Sustainability

Sustainability has increasingly become a hot topic within the building community. Today it is widely recognized that to build an innovative, forward-thinking community, it must embody the principles of sustainability throughout the entire planning, design and construction process. 

These considerations have been an integral part of Concert’s vision for Harbourside. In addition to targeting LEED Gold certification on all residential and commercial buildings, we aim to do better than the City of North Vancouver’s current building bylaws. To meet this goal, we are committed to pursuing a broad range of sustainability initiatives: 

Energy use

• Prioritize building envelope efficiency & passive design.
• Utilize efficient lighting and HVAC systems, and Energy Star appliances.
• Connect to the City’s district energy system to share energy resources among other high-density developments.
• Sub-meter the commercial buildings and the residential rental building to motivate energy conservation.

Water conservation

• Utilize low-flow fixtures and dual-flush or high-efficiency toilets.
• Collect and repurpose rainwater. 
• Utilize drought tolerant and indigenous plant species, along with computerized irrigation control systems, to reduce irrigation requirements.

Waste management

• Implement a waste management plan during construction to reduce landfill waste.
• Include advanced recycling stations for all future residents and tenants, in all buildings. 

Materials selected

• Select materials with a high recycled content and with low or no off-gas content.
• Utilize BC-based manufactured & harvested materials/products where possible.

Rainwater management

• Incorporate rainwater gardens into the design of the community.
• Implement an erosion & sediment control plan during construction.

Urban agriculture

• Include urban agricultural plots for residents on intensive green roofs.

Transportation 

• Enhance the frequency of bus service to and from Harbourside. 
• Increase street parking to support existing and future commercial and recreational demands.
• Integrate electric vehicle charge stations within buildings.
• Provide bike and car sharing systems.
• Promote walking and cycling for commuters by improving the existing network of trails and by providing “end of trip” facilities. 

Our team is proud to have truly “pushed the envelope” with respect to the integration of sustainability at Harbourside. When complete, we envision that Harbourside will be the most environmentally sustainable community in the City of North Vancouver.