The Globe and Mail

Its south-facing wall will be wrapped in a giant curtain of glass to trap heat and light. Sensors will automatically turn off the lights in unused rooms. And the eight-storey building will be so energy efficient, the furnace won't go on until the outside temperature drops below -18 C. When the 360,000-square-foot Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute opens in Edmonton in the fall of 2007, it will be one of the smartest of Canada's smart buildings. In fact, it is poised to become the first Canadian hospital of its kind to achieve silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. To be LEED-certified, a building earns points for design features that promote a healthy environment, reduce costs and prevent waste.