A Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and Dodge Data & Analytics report released titled Healthier Buildings in Canada 2016: Transforming Building Design and Construction is revealing new information about the factors influencing Canada?s building owners, architects, designers, contractors and public health professionals in their decisions for adopting healthier building practices and features.
Among its key findings, the report shows that business benefits are driving investments in healthier buildings. Nearly half of the Canadian commercial building owners surveyed (46 per cent) say they are able to lease space more quickly in buildings with healthy features, and of the owners that report they see a positive impact on the value of their buildings with healthier practices, over one third (38 per cent) see an increase of seven per cent or more. When asked to rank the top goals for having healthier buildings, owners surveyed ranked improved tenant/employee satisfaction with the building (79 per cent) and happier and healthier building occupants (66 per cent) as their top two choices, showing that occupant comfort is also growing in consideration for owners and operators in Canada.
The study also demonstrates how green building rating systems like LEED v4 are driving design and construction practices, demand for products and materials that are more sustainable, and that make occupant health and well-being a top priority. To measure uptake in the Canadian market, the stu...