Changes come to Fir building

Kwantlen continues on its quest to make the university as leader in sustainability

By Abby Wiseman [coordinating editor]

It seems like Kwantlen’s Surrey campus is on a never ending episode of extreme makeover, and the latest to go under the knife is Fir building.

The renovations include replacing stucco with zinc cladding that requires no maintenance for 40-100 years. Replacing windows to make the building more energy efficient, updating the roof, and adding a new coating on existing concrete blocks.

All this is a part of Kwantlen’s goal to reduce natural gas consumption 25 per cent and electricity usage by 45 per cent.

On top of that the school is improving indoor ventilation, using non-toxic materials in the building process and using natural cleaners.

The school is also on a quest to make its campuses LEED certified.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a standardization program developed by the U.S. Green Building council that awards environmentally friendly buildings.

Kwantlen’s already received Gold status for the Cloverdale campus and the Surrey campus library is vying for platinum.

According to a capital projects summary released in 2009, Kwantlen projects that it will spend $46 million on building improvements.