Thursday, April 3, 2008

Stefan Ciotlos, Executive Vice President & Executive Managing Director,
     CB Richard Ellis Limited

Trish Clarry, Director, Real Estate Strategy,
    TELUS Communications Corporation

Keynote Presentations

Understanding and Maximizing the Value of Sustainability: Why Are Organizations Increasing Their Pursuit of Environmental Excellence, Energy Innovation, and Corporate Responsibility?

In an age of increasingly scarce natural resources, growing global needs, and rising transparency demands, organizations are recognizing new responsibilities which can also lead to new opportunities by creating better products and services, more productive workplaces, deeper connections to customers, and greater brand value. The opening presentation will examine this significantly growing trend of how organizations are learning to harness sustainability to drive corporate growth and achieve a long-term competitive advantage. Senior executives are realizing that integrating sustainability as an integral part of their enterprise’s culture is not just about doing the right thing – it’s also a winning strategy that spurs innovation, generates wealth, creates employment, and leaves a positive legacy for our planet and our future. Real estate owners and developers need to understand the implications of this trend and what is driving and shaping the greening of the corporate agenda worldwide.

Nicholas Eisenberger,
   Managing Principal, GreenOrder, New York

The European Experience: One Generation Ahead of North America?

Europe is clearly recognized to be at the vanguard of sustainable design and construction practices and a leader in the adoption of carbon neutral strategies as an acceptable mainstream element of corporations, government and the general public.  From significant achievements in generating and using cleaner renewable energies, to the evolution of green roofs and other building technologies and practices, European real estate owners, developers and investors have worked in tandem with the architectural, engineering and construction professionals to create innovative projects, properties and communities. Corporate sustainability has been recognized as a basic responsibility that has permeated within all levels of the private and public sectors. The presentation will examine some of the European trends and their application and transmittal to the North American market.

David Cook, Partner,
   Behnisch Architekten, Germany

The U.S. Experience in Making the Business Case for Green Building: What Can Canadians Learn from Our Neighbours?

In the 1990s, not many people in Canada had heard of the terms “green building” or “high performance buildings. However, the trend had already been gaining momentum in the United States. Today, green building has become a $20 billion industry in the U.S. What has been at the forefront of this rapid market transformation? Why are major U.S. financial institutions, corporations and developers committed to green buildings as a way to realize their environmental goals? What have been the key factors responsible for the acceptance, development, implementation, and acceleration of green-building practices in the United States? Why are institutional investors among the strongest advocates for green investment and see this as a sound business proposition? What tangible results have been offered on the quantifiable value of high performance buildings, and how can green valuation improve everyone’s bottom line?

Gary Jay Saulson, Director of Corporate Real Estate, The PNC Financial Services Group, will discuss the positive economic and productivity impact of Green (Sustainable) Buildings and why building green makes sense for corporate America.  He will provide details on the design and construction of PNC’s Firstside Center, one of the largest certified green buildings in the world, and the collaborated efforts to obtain a LEED^TM Silver Certification.  PNC has adopted a green building policy and has developed a new bank branch prototype that follows LEED^TM building standards.  PNC has built the first LEED^TM certified building in the state of Delaware and the first green bank branch in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio.  PNC currently has the most certified green buildings of any corporation in the United States and is the first company to qualify under the USGBC volume build program.  PNC also has the largest corporate LEED^TM certified green building in the world and currently has under construction a 780,000 sf mixed used project in downtown Pittsburgh including office space, hotel, condominiums and parking garage that will be LEED^TM certified.  The Fairmont Hotel will be the country’s first major flag Green Hotel.

PANEL DISCUSSION: WHAT LESSONS CAN CANADIANS LEARN FROM GLOBAL MARKETS & TRENDS THAT ARE LEADING THE WAY?

