Building a Greener Workspace

WestJet's new Calgary Campus will bring our Calgary office employees, currently dispersed across six buildings, together in one place. This will help consolidate our operations and eliminate the need for WestJetters to travel between buildings for meetings. Our original Campus business plan identified an approximate saving of $475,000 per year based on productivity and gas alone.

The building is being constructed in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM, which promotes buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live, work and play. Currently, only 10 per cent of new buildings in North America strive for a LEED rating.

In order to qualify for a LEED rating, buildings must include provisions for recycling areas, controlling construction activity pollution, indoor air-quality standards and energy performance.Our new office facility is registered with the Canada Green Building Council with a target of achieving gold certification. The project is slated to achieve a 35 per cent reduction in energy consumption compared to market construction practice and to save approximately 1,250 tones of CO² emissions per year.

Some sustainable highlights of our new facility include:

Reducing water consumption - use of a water tank to capture rainwater for use in landscaping
Light-pollution reduction measures
External geothermal piping running 107 metres deep to access and store heating and cooling energy from the Earth
A heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems that use the most up-to-date technologies to ensure comfort and energy efficiency
Incorporating the "right to light" philosophy on all floors so everyone working in open workstations has access to natural light
Ongoing measurement and verification of performance
Construction materials that are sourced and selected based on higher recycled content
Selecting recycled carpet, marmoleum flooring made of renewable materials, countertops made from recycled glass and concrete and doors made from sustainable wood
Provision for bicycle storage, shower and changing facilities to promote healthy commuting practices and alternatives to vehicle transportation

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