January 5, 2021

AMPED sports arena receives zero-carbon building certification

AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex, a hockey facility and physiotherapy clinic in Ottawa, announced Jan. 4 that it has become the first Zero Carbon Building – Performance Standard arena certified through the Canada Green Building Council's (CaGBC) Zero Carbon Building Program. The program recognizes highly energy-efficient buildings that produce onsite or procure carbon-free renewable energy or high-quality carbon offsets to counteract the annual carbon emissions associated with building materials and operations.

"Buildings account for a significant portion of carbon emissions. We believe that what we have accomplished at AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex represents a step in the right direction towards building a more sustainable future,” Brad McAninch, CEO of Modern Niagara Group Inc., which converted the arena, said in a statement. “While converting AMPED into the world's first arena to achieve the Zero Carbon Building Performance Standard certification did not come without challenges, I see this achievement as a great opportunity for Canada's infrastructure more generally."

The energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures AMPED took helps reduce its operational carbon and overall energy consumption by optimizing facility operation through intelligent building automation, on-site renewable energy generation, and replacing all fossil fuel consuming equipment on-site, such as gas-fired rooftop units, hot water heaters, and the ice rink dehumidifier.

CaGBC is a non-profit national organization that has been working to advance green and sustainable building practices in Canada since 2002. A member of the World Green Building Council, CaGBC recognizes organizations and individuals for their leadership in reducing the environmental impact of the built environment.