LE HUPPÉ : First Gold Level WELL Certified Building in Canada

Fiera Real Estate and its partner, Immostar, are proud to announce that Le Huppé, the rental condo complex in the Lebourgneuf neighbourhood, is the first building in Canada to receive the highly coveted Gold level WELL certification.

WELL certification is administered by Green Business Certification Inc., the same independent organization that manages LEED certification. While LEED certification is focused on the energy and environmental performance of a building, WELL certification encompasses everything that contributes to the health and well-being of its residents. Projects are supervised by a team tasked with ensuring that the building and its environment adhere to the 10 main WELL concepts—air, water, nourishment, luminosity, thermal comfort, movement, sound, materials, mind, community, and innovation—all which comprise more than 100 characteristics ranging from performance standards to design strategies to specific protocols for operations.

This certification entails numerous benefits to the health of residents. Not only does it focus on optimizing their comfort, but it also prioritizes their physical health through active design and considers their mental health with the creation of spaces that encourage interaction and relaxation.

Offering 187 all-inclusive units, Le Huppé takes pride in being at the forefront of socially engaged buildings in Canada. The building is located in the heart of an innovative hub for socially engaged building design, next to the head office of Promutuel Insurance, the first LEED Gold certified building in Quebec City, and Humanitæ, a unique living environment designed specifically for seniors with cognitive disorders.

The materials used at Le Huppé are partly local, recycled, and have low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Measures have also been taken to optimize the daily comfort of residents, such as improved air and water treatment, oversized windows for more natural light, controlled lighting and air conditioning, and the sharing of tips on health, nutrition, and exercise in common areas.

Fiera Real Estate has taken many steps in its ESG journey to position itself as a leader in environmental, social, and governance integration and was quickly sold on Immostar’s project and even recruited a sustainable development manager for its Canadian operations. “Le Huppé is an innovative, premium-quality institutional product that will help further research and development. As investors, we need to turn towards a sustainable green economy focused on well-being in order to help our industry evolve. Collaborating on a project like Le Huppé has enabled us to further develop our expertise and gain a better understanding of the best practices, we can apply to numerous other real estate projects going forward,” said William Secnik, Senior Vice President and Fund Manager, Fiera Real Estate CORE Fund.