Selkirk Regional Health Centre Achieves LEED Gold Certification

We are proud to announce that the Selkirk Regional Health Centre has been officially recognized by the Canada Green Building Council to have fulfilled all requirements to achieve LEED Gold Certification status.

Like any city that is reaching a new level of livability, Selkirk, Manitoba has grown to need significant health services and facilities for local residents and those living in the region. The new two-storey, state-of-the-art, LEED Gold, Selkirk Regional Health Centre is a 184,000 square foot regional healthcare hub, offering everything from a birthing centre, dialysis, surgery, cancer care, MRI diagnostics and outpatient programs, serving the Interlake Region.

The Centre features an interior contemplation courtyard with a light sculpture, three accessible roof terraces; and a green roof overlooked from patient bedrooms. The landscape and building connect seamlessly through an active, south facing, family/staff courtyard with a sun deck and outdoor ‘kitchen’.
With a focus on having as much natural light as possible in the building, glazed curtain walls are located in all public areas, starting at the front entrance and completely surrounding the contemplation courtyard as a ‘light well’ wayfinding feature.

The colours and finishes of the building echo the water, sky and earth of the Interlake. Shades of aqua and warm terra cotta, balance the golden buff Tyndall stone on the walls and floors. The first and last impression at every threshold on the site and in the building is that this is much more than a ‘hospital’ – it is a sustainable, holistic wellness centre

Some of the Selkirk Regional Health Centre’s sustainability features include:

• The project achieved 43% water use reduction compared to the baseline. This was achieved using low-flow technologies.
• The project treats and manages all stormwater runoff on site, thereby easing the load on infrastructure systems and maintaining the natural flows of the site. All of the stormwater is stored on-site in a network of vegetated filter strips and dry ponds that help eliminate contaminants.
• The building models a 44% energy savings compared to MNECB 1997 reference. Some of the energy efficient measures include; high performance envelope, ventilation air heat recovery, geothermal heat pump system, variable speed drives on all primary heating and cooling pumps, efficient lighting design, condensing boilers, and variable speed drives on supply fans.
• 23.67% of all construction materials contained recycled content.
• The centre diverted 63% of construction waste from landfill disposal, through recycling efforts including 220 tonnes of recycled concrete, 136 tonnes of recycled metal, and approximately 150 tonnes of recycled wood.
• SRHC obtained a Renewable Energy Certificate to offset 100% of the building’s regulated electricity. A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a tradable environmental asset that represents the environmental attributes of one-megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity.
• The project has several landscaped areas of respite to connect patients, families, and staff to the outdoors, improve occupant wellness, and patient recovery with access to fresh air, daylight, and outdoor vegetation.
• The centre offers exemplary indoor air quality for occupant well-being including indoor air quality testing prior to occupancy; no off-gassing from interior materials; and a facility wide scent-free policy.
• The exterior lighting was designed to minimize light pollution. By strategically locating exterior light fixtures and using shielded luminaires the project helps minimize the impact to the nocturnal ecosystem.