Canada's first resort hotel built to LEED® Platinum Certification standards
Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa: A Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
The Pearson family of Vancouver Island, the developers of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa, is often asked why they went to such great lengths to build Canada's first resort hotel built to LEED® Platinum Certification standards.
They believe that Life is Short, and that lifestyle products such as second home ownership at Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa help people Live Better. The decision was simply a matter of passion.
Going Green – Built to LEED® Platinum Certification Standards
Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa has been designed, built and furnished with sustainable development in mind. From the low-VOC fabrics and furnishings to the collection of waste water through strategic landscaping, Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is a sustainable resort hotel, as well as Canada's first resort hotel built to LEED® Platinum Certification standards.
A Healthier & More Comfortable Guest Experience
A commitment to LEED® means a greater connection to the surrounding community and a higher level of environmental health and comfort for Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's owners and guests thanks to stringent indoor environmental quality standards.
The concept for Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa was to design a building that would aesthetically fit with the surrounding neighbourhood, and would be integrated as “Victorian”, but not dated or old.
The three-storey glass and green roof atrium, use of rock and stone in and around the building and interior and exterior water features are intended to bring the "inside out, and the outside in".
10 Insights Into Victoria Fractional Ownership
Leading Canada in Sustainable Management
Discover Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's many environmentally-conscious initiatives and features:
- A dedicated underground area has been allocated for the collection and storage of materials for recycling. Recycling bins are located in all guest suites.
- During Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's construction, waste and materials were diverted from landfills at a rate of 92.3%.
- Storm water treatment will remove a minimum of 80% of total suspended solids (TSS).
- Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa uses a 68,500-gallon storm water tank collection system for non-potable irrigation purposes throughout the resort.
- Water-saving plumbing fixtures have been installed in all common washrooms and change rooms, including waterless urinals, dual flush toilets, low flow showers and aerated faucets with sensors.
- Ozonation of pools and hot tubs eliminates the need for water replenishment, which reduces waste water.
- All suites feature Energy Star rated appliances, dishwashers, laundry systems and refrigerators, as well as energy efficient electronics including LCD TVs.
- Water-efficient gardening and landscaping measures, including the use of native and drought-tolerant plants throughout the gardens and other areas of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa eliminates the need for potable water irrigation.
- Indoor air quality is monitored through the use of CO2 sensors that adjust incoming outdoor air as required.
- Zero use of CFCs and HCFCs in HVAC systems contributes to efforts to reduce ozone depletion that contributes to global warming and climate change.
- Smoking is prohibited on the property and within 7.5 metres of entries, operable windows and air intakes.
- Both the Rockland and Fairfield towers have flow-through natural air conditioning and at least one operable window per 18.5 square metres of regularly occupied space has been provided.
- All of Parkside's suites feature luxury furnishings, fabric and décor made from low-emitting, non-toxic and recycled materials.
- Natural and long-lasting flooring and counters are made from natural materials such as limestone, slate and granite.
- A minimum of 15% of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's materials contain recycled content. A minimum of 20% of all materials have been extracted and manufactured regionally.
- A minimum of 20% of the site will be restored due to the replacement of impervious surfaces with native, adaptive vegetation.
- All water features throughout the resort are ozonated, including the pool and hot tub. Ozonation reduces the use of chlorine by 90% and is both an environmentally-friendly and healthy alternative to conventional chlorine by-products found swimming pools. Ozonation helps to reduce indoor chemical and pollutant sources and promotes better drinking water.
- None of the cooling, refrigeration or fire suppression systems at Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa contain HCFCs.
- Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is striving for environmental excellence in its operations and employs green housekeeping practices. Only EcoLogo® certified cleaning products and green cleaning methods are used in Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's operations.
- Parking spaces with electrical charging stations have been designated for alternative fuel vehicles.
- 46 bicycle racks and adjacent change rooms have been provided for Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's staff, retail visitors and its residents.
- 100% of parking at Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is underground, reducing impermeable paved surfaces and, in turn, the urban heat island effect.
- There is a total of 19 bus routes and 13 bus stops within a 150-metre radius of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa. This type of access reduces the impact of pollution and land development from vehicle use and promotes urban development within existing infrastructure and services.
- The beautiful and diverse plant species that were once housed at the original Crystal Garden were stored and saved and are now part of the indoor botanical garden in the resort's atrium.
- Green power will be purchased from renewable sources for 50% of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's electrical demand.
- More than 50% of Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa's total site area, including the rooftop gardens, has native or adaptive vegetation.
- Building and construction materials used throughout the resort contain recycled content and have been extracted and manufactured regionally.
Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is an Award-Winning Resort Hotel
At the 2010 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition Award Gala in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this year, Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa won 2 gold ARDY Awards for Resort Architecture and Site Design & Utilization
The Resort Architecture award is focused on buildings and overall site utilization by showing exterior views, basic style and materials and floor plan layout.
The Site Plan Design and Utilization award is open to vacation ownership resorts' site plans exhibiting utilization that enhances the development and characterizes the theme for lifestyle of the target market such as mixed-use, planned urban developments.
Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa was up against fierce competition from Disney Vacation Club, Inc., MSI Design/Walt Disney Imagineering, Hilton, Marriott and Hacienda Tres Rios in both categories.
The ARDA Award Program is open to all ARDA members that completed work on a vacation ownership project including companies involved in fractional, resort and recreational, primary and secondary home resort development, vacation time sharing and vacation clubs.
