforts in this project and our commitment to sustainability earned us a gold accolade.”
Several of the green features incorporated into the project include:
- Natural and LED lighting,
- Hard surface flooring materials, adhesives, and underlayment have gone through documentation, audits and emission testing
- Over 75% of the original structure of the airport terminal has been maintained.
Residents can learn more about the environmental design features of the airport by visiting airport.brandon.ca/leed.
“Prairie Architects is proud to be contributing to a more sustainable approach to building and thrilled to have been able to achieve LEED Gold on the Brandon Municipal Airports existing building retrofit,” said Damien Fenez, Principal Architect at Prairie Architects. “We want to continue to build upon our reputation as sustainable leaders in Manitoba and would like to thank the City of Brandon for joining us on the journey of delivering a healthy, inclusive, vibrant and engaging space for the citizens of Brandon to live, grow and travel in!”
The next time you are visiting the Brandon Airport be sure to bring your phone and give yourself a self-guided LEED tour by scanning the QR codes throughout the terminal.
(CITY OF BRANDON PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT)
