Sustainable sites - green features at 150 Dan Leckie Way

​​Site selection

• ​150 Dan Leckie Way has been constructed on a site that does not infringe on any of the following restricted criteria:
  
• ​Land that is part of a Provincial Land Reserve or Forest Land Reserve
• Previously undeveloped land whose elevation is either lower than 5 feet above the elevation of the 100-year flood plain or lower than 3 feet above the elevation of the 200-year flood plain
• Ecologically sensitive land
• Land that provides habitat for rare or endangered species
• Land that is within 100 feet of wetlands
• Land which was public parkland prior to acquisition

​ The site selected for development of 150 Dan Leckie Way is close to a number of local amenities including a Community Centre, supermarket, school, restaurants, park and bank.

Prior to development, the site selected for 150 Dan Leckie Way was considered to be contaminated. Remediation efforts implemented on site have redeemed the soil quality of this site so that it is no longer considered contaminated.

Tenant amenities
The following amenities are available to tenants at 150 Dan Leckie Way:

• Quick access to public transit
• 206 covered bicycle parking spaces
• 10 vehicle parking spaces dedicated for ZipCars
• 8 vehicle parking spaces dedicated to electric vehicle charging
• Outdoor rooftop garden and green terraces

​​​Stormw​ater management​
When rain falls on a site, it picks up different chemicals before ending up in the storm sewer or lake, many of which are harmful. Some of these chemicals cannot be treated with the water filtration technology currently used by the City. One such chemical is phosphorous. When phosphorous builds up in Lake Ontario it can lead to algae blooms. These algae blooms reduce oxygen levels in the water and harm the fish. At 150 Dan Leckie Way, we selected only phosphorous-free landscaping fertilizers and window cleaning products to avoid this impact on Lake Ontario.

The site has also been designed to retain more rainwater than pre-development conditions. Retaining rainwater reduces the required capacity of the municipal rainwater system.

A green top
In urban areas like Toronto, the abundance of dark surfaces (rooftops and parking lots) and the lack of greenspace cause a rise in outdoor temperature, resulting in more energy used for air conditioning. This is known as the heat island effect. It means that, in summer, daytime temperatures are typically higher in urban centres than in surrounding suburban or rural areas.


At 150 Dan Leckie Way, over 50 per cent of the roof area is green roof or rooftop garden. These “Green Tops” help keep the surrounding environment cool by reducing the heat island effect.

An electric future
The underground parking garage has been equipped with eight electric vehicle charging stalls for future plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles. We’re making plans for an electric future.

Sustainability tips and how to use our building's green features

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Enjoy the outdoors: 150 Dan Leckie Way includes several areas for public use. There are two outdoor green amenity spaces that can be used by tenants: the third floor courtyard that includes a large grassy area and the tenth floor rooftop garden which provides planter boxes for gardening.



Park your car and ride your bike: 150 Dan Leckie Way provides bicycle parking spaces for tenants. Bicycle rooms are located on the north side of 125 Queen's Wharf Road. There are three storage areas for bicycles: West, Central and East rooms. To get to these rooms, use the fob key entrance on the northeast corner of 125 Queen's Wharf Road. Use the stairs to go down to the bicycle rooms (there is a side ramp on the left of these stairs to wheel your bicycle down). The East bicycle room is at the bottom of the stairs on your left. Turn right and walk down the hallway to get to the Central bicycle room. The West bicycle room will be on your right just past the Central bicycle room.

​Use the electric vehicle parking program: 150 Dan Leckie Way incorporates parking stalls for electric vehicle charging. Please contact the property management office to obtain permission to use the electric vehicle parking stalls.

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2. Water ​efficiency​

Why is it important?

Water treatment and distribution incurs a tremendous amount of energy use each day. Using less water is crucial to saving energy use and protecting Canada's existing fresh water supply.

Water efficiency - green features at 150 Dan Leckie Way

Using less water
Our building’s efficient and innovative washroom fixtures use 50 per cent less water than a typical building’s fixtures. Our toilets use 20 per cent less water than the standard six litres per flush toilets most residential buildings have. Our washroom faucets use 80 per cent less water – 1.9 litres per minute compared with the standard 9.5 litres per minute. Our showers use 40 per cent less water – 5.7 litres per minute compared with the standard 9.5 litres per minute.

We have estimated that this reduces our water consumption by about 31 million litres per year. This is equivalent to 115,000 bathtubs, every year!

In addition, the Green Roof has been designed to include native and hardy plant species. Unlike typical garden plants, which require lots of water and fertilizers to grow, these plants require minimal maintenance and no water for irrigation.

Using rainwater
In addition to reducing our water use, we're also using alternatives to drinking water wherever possible. The building collects rainwater from the roof and stores it in a large tank located in the parking garage. This stored rainwater is then pumped back up when needed to irrigate the courtyard plants as well as the street level planters. Not only does this reduce our water use, it also reduces the impact on the City of Toronto's storm water system by reducing the volume of water it needs to collect and treat during heavy rainfall.

