ONE YORK GOES GREEN TO EARN PLATINUM

TORONTO (November 16, 2017) – Menkes Developments Ltd. (Menkes), a fully integrated real estate company based in Toronto, announced today that the company’s 35 storey, 800,000 square foot office tower at One York Street has achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), the highest level of certification. Through the qualification process, One York also earned 89 points, which represents the highest score ever awarded to a Toronto building.

“We are exceptionally proud of this building and its commitment to sustainability,” says Peter Menkes, President, Commercial/Industrial Division, Menkes Developments.  “From its conception to the final occupancies, Menkes has been committed to delivering a first class leading edge commercial complex that not only meets the day-to-day needs of its users, but does so in an environmentally sustainable manner.  The commitment to building green was shared by Menkes and its partners, as well as our tenants and their clients. We are honoured that this shared commitment to sustainability was recognized with this great honour from the Canada Green Building Council.”

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system that is recognized as the international mark of excellence for green building in over 160 countries.  Since 2004, the CaGBC has certified over 2,800 buildings in Canada and registered over 5,000.  One York has earned the organization’s highest certification score.

"Sustainability is part of who we are as a company and One York's LEED Platinum certification reflects our long-term commitment to employees, Clients and our communities," says Melissa Kennedy, Executive Vice-President & Chief Legal Officer, Sun Life Financial. "One of Sun Life's four sustainability themes is to take account of our environmental responsibility and that means taking steps to reduce our impact on the environment. Minimizing our energy consumption, using less paper and less electricity during peak hours are among the few ways that One York continues to help us keep sustainability top of mind."

Among the most important projects in the city’s thriving South Core business district, One York Street connects the waterfront and South Core to the Air Canada Centre, Union Station and the financial core via the PATH, offering convenient weather-protected access. Passersby in the busy South Court District will enjoy the building’s public art installation, featuring a restored piece by the international-renowned graffiti artist known as Banksy.

"One York is an excellent example of our investment into state-of-the-art, quality buildings consistent with our commitment to sustainability," Stephen Taylor, Vice President, HOOPP Real Estate. "The creativity and attention to building design and performance are major drivers of the project's success for both its tenants and its owners."

Completed in 2016, the fully leased building is home to Sun Life Financial Inc., the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), CIBC Mellon, Sovereign General Insurance and Tulip Retail. One York Street is a part of a larger mixed-use development encompassing approximately 2 million square feet of density occupying a two-acre site. An urban re-generator, the development consists of the 35-storey commercial 800,000 square foot office building, Harbour Plaza Residences – two first-class condo towers rising 66 and 70 stories with 1,313 residential and a prime retail podium which will be home to tenants including Winners, Coppa’s Fresh Market, Harbour Eats by Mercatino, Pure Fitness, Taylor & Colt and Glamour Secrets.

Among the elements that contributed to One York’s LEED Platinum Certification and record setting score, the CaGBC looked at:

Menkes continues its commitment to community and the human experience with One York Street. The building promotes healthy lifestyles to it’s occupants by making it easier for people to ride their bicycles, walk to work or exercise with an onsite fitness center. One York Street supports alternative commuting by encouraging occupants to use the over 300 secure bike racks located inside the building which is all a part of Menkes’ PEDAL program for making buildings more cycle friendly. Showering facilities are also provided with full onsite change rooms. Floor to ceiling glass allows for maximum natural light penetration as well as spectacular views not only to save energy but to improve health of its occupants. Employees as a part of Menkes Healthy Spaces program will be encouraged to use the stairs as a way to incorporate physical activity into their day to improve their health.  Despite its location in the downtown core, One York Street has access to green space in a variety of ways. An exterior terrace is available to occupants of the building to enjoy during lunch, which can also be a space for occupants to take a break to reduce stress and promote good mental health.

Daylight levels are one of several inputs to the state-of-the-art automated lighting control system that is programmed to maintain comfortable lighting levels. As part of base building tenant space, One York Street has provided occupancy sensors, daylight sensors and an optimized fixture layout. Additional energy savings are achieved with the use of LEDs in all exterior lighting. All of these systems have been carefully engineered to reduce lighting electricity consumption by over 75%.

One York Street provides a comfortable and healthy work environment with an underfloor air distribution system which contributes to the fresh air delivery effectiveness. Conditioned air is ducted into the underfloor plenum where flows freely to the 200 floor diffusers into the space. Air is returned from the room at ceiling level, which produces an overall floor-to-ceiling air flow pattern that takes advantage of the natural buoyancy produced by heat sources in the office and more efficiently removes heat loads and contaminants from the space.

Water consumption for the design of One York Street was a high priority for Menkes. Two large rainwater collection cisterns were installed. Rain water is collected from the adjacent condo towers and is piped over to the office tower to be reused for the entire office building’s toilets and urinals, as well as the drip irrigation system serving the landscaping located on the ground and podium levels. Water savings from the rain cistern as well as water conservation strategies are calculated at over 66%, annual savings of over five million litres of potable water, when compared to a typical office building.

Recognizing the environmental impacts associated with energy used by office buildings, Menkes charged the design team with creating a high performance building. The facility utilizes EnWave district cooling system, and has an onsite high efficiency boiler plant. Other energy saving features incorporated into the base building design include: premium efficiency HVAC equipment, state-of the-art building automation controls, and a high-performance curtain-wall system. The building design and energy efficient systems at One York Street translate to 46% energy consumption savings when compared to a typical office building. To further improve the energy performance of the building, an extensive photovoltaic solar panel array is located on the roof of the commercial tower which produces approximately 86,000 kWh of energy annually.

Danny Roth                                                          Carol King                                                                       
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E. droth@brandoncom.ca                                     E. cking@brandoncom.ca