It’s not often that you take a tour of a manufacturer’s headquarters, but when I arrived it was definitely a sight to see.   Honda’s new headquarters or “campus” as they call it is located in Markham, Ontario on 54-acre of land on Honda Boulevard that fronts Highway 404 just north of Elgin Mills.
This was a special time for Honda as it just received LEED® Canada – Gold green building certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).  An accomplishment that fulfills a four-year environmental goal for its new facilities dating back to 2007 during the initial planning stages of their new home.  This is the 11th LEED® certified Honda building in North America and the first in Canada, which leads all other car manufacturers.
Honda has always been a leader when it comes to the environment being the first manufacturer in Canada to sell hybrid vehicles and have won numerous ecoEnergy awards for the Civic Hybrid, CR-Z, and the Accord Sedan.  Honda’s goal was for their new campus to environmentally match what they have achieved over the years with their vehicles.  “It’s nice to showcase Honda’s DNA from the office side as well,” said Barry Holt, LEED® Project Leader. 

Honda’s campus consists of three separate buildings that all contribute to human health and the preservation of the environment. Starting with the four-story office building, the parts distribution centre, and the technical centre for research and development, engineering, and training.  All of these buildings have heat reflective white roofs, which reflects the sun’s heat and naturally makes the office or facility cooler.

The four-story, 138,000-sq.-ft. office building consists of a storm water management system to improve the quality of water going off site, as well as for irrigation purposes on-site. Furthermore, Honda utilizes bio filters throughout the parking lot for the natural infiltration of water before being released to the public sewers.  This has reduced potable water consumption in the facility by 44 percent.

One of the most exciting things to check out is their office light structure.  Honda uses occupancy sensors which can lighten, dim, or shut down based on whether any one is there.  This efficient lighting design is a major contributing factor to their 32 percent consumption reduction in energy.

"The campus was designed with extra care to limit the ecological impact, keeping LEED-certification top of mind," said Gordon Stratford, director of design, HOK Canada. "Employee health and comfort were particularly important. Workstations are no more than eight metres from natural light and views. Thermostats throughout the building give tightly-zoned control over airflow and temperature; materials and finishes are low-VOC. All these features are recognized by the LEED® system."

After many long meetings and adjustments especially considering the economic downturn, Honda is more than pleased with their environmental accomplishments and new Markham facilities that house their 500 workers.  “It’s all about being plain, simple, and efficient – that’s the Honda way,” explained Holt. 

It’s not Honda’s motto to be flashy and show off their vehicle line-up like others, but they have stayed true to their image with just those five letters “Honda” standing out off of Highway 404.  Honda has set the standards on the environment and now it’s time to see which other manufacturers follow in their footsteps.