Moderators:
Stefan Ciotlos, Executive Vice President & Executive Managing Director,
     CB Richard Ellis Limited
Trish Clarry, Director, Real Estate Strategy,
    TELUS Communications Corporation 

Panel:
David Cook, Partner, Behnisch Architekten, Germany
Nicholas Eisenberger, Managing Principal, GreenOrder, New York
Gary Jay Saulson, Director of Corporate Real Estate,
     The PNC Financial Services Group, Pittsburgh 
Jonathan Westeinde, Managing Partner, Windmill Development Group
 

Morning Refreshments

Concurrent Sessions (Select A1, A2, or A3)

Session A1

Case Studies on the Real Costs of Green: Lessons Learned from the First Generation of Buildings

While interest and activity in developing green buildings in Canada is at an all time high, the availability of data bases to measure the success of the projects is still relatively small. This session will examine the experiences and the results to-date from the earliest adopters of green building, green development and high performance buildings in Canada. What can we learn from projects that were undertaken throughout the past five years? What is the real difference between building green and conventional design and construction? The discussion will also provide some valuable insights with respect to what you should do – and not do – when planning, designing, and constructing green buildings. Reference will also be made to some U.S. experiences where the market has been trending ahead of Canada over the past ten years.

Moderator:
Sheila Brown, Practice Director, Sustainable Building Solutions,
     Jacques Whitford Limited 

Panel:
Larry McFarland, Principal,
   Larry McFarland Architects Ltd., Vancouver
Vivian Manasc, Principal,
   Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd., Edmonton

Session A2
How Are The Most Recent Experiences with Green Office Buildings:  What Are Developers, Owners and Tenants Learning?

The benefits of building green include not only savings from reduced utility costs and lower operations and maintenance expenses, but also enhanced occupant productivity and health.  Four of the attributes associated with green building design have been positively and significantly correlated with higher levels of productivity (increased ventilation control, more lighting control, greater temperature control and increased day lighting).

Using case studies of various green office buildings, this panel will examine the latest field evidence concerning the apparent benefits for people who work in green environments and the business case related to such projects. The speakers will also discuss the experiences to-date of the landlords and tenants with high performance office buildings. How competitive is a greener building in a market dominated by older conventional properties? What are the implications on leases in the green building? What were the primary reasons that led to the decision to develop a green office building? What are some of the major high performance features of office buildings being developed today? What have we learned about the effectiveness of some of the early technologies and practices? Can the developer/owner expect an appropriate ROI on this added cost? Are tenants and residents prepared to pay more for this type of space or accommodation? The results of a survey of over 800 office tenants on environmental issues and trends will be examined. 

Moderator:
Doug Hitchcox, Vice President,
     Office Leasing Division,
     Cushman & Wakefield LePage Inc.

Panel:
Celia Hitch, Counsel,
     Lang Michener LLP
Jim Lord, Principal,
     Ecovert Corporation
Sandy McNair, President,
     Altus InSite
Dathe Wong, Associate,
     Stantec Architecture

Session A3
How to Measure & Manage Your Carbon Footprint? What Are the Cost Benefits of Carbon Trading to A Real Estate Company?
Carbon neutrality and carbon foot printing are two of the hottest topics in the green movement. Companies are evaluating what action they can take to reduce GHG emissions and pursue a carbon neutral or “greening” strategy across their organization. As organizations begin to pursue a measurable footprint or carbon neutral status, they must begin by defining what will be calculated and how required components will be measured. The first part of this session will examine this growing trend in carbon neutrality and how it is being applied within the current state of green building practice. Learn about the key steps in developing a carbon neutral initiative; the challenge in defining carbon offsets; how to develop a carbon baseline and inventory; and how to ultimately integrate this as part of your strategy as a real estate company.

The second part of this session will briefly examine the innovative and evolving carbon market. While it works like a traditional commodity market, what is being bought and sold does not exist. The trade is not actually in carbon and in not-carbon but in certificates establishing that so many tones of carbon dioxide have not been emitted by the seller and may therefore be emitted by the buyer. The purpose of the market has been to establish a price for carbon and to encourage efficient GHG emission reductions by allowing companies which would find it expensive to cut emissions to buy credits more cheaply. To what extent are building owners participating in carbon trading?

Panel:
Don Pinchin, Founder & President,
     Pinchin Environmental Ltd.
Patrick Fancott, Manager,
     Climate Change GHG,
     Pinchin Environmental Ltd.
Dave Rogers, Director of Carbon Management,
     Front Street Capital

Concurrent Sessions (Select B1, B2 or B3)

Session B1

How Are Energy and Environmental Technologies, Strategies and Practices Being Used in Higher Performance Buildings? How Far Can You Push the Limit?

Since energy can represent 40% or more of the operating expenses of a building, it is a substantial cost that can be reduced through energy efficiency and related measures that are a fundamental part of green building design. Research has shown that green buildings, on average, use 30% less energy than conventional structures, have lower electricity peak consumption, are more likely to generate renewable energy on-site, and may purchase grid power generated from renewable energy sources. This session will examine some of the very latest environmental features and energy related strategies, practices and technologies that can be implemented in the design, construction, renovation and operation of greener buildings. Case studies will be used to discuss and demonstrate practical strategies.

