Moderna’s Canadian mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Laval, Quebec has been awarded LEED Silver certification for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) from the Canada Green Building Council. The certification recognizes the facility’s sustainable design and high-performance building systems.
The facility uses energy-efficient building systems to support advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing while reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions. The site leverages Quebec’s predominantly renewable electricity grid and innovative building technologies to improve operational efficiency.
As part of this project, EXP provided multidisciplinary engineering services, including preparing technical documentation for mechanical, electrical, civil and structural engineering, as well as overseeing construction.
Key elements leading to a LEED Silver certification
The facility features an integrated suite of technologies designed to improve energy performance while meeting the rigorous environmental requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturing. These include:
- Heat recovery chillers that capture waste heat from process cooling and reuse it to heat the building
- Electric heat pump systems that provide efficient heating and cooling
- Electric boiler systems that support building heating requirements
- High-efficiency HVAC systems and advanced building automation controls
- Variable frequency drives on major mechanical equipment
- Building-wide lighting controls to optimize energy use
- Water-efficient plumbing fixtures that reduce potable water consumption
Together, these systems improve overall building efficiency while supporting reliable pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
“Heat recovery from exhaust systems and chillers maximizes captured energy, while implementing control sequences and innovative solutions minimize peak energy demand,” Director of Science + Technology and Project Manager Andrée-Anne Verreault said. “Moderna participates in Hydro-Québec’s Demand Response program, contributing to the collective effort to decarbonize Quebec’s economy. The systems and implementation of control sequences enable the building’s power management devices to be automated.”
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