Pembina Trails Collegiate officially achieved LEED Silver Certification through the Canada Green Building Council.

The modern high school makes up part of a new educational and community development in southwest Winnipeg to help meet the educational demand in this burgeoning area. Pembina Trails Collegiate opened in the fall of 2023 as one of the newest high schools to be built in the province in decades and is designed to accommodate 1,200 students. From day one, the project team, in close collaboration with the Client, focused on the project meeting the priority of LEED Silver Certification by implementing key sustainability themes across design and delivery. Combined, these actions depict the careful planning that went into this major new educational development to create an investment for the future.

Sustainable Site Development

• As a green-field site, a strong emphasis was placed on preserving areas of open space for shared school and community use, allowing the campus to grow in the future.
• The site ties into access to quality transit networks, providing nearby public transportation opportunities for students and families. The school bus system serves both the new high school and adjacent K-8 school, maximizing use of space and centralizing shared amenities.
• Active living and low-emission commutes are supported by a reduced parking footprint, bike storage, walking/biking pathways and green vehicle readiness.
• Recognized for Joint-Use-of-Facilities, school common spaces can double to support public use, such as the gym and multi-purpose room with built-in movable walls.

Water & Energy Efficiency

• Indoor water use was reduced by 35.9% with the help of low-flow and smart water solutions. Through water efficient landscaping, the school requires no irrigation beyond the two-year establishment period, reducing outdoor water use by 100%.
• Overall energy savings were evaluated at 21% and 58% Greenhouse Gas Emissions savings through the LEED Pilot Program.
• A whole building energy simulation demonstrates key strategies in optimizing energy performance.

Materials & Resources

• Environmental Product Declarations highlight responsible material procurement sourced from a wide range of conscious suppliers.
• Responsible sourcing of raw materials, including recycled content and FSC Certified Wood, along with the use of products with material ingredient reporting and optimizations.
• The building’s life-cycle impact was reduced through the selection of high performing, durable building systems and components.

Indoor Environmental Quality

• Enhanced indoor air strategies improve air quality throughout the school, inclusive of smoke control in areas designated for smudging.
• Low-emitting materials across primary building categories (flooring, wall panels, ceilings, adhesives and sealants) minimize the release of VOCs into the air.
• Other key recognitions included acoustic performance, lighting control in 98% of occupant spaces and high-quality views, supported by abundant access to natural light.

In achieving LEED Silver, Pembina Trails Collegiate was recognized for its innovative design. Our project team (below) and the Client (Pembina Trails School Division and the Province of Manitoba), worked closely together across all stages of this project, from early envisioning in 2019 to successful delivery in 2023, to advocate for the sustainable principles that amounted to this exciting designation. A big congratulations to all involved.

Client: Pembina Trails School Division and the Province of Manitoba
Prime Consultant/Design Lead: LM-ESP
Structural Engineer & Sustainability Consultant: Crosier Kilgour
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Epp Siepman Engineering
Civil Engineer: WSP
Landscape Architect: HTFC
Commercial Kitchen Consultant: Burnstad Consulting
Contractor: Penn-co Construction

To learn more about the design of Pembina Trails Collegiate, check out our full project profile.