Moderator & Speaker:

Andrew Pride,
     Vice President, Minto Green Team,
     Minto Group Inc.

Panel:
Mark Chapman,
      President, ZeroCarbon Inc.
Matt Grace, Sustainable Buildings  
     Consultant, Enermodal Engineering
Suzanne Wiltshire, President,
     SelectEnergy Solutions Inc.
 

Session B2

Why Net Zero Energy Buildings Now Make Economic and Practical Sense:  Going Well Beyond LEED

Imagine a facility that generates enough energy to meet its own needs. This session will provide details on the Net-Zero Energy approach to a building. The presentation will explain energy and exergy and how these concepts apply to Net-Zero Buildings. The principle of this approach to building design and construction is simple – any energy we use, we should recycle and keep reusing it. True human comfort will be defined and examined, including its influence on sustainable buildings. All of these concepts and theories will be applied and described in ten case study examples.

Topics covered will include: designing buildings that anticipate future global trends, harnessing free energy of the environment, energy, microclimate analysis, advanced building energy and thermal comfort modeling, and integrated building systems design for Net-Zero Energy construction. You will learn why building structures with a net-zero energy strategy have become very viable in Canada – all it takes is a practical approach in the art of design – and why we are a generation ahead of the United States, but a generation behind Europe in this approach. The technology also positions Canada very well in its goal to reach the 2030 Challenge.

Speakers:
Jason Manikel,
      Project Manager, Cobalt Engineering
Stephen Pope, Sustainable Building Design Specialist,
      Natural Resources Canada

Session B3

Practical Strategies for Greening Existing Buildings: Case Studies

Most new developments in today’s market are being designed with LEED certification or some high performance metric in mind. However, new construction only represents about 1% of the building stock. What are the options for the remaining 99% of buildings with respect to enhancing their energy and environmental performance in general? What steps should owners and managers of existing buildings take to improve the operational efficiencies of their properties and ensure that their space remains competitive in the market? This session will examine specific operations and capital strategies that you can take to achieve these goals and objectives that lead to ongoing improvements in your energy, water, and waste efficiency, and your building’s overall environmental management and performance. The session will also examine some practical experiences in determining a greening strategy for your existing building including the cost implications of this decision. What can be practically done if the building is 20 years old; 35 years old; 50 years old? At what point is it more cost effective to retrofit the building or develop a green building from scratch? Case studies will be used where possible.

Moderator:
Ian Stewart, Vice President, Property Management, Eastern Canada,
     GWL Realty Advisors Inc. and Chairman, BOMA Canada

Panel:
Paul Parsons, Senior Manager - Environment,
     SNC-Lavalin ProFac Inc.
Don Crichton, Vice President,
     Practice Leader-Workplace Solutions,
     HOK Canada
Randy Knox III, Senior Director,
     Global Facilities Services,
     Adobe Systems Incorporated
Ed Lowans, Senior Sustainable
     Design Specialist,
     Halsall Associates Limited

Luncheon Refreshments

Informal Luncheon

Concurrent Sessions (Select C1, C2 or C3)

Session C1

How Are Capital Markets, Investors and Developers Pricing the Value of Green?

In the course of the debate about the value of green, it is interesting to note that some major institutional investors are among the strongest advocates for green investment and see this as a sound business proposition. Why is that the case? What do we know about how the value of sustainability is created and can be applied to the pricing of an asset? What are some of the common myths and fallacies about this question? Can owners and investors in properties and portfolios with superior environmental and energy efficiency achieve significantly higher NOI gains? Will they attract a financial premium associated with enhanced green property valuations? Will greener buildings provide a superior risk-adjusted financial return at the portfolio or REIT level? How are all these trends viewed from the perspective of the developer, the institutional or private equity investor, and the lender? What premium, if any, can be assigned to buildings that have attained different levels of LEED certification or ratings? The creation of investment funds targeted at acquiring and developing greener real estate assets will also be discussed.

Moderator:
Matthew Kiernan, Founder & Chief Executive,
     Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc.

