Windmill Development

Source: Energy Digital

Date :21/11/2007 15:32:27

A cost effective and green future

It is vital we do everything to ensure the environment is protected properly. Windmill Development Group aims to support that by transforming traditional development practices

Written by Ian Armitage and Produced by Kevin Patey

The creative-thinking Windmill Development Group is helping to form a sustainable future for the people of North America. Based in Ottawa, Canada, the company is dedicated to transforming traditional development practices by using a triple bottom line – environmental, social and financial – approach. Its projects include Dockside Green in Victoria, the Bridges in Calgary, the Currents in Ottawa and Whitewater Village, a carbon neutral cottage resort.

Everything Windmill does is designed and constructed to ensure long-term environmental sustainability, protecting and enhancing the local community. This is done by developing innovations in areas such as water, air, energy, design, waste management and building technologies.

“Developers have a responsibility to implement change,” continues Jonathan Westeinde, CEO and co-owner. “We are committed to changing the current development pattern in a variety of ways.”

In charge of corporate strategy, business development, and green development practices, Westeinde adds: “It is all about getting towards the goal of a zero impact building. That is not just about zero energy or zero water use in terms of a buildings’ operating efficiency, but the life-cycle ability to allow 100 percent reuse after the lifetime of the building. Developers need to move beyond thinking of green as an add-on cost or an opportunity to be ‘ten percent’ more environmentally friendly. We think the whole process of how buildings are made, designed and conceived, along with numerous other factors, must be considered to create a greener building.”

Windmill strives to be the driving force behind the creation of a landmark portfolio of green real estate that demonstrates competitive advantage over traditional real estate models in the long term. This approach, already evident on several awarding-winning Windmill projects, gives people a positive example of how development can, and should, happen.

Best in class for North America, Windmill is committed to green construction. Its people, Mr. Westeinde included, spend a great deal of time hosting training seminars and workshops, being active on numerous committees, and contributing to the local areas around Windmill projects. It is hoped these efforts will see others adopt a similar approach to development. “We look to leave a green legacy for future generations,” Westeinde explains.

Competitive advantage

Renowned for its ability to think outside the box, Windmill positioned itself early in this continually evolving growth industry and in doing so has a considerable advantage over its competitors. It offers private landholders, government land administration agencies and other potential joint venture partners a wide range of possible services and unrivalled green expertise.

Indeed, Windmill offers everything that is required of a successful green building project, including green building consulting, property management, development services and utility set-up and management. “Our experience and services, as well as the benefits of green building, is something that few, if any, are able to match,” says Westeinde, a man who witnessed the potential of green development in his days as a venture capitalist some five years ago.

Green is mean

Estimates suggest that over the past 30 years alone one third of the planet’s resources have been consumed. Over the next half century the population is expected to double and the amount of natural resources available is expected to fall considerably. This has brought green developments to the fore.

Green buildings can meet human needs of providing housing, while protecting and enhancing the environment. “Green projects work, we’ve proven that,” says Westeinde. “We are a positive and achievable example of how development can happen.

“We don’t compromise. There are lots of points at which we could have thrown in the towel and gone back to traditional methods; we didn’t and have achieved a lot more as a result. I guess we have been a little stubborn, but we are driven, it has been effective, and will benefit the communities we serve considerably.”

Issues

Many developers fear that following a green agenda will delay project schedules and raise costs.

The reality is that well-executed green development projects perform well. Windmill has proved there are financial gains from going green, while still doing the right thing environmentally. “Of all the different industry sectors that could have an impact on climate change and the environment, the building industry has the greatest potential,” concludes Westeinde.

“Buildings count for 40 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions, but with the technology we have today, the industry has the potential to reduce emissions beyond the levels of the1990s (around 35 percent) in the coming years if a proactive approach is taken. Government and private sectors have an important role to play and must be proactive in order to make this happen. We are optimistic about support as we continue to prove green building works. In the future, you will get a whole lot more innovation, and even better green buildings - the green agenda will lead to consistently better buildings.”

Buildings have a huge impact on the environment and our lives. The average North American spends 80 to 90 percent of their life in a building and these produce a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions, while generating many millions of tons of construction and demolition waste each year. Much work is needed to reduce this and craft a sustainable future for all.