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CANMORE, ALTA. — The  community in Canmore, Alta. has earned Phase 2 BUILT GREEN^® Community certification at the Platinum level.

This is building upon its 2022 Phase 1 certification, which was also the first certification to come out of Built Green Canada’s Community pilot program, explains a release.

The program targets performance on a human, neighbourhood and global scale through its sustainable development categories.

Transforming from a dairy farm in the 1920s, to a mobile home park in 1956, the 28-hectare site has become an alpine community, with development ultimately beginning in 2004.

“Spring Creek has long been working through the BUILT GREEN^® High Density and Single Family programs out of , a nonprofit delivering holistic sustainable building programs for over 20 years,” the release reads. “These programs are focused not only on energy efficiency, but also the preservation of natural resources, reduction of pollution and GHG emissions, ventilation and air quality, the improvement of home durability, and more.”

The community includes a mix of condominiums, hotels and lodges, vacation rentals including townhomes, as well as seniors’ independent living, assisted living and memory care community housing.

Five per cent includes affordable housing.

There is also Spring Creek Manor, a purpose-built staff accommodation building housing up to 154 employees, which will start occupancies in January 2025, and a day care will also be opening in 2025.

When it comes to making use of the region’s resources, Spring Creek has installed geoexchange systems throughout.

The community has also since begun adding solar panel arrays.

On an annual basis, the geoexchange heating and cooling system is estimated to eliminate 6,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and will eliminate a minimum of 10,000 tons per year using geoexchange with clean electricity instead of natural gas.

The community’s storm system is designed to accommodate a one-in-100-year rainfall event, using a combination of overland drainage, underground storage and infiltration facilities. All building openings, including the parkade slab, are situated above Alberta’s Flood Fringe data’s 1:100-year flood level of 1,307 metres.

“My motivation was largely driven by the region’s spectacular natural beauty and my commitment to keeping Canmore an alpine town — it’s also a nod to my parents, grandparents, as well as Canmore itself: to be a legacy for the town in which I grew up, and to contribute to building a more sustainable future for my grandchildren,” says Frank Kernick, developer and owner, in a statement.

Spring Creek’s design has also embraced social and mental well-being with streets designed to slow traffic, walk- and bike-ways between buildings, lined with trees and benches.

“The ambitious master plan behind Spring Creek Mountain Village extends many years into the future, so there is much more to come from this special community,” the release adds.