Panel:
Rob Hannah, President & CEO, TSG Real Estate, LLC
David Ogden, President & CEO, ISG Capital Corporation
Nathan Taft, Director of Acquisitions,
     Jonathan Rose Companies, New York
Stephen Taylor, President & COO,
     Morguard Investments Limited

Session C2

Higher Performance Buildings: How Far Can You Push Your Building Envelope, Lighting and HVAC Systems

High performance buildings maximize operational energy savings; improve comfort, health and safety of occupants and visitors; limit detrimental effects on the environment; and have low short-term and long-term life-cycle costs. An all-inclusive team approach is required to the design of such a building and its various systems. The team should include not only the architects, engineers, occupants and owners, but also specialists in indoor air quality, materials, energy, and costs. This design process also takes into consideration the interaction of the whole building structure and systems, and its context. For example, a building that uses extensive delighting techniques will reduce the amount of heat given off by lighting fixtures, thus allowing a smaller air conditioning system to be used.

The session will examine three major building elements of the interior and exterior of a structure: the building envelope, lighting, and the mechanical system. How can the interaction and relationship between them significantly affect the cost and performance of a new building as the end product? What have been some of the experiences in optimizing the performance of each of the three elements? What are now being recognized as the best practices in the design and technologies being used in building envelopes, lighting and HVAC systems? To what extent do they, and should they, exceed LEED protocols?

Speakers:
Philip Bastow, Vice President & Partner, The Mitchell Partnership Inc.
Karen Pero, President, Pero Consulting Inc.
Mike Turner, Partner, Manasc Isaac Architects

Session C3

How to Take Advantage of Incentives, Programs & Resources to Facilitate Green Retrofits & New Construction

Notwithstanding the financial merits and ROI of greening new and existing buildings, public sector policies are trying to encourage and facilitate a greater amount of activity in this area as an element of their climate change strategies and demand management practices in the energy sector. This session will examine a range of existing and new innovative funding programs and incentives that are being offered to developers and building owners across the public sector: federal government departments, provincial government ministries, municipalities, utilities and other public entities. Speakers will offer details about these funding opportunities and incentive programs, and the process of how to apply and secure these funds. Case studies will be used to highlight some of the energy efficient and green measures that each funding program offers. Presentations will also include details about new programs that are being unveiled to help asset managers with their green building plans.

Moderator:
Pamela Green, Partner, Pallett Valo LLP

Panel:
Constantine (Taki) Eliadis, Director,
     Commercial & Institutional Programs,
     Conservation and Sector Development
     Division, Ontario Power Authority
Eleanor McAteer, Senior Engineer,
     Energy Efficiency Office, City of Toronto
Grant Miles, ecoENERGY Initiative,
     Buildings Division, Office of Energy
     Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
Chris Tyrrell, President,
     Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc.

Concurrent Sessions (Select D1, D2 or D3)

Session D1

The Trend in Greening Retail Real Estate: Strategies, Cost Benefits & ROI for Retailers and Landlords

Environmentally-friendly design techniques, such as delighting, low-water use fixtures and green roofs, started to increasingly being applied in retail properties in North America about five years ago. Some of the results of these early projects have been improved aesthetics and brand images, and lower energy costs. This session will focus on the experiences of developers and consultants involved in the growing trend of greening retail properties. What were the primary reasons that led to the decision to design and develop green retail projects? To what extent, and why, were the retailers strong advocates in the adoption of these strategies? What were the relative impacts of the costs of greening these projects? What were some of major high performance features in the properties? Case studies will also examine the anticipated cost benefits and return on investment of green retail projects from the perspective of the owner as well as the tenant.
 

Moderator:
Paul Cameron, Vice President of Construction, Central Canada
    First Capital Realty

Panel:
Simon Bérubé, Senior Director,
     Store Engineering, Sobeys Inc.
Darren Nimchuk, Senior Manager,
     Retail Real Estate, TD Canada Trust
Frédéric Genest, Associate,
     Pageau Morel and Associates Inc.

Session D2
The Pros & Cons of Certification & Rating Systems: How Are They Working?  What Are Their Implications for Project Design, Management & Costs? When Will They Actually Measure Building Performance?

This session will provide an update on the two most common rating and environmental assessment and certification systems in Canada: the LEED program and BOMA Go Green Plus. The first part of the session will focus on the various elements of LEED. What have been the experiences and results attributed with the first generation of LEED programs (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze)? How has the market responded to LEED-CI as an opportunity for tenants to upgrade their own work environment? What are the goals of the LEED Canada Complete Initiative? When will it be available for market adoption? What have been the results of the office building pilot projects being conducted in tandem with the introduction of the Canadian version of LEED for Existing Buildings?