Sustainability tips and how to use our building's green features

If you see a leak, report it: Water leaks can lead to significant water losses in large buildings. Please call the Client Care Centre at 416-981-5500, 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you see any leaks.

Use the dual flush toilets: Dan Leckie Way provides dual flush toilets in each residential unit to reduce water use. Use each respective flush properly to save water.

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Energy and atmosphere - green features at 150 Dan Leckie Way

Our energy use
Although we are still monitoring our actual energy use, based on an energy model of the building’s design, we are expecting to use almost 60 per cent less energy than a similar building that just meets building code requirements.

One of the key energy saving features​ at 150 Dan Leckie Way is the groundsource heat pump (also known as an earth-energy system). In the summer, to provide cooling, this system moves heat from the building into the ground. In the winter, it moves heat from the ground into the building. This system uses much less energy than traditional air conditioning systems in the summer and traditional furnaces in the winter.

Sustainability tips and how to use our building's green features

Understand your heating and cooling systems: The heating and air conditioning run on fan coils. The filters will need to be changed every three to four months by property management staff. Staff will notify you when the filters require changing before they enter your unit. When you are running heat or air-conditioning it is important to keep your windows closed. If you open your window the system will automatically shut off. Your thermostat can be used to both heat and cool your unit and can be set to five modes: program, off, heat, cool and heat and cool. To learn more about programming your thermostat, read the thermostat manual provided when you moved in.

Do laundry during off-peak electrical hours: Electricity prices change during the day. To reduce energy costs, consider hang-drying laundry or doing your laundry during off-peak hours. More information on peak hours can be found here.​ ​Laundry amenities are available at the following times:



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4. Material​s and waste​

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Why is it important?

Managing material waste is an important consideration when both operating and constructing a building. A large portion of the materials that end up in landfills are actually recyclable. If proper recycling and storage facilities and strategies are not implemented early on, the building may not be able to incorporate locally-available recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Materials and waste - green strategies at 150 Dan Leckie Way

Responsible building material selection
At 150 Dan Leckie Way, at least 7.5 per cent of the materials used in construction were recycled from another material. By using recycled materials, we reduced the need for extraction and processing. For example, the steel rebar used at this building is up to 93 per cent recycled and the concrete contains up to 11 per cent recycled content.

In addition to selecting materials with recycled content, we also sourced locally-produced materials to reduce the impacts of transporting the materials. Whenever possible, construction materials such as steel and drywall were sourced from suppliers within 800 kilometres​ of this building. At least 20 per cent of the materials at this building came from within this radius.

Responsible waste management
During construction, we diverted about 1,850 metric tons, or 88 per cent of the site’s total construction waste, from landfills. This waste was sorted and sent to appropriate recycling facilities for proper disposal or reuse.

To help reduce the household waste sent to landfill, we have provided separate chutes for garbage, recycling and organics. By separating recyclables and organic waste, we are reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill every day.

Sustainability tips and how to use our building's green features

Help reduce waste:150 Dan Leckie Way incorporates recycling strategies to help tenants reduce the amount of waste directed to landfills. Each unit has three bins: one each for garbage, recycling and organic waste. Unlike most apartment buildings in Toronto, this building has a three-chute system to dispose of garbage, recycling and organic waste. Household garbage and recycling should be taken to the appropriate chutes on your floor.

Support re-use: When personal items are no longer required in your suite, consider donating these to local re-use programs. You will need to coordinate items to be picked up by local re-use programs.

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Considering indoor air quality during design helps to ensure that adequate fresh air is delivered to each space and that materials used during construction release fewer particulates. Implementing these types of design features help to improve the health and well-being of building occupants.

Fresh air
We constantly monitor the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the building. If levels get too high, more fresh air is introduced.

Also, during construction, we made sure that all adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings and flooring materials used contain low or no amounts of VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs are those chemicals that you smell when you open a can of paint or a tube of caulking. Although VOCs don’t have much short-term effect, over the long-term they can irritate your lungs and lead to other health complications.

Daylight and views of the outdoors

This building has been designed to maximize daylight and views of the outdoors. It seems simple enough, but this design strategy has a big impact on the amount of energy used for lighting and comfort levels. Studies conducted in office environments have also shown that workers benefit when given access to daylight and views of the outdoors.

Sustainability tips and how to use our building's green features

Green cleaning: When buying products to clean your unit, consider buying products which meet the following standards: Green Seal (GS), Underwriter's Laboratory (UL), or Ecologo (CCD). These standards are often identified directly on product packaging and aid in identifying products which are more environmentally sensitive and emit fewer volatile organic compounds than conventional cleaning products.

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If you would like more information about Toronto Community Housing's commitment to sustainable building practices, please read about the ways we are building for sustainability​.​