Sponsor Profile

LEED certification is a program of the Green Building Council that scores buildings on various aspects of sustainable design and construction.  A project is able to reach one of four levels – certified, silver, gold or platinum.  There are only a very small number of gold buildings in Canada and a handful of platinum projects.  Our goal is to reduce overall utility consumption in the new complex by more than 75 per cent over that of the old building.  However, this is only one measure and the various other aspects of the building will contribute to the overall LEED rating.  We intend to showcase five alternative energy concepts – a domestic scale wind turbine (already installed on zoo grounds), photovoltaic panels, evacuated tube solar hot water heaters, a Stirling engine and a geothermal system.  All of these systems will contribute to the overall energy inputs to the building.  Visitors will find the new ENMAX Conservatory to be an educational facility and will demonstrate how any one element could be applicable to their personal lives.

In planning for the new building, we realized that the conservatory has for many years been an important landmark of the Calgary Zoo.  In order to preserve that heritage, the new ENMAX Conservatory will retain some design elements of the old building, most noticeably the retention of the greenhouse framework.  There are many other features that will also contribute to creating a "green" project.  Cisterns will be used to collect rainwater and snowmelt from the roof and will ultimately be used to water the plant collections.  Day lighting of public spaces will replace the need for electric lighting.  Thermal blankets will be installed in the greenhouses to reduce heat loss at night.  The list of innovative energy-saving design elements goes on and on.

Renovation of the ENMAX Conservatory has allowed the horticulture department to rethink and rework our plant collections.  The Palm Garden (the north greenhouse) will become an Ethnobotany display, exploring the essential relationship between man and the plant kingdom.  The Arid Garden will become an expanded butterfly display in the warmer months and will showcase seasonal blooms in the winter season.  The new complex will also include a wet-lab classroom for educational programs and a beautiful banquet facility that will have its own elegant courtyard garden.