While the growth of greener new commercial buildings and workplace environments has produced a significant increase in new developments being targeted for LEED certification, many owners and managers of existing buildings have adopted the BOMA Go Green Plus Program as a metric for the environmental performance of their properties and to use it as a valuable marketing and tenant relations tool. Learn how this low cost initiative can lead to improvements in your energy, water, and waste efficiency, and environmental management. Some experiences of specific building owners will be offered as examples of how the Go Green Plus Program has been used to date.

Speakers:
Anne Auger, Vice President,
     Canada Green Building Council
Cheryl Gray, Senior Vice Chair,
    National Real Estate Services,
    Bentall Capital LP
Shirley Shea,
     Environmental Manager,
     Public Works and Government Services Canada   
Nancy Searchfield, National Leader, Sustainability Services,
    Colliers International and Vice Chair, Canada Green Building Council

Session D3

How Much More Does a Green Building Really Cost? Managing A Green Building Project from Design to Commissioning: Effective Strategies that Work in Containing Your Costs

Some architects, contractors and developers have long been proactive in the field of green building and have relatively sophisticated systems in place for choosing the right products and technologies during the design phase.

This panel will share how making those right choices makes a big difference in the long-term management and maintenance of the building. Learn about tools that can be used in the design and construction phases of a green development that can ensure that the project stays on budget and meets its sustainability objectives. How can life cycle assessment, whole building design, careful commissioning and thoughtful management help ensure that cost savings continue into the future? How are you setting your initial budget?  What quality assurance should you use get the most out of your consultants? Evidence is now also mounting that significantly higher first costs of green design and construction could be a myth based on outdated information. Find out whether it costs more to design and construct a greener building than a conventional new one, what may be attributable to any difference, and what the business case is for a return on that investment.

Panel:
Scott Armstrong, Manager, Sustainable Design Services, Halcrow Yolles
Jon Taylor, Partner, GovanBrown Construction Managers
Doug Webber,
     Sustainability Practice Leader,
     Halsall Associates Limited

REAFFIRMING THE BUSINESS CASE FOR GREEN AND HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS: WHERE ARE WE HEADING? WHEN WILL WE GO BEYOND GREEN?

A wide ranging panel discussion that will review the key conclusions reached throughout the conference as well as provide some final observations on green building activity and speculate on what new trends are emerging on the horizon. Among the questions that will be addressed:

• What is the definitive bottom line on the costs of green projects and their corresponding ROI? Are they significantly higher than conventional development or not? Does the ROI justify any higher costs?

• What are investors saying about this trend? Since many investors have a longer term view, do they need to be sold on high performance buildings or have they already become advocates? Are they prepared to assign a “green cap rate”?

• To what extent is the market now supporting these initiatives in the core investment product areas – office, industrial, retail, multi-unit residential, hotels – as well as the traditional public sector – schools, healthcare, research, and other institutional uses? 

• What issues or challenges still need to be addressed to facilitate a greater increase in the greening of new and existing buildings?

• What will happen to buildings that are not greened? Will they become obsolete or will the market discount their value?

• Does the “greening of buildings” now have sufficient corporate culture?

• As organizations move towards adopting Corporate Sustainability as a fundamental element of their vision, mission and strategic plan, will the need to use LEED or rating systems become obsolete?

• Once triple bottom line accounting practices are instilled as “the new normal” in organizations, what does the future hold for green buildings? Will green become blue? Will it be so mainstream that certification and rating systems will become irrelevant? What does the future hold beyond green?

Moderators:
Stefan Ciotlos, Executive Vice President & Executive Managing Director,
     CB Richard Ellis Limited
Trish Clarry, Director, Real Estate Strategy,
    TELUS Communications Corporation 

Panel:
Chris Corps, Principal, Asset Strategics Ltd.
Paul Finkbeiner, President, GWL Realty Advisors Inc.
Dr. Warren Jestin, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, Scotiabank
Peter Johnson, Vice President, Sustainable Business Solutions,
     PricewaterhouseCoopers LP
Randy Knox III, Senior Director, Global Facilities Services,
     Adobe Systems Incorporated
 

4:30 p.m.

Conference Adjourns