It’s one of the largest industrial training facilities in Manitoba, and it’s also now officially one of the province’s most environmentally-friendly buildings.

Red River College is happy to announce its Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC) has become one of the first education centres in Manitoba to receive LEED® certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

Located on the College’s Notre Dame Campus, this 60,000 square foot complex combines academic and industrial functions, with nine classrooms available for theoretical instruction, and a large shop area that replicates a typical work environment in the transportation and trucking industry.

“HETC is a model for development of new learning facilities, “,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC. “It provides us with modern, flexible space for training programs and applied research, while simultaneously minimizing our impact on the environment.”

HETC includes several sustainable features that are uncommon for a large industrial building:

• Geothermal heating and cooling – A groundwater loop system provides partial heating and cooling of the facility.
• Natural heating – SolarWall systems collect the sun’s energy to preheat outdoor air before it ventilates classrooms.
• Daylight views – More than 90% of regularly occupied spaces have direct views of the outdoors.
• Native vegetation – Plants surrounding the building require little maintenance, are drought resistant, and help control stormwater runoff.
• Recycled and regional content – More than 25% of building materials have recycled content, and 35% of materials are from Manitoba, Saskatchewan or North Dakota.

Compared to a standard structure of the same size, HETC’S efficient heating and cooling systems produce a 50% reduction in energy use, a 72% reduction in space heating, and a 54% reduction in operating costs. It has been certified as LEED® Silver.

“The CaGBC is proud to award Red River College with a LEED Silver certification,” said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. “It is very exciting to see colleges demonstrating such a high level of environmental and social responsibility. Post-secondary institutions have a leadership role in their communities and for their students to educate and showcase “sustainability in action.”

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.

For more information, or to book a tour of HETC, see www.rrc.ca/hetc.