Here's a look inside Ottawa's newest diplomatic building

UK's greenest diplomatic building CTV's Peter Szperling has a look inside the new British High Commission's diplomatic building on Sussex Drive.

The British High Commission has relocated to a new office on Sussex Drive.

CTV News Ottawa was one of the first to tour the building, hosted by British High Commissioner to Canada Susannah Goshko.

Staff said goodbye to the previous offices at 80 Elgin Street, which was sold to the National Capital Commission (NCC).

"That building had about nine floors. It’s from a time where we had whole teams of people doing visas and passports. Those sorts of things are done electronically now and we just don’t need that kind of space," said Goshko.

The state-of-the-art building is located within the Earnscliffe National Historic Site, which has been the official residence for British high commissioners for more than 90 years.

The building was officially opened at a ceremony held on Jan. 12.

Goshko was joined by Claudette Commanda, an Algonquin Anishinaabe Elder from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, who performed a blessing ceremony to officially open the new office.

The new offices boast an open layout with lots of light.

"We're really thinking about how the modern diplomatic mission works and designed it to deliver that function," she said.

The building also has a focus on the environment.

The building is targeting LEED Gold Status (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification — a widely used green building rating system.

"It is the greenest building in the whole of the Brits' diplomatic network," said Goshko.

According to a press release, green credentials of the new building include diverting 98 per cent of construction waste away from landfills and incorporating wood salvaged from the Ottawa River.

The office aims to be economically sustainable by operating at a lower cost, thanks to its energy efficiency rating currently on track to perform at 18 per cent above the baseline average.

Water consumption will also be reduced thanks to environmental features being incorporated into the landscape design, including native and drought resistant vegetation that mitigates the need for irrigation.

Low flow plumbing fixtures throughout the building also aim to reduce annual water consumption by between 25 to 30 per cent above the baseline average.