Subterra Renewables

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CANADIAN CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS

SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

The Sustainability

SOLUTION Greener building solutions are on the rise. We spoke to Matthew Tokarik, Vice President, and Jessica Rowe Bald, Vice President of Sales, at Subterra Renewables, about the firm answering the demand in the North American energy and construction sector Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: David Knott

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ENERGY & UTILITIES

T

he topic of sustainability has grown substantially in the last two decades.

From general conversation between friends and family about recycling waste or walking during daily commutes, to international summits between corporations and countries, discussing carbon-capture projects or use of electricity over fossil fuels, being and promoting the environmentally friendly has become the norm worldwide.

In the sphere of construction and energy, green buildings have come to be a major focus of architectural firms and city planning. The notion

of maximizing sustainability and minimizing energy wastage has led many companies to revolutionize the construction sector, placing environmentally friendly practices at the fore.

The Canada-based company Subterra Renewables embodies this progressive attitude towards construction and energy.

The firm specializes in developing, acquiring, and operating thermal energy systems using the latest geothermal and heat recovery technology. Its primary aim and purpose is to help building developers reduce costs while meeting the

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SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

AT A GLANCE: SUBTERRA SERVICES

Jessica Rowe Bald, Vice President of Sales

Matthew Tokarik, Vice President

“THE INCOMING GENERATION OF BUYERS ARE MUCH MORE AWARE OF THE CLIMATE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE TODAY, HAVING GROWN UP WITH IT PRESENTED AS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE, AND ARE SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO ADDRESS THEM”

as an engineer,” Tokarik begins. “My professional career has been devoted to the green building space, where I continue to focus my efforts in this business.”

Tokarik obtained a master’s degree in building engineering and found his speciality lay in the areas of energy consultation and work on building projects – with specific focus on carbon reduction.

From a student engineer for sustainable transport planning, to a Founding Partner of a building performance and consulting company, Building Energy Consultant for Morrison Hershfield, and Sessional Instructor of building physics and sustainability at two universities, Tokarik finds himself leading a career in the exact field that he has both the passion and training for.

– JESSICA ROWE BALD, VICE PRESIDENT SALES, SUBTERRA RENEWABLES unique energy needs and carbon reduction targets of their building projects. The company has created a financing platform to fund the development of renewable energy projects. Its goal is to facilitate the adoption of geothermal heating and cooling systems and foster a community of industry professionals willing to work together in a bid to create a sustainable future.

Matthew Tokarik, Vice President of Subterra, has been working for the company for almost three years.

“I have a technical background 4 | North America Outlook issue 02

SUSTAINABILITY AND VALUE Geothermal and other green solutions have become far more prevalent than ever before. Newly planned developments are switching from older means of construction to the latest, greenest, and most efficient construction processes – developments that Subterra specializes in providing.

“In leading cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and New York, there is

GEOTHERMAL DRILLING Subterra Renewables is a vertically integrated geothermal utility company. Subterra drills use leading edge technology.

With its own geothermal drilling rigs and existing partnerships with geothermal drillers and experts across North America, the firm offers streamlined geothermal drilling services.

For its clients, this means that partnering with Subterra ensures that projects get completed flawlessly and on time.

SHORING AND EARTH RETENTION Subterra’s partner Turnkey Site Solutions is a full-service shoring contractor that is licensed and insured with years of experience offering quality shoring services.

Turnkey has been operating out of Toronto since 2013 servicing all of Southern Ontario. Working directly with the client ensures both geothermal drilling and shoring are completed and scheduled on time with little disruption to the critical path.

When geothermal drilling and shoring are done at the same time, it saves the client’s time, increases safety, and avoids any schedule delays that may occur.

Tel: 416-240-7666 | Email: info@turnkeyss.ca

YOUR SHORING PROFESSIONALS

We are a Toronto-based specialty shoring company focused on quality, execution, and customer satisfaction.

With over 40 years combined industry experience, our team has the knowledge and expertise needed for every phase of your custom shoring project – from design through permitting, installation through construction project completion. Whatever your needs, we have the crews and equipment required to get the project done safely and efficiently.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

SHORING

PROCESS MANAGEMENT

Established in 2014, our Renewable Energy Division has grown rapidly. We provide custom Geothermal Systems and Solar Foundations services & solutions to clients.

We specialize in coordinating and executing shoring for the construction of mid-rise condominium and townhouse developments. Our focus is on quality, precision, and customer satisfaction.

Committed to quality and clear communication, we work with each client to explain which solution is best suited for their project and site...and why.

SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

AT A GLANCE: SUBTERRA SERVICES GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT Subterra helps developers provide low-carbon heating and cooling systems for new buildings using a geothermal utility solution, where the firm provides design-build services as well as project financing. With this solution, developers and residents save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

SYSTEM ACQUISITIONS Subterra helps owners of existing geothermal system to realize full value for their green energy investments, freeing up capital to invest in other areas core to their businesses. As an experienced geothermal system developer and operator, Subterra is able to reduce operating, monitoring, and maintenance cost and risk, ensuring seamless continuity for buildings.

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a political and social drive to push towards green solutions; geothermal being one of these. Geothermal is constantly named as one of the solutions needed to move towards our long-term carbon reduction targets,” Tokarik tells us.

This shift and rise in demand to meet sustainability targets makes Subterra the answer to many construction-related sustainability objectives, and it has access to all it needs to meet this demand.

Meeting this demand is exemplified in the firm’s ability to go above and beyond when carrying out the completion of company client projects, such as the Manderley (Toronto, Ontario), Vibe (Burlington, Ontario), and the Birchcliff Urban Townhomes (Scarborough, Ontario).

The myriad of projects led

by Subterra each maximize the environmentally friendly potential of each building - an aspect of business Subterra promotes above all.

“At the federal level, we have committed to the target set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims

“SUBTERRA DOES EVERYTHING FROM THE ENGINEERING TO CONSTRUCTION WORK. WE UNIQUELY HAVE OUR OWN IN-HOUSE DRILLING CAPABILITY – WE CAN DO GEOTHERMAL DRILLING AS WELL AS SHORING. AND THEN ULTIMATELY, WE OWN, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN THE GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM FOR THE LONG TERM” – JESSICA ROWE BALD, VICE PRESIDENT SALES, SUBTERRA RENEWABLES towards a significant carbon reduction by 2050,” Tokarik informs us.

“When you switch to geothermal heating and cooling, you are switching to an efficient electrically driven

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SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR BUILDING

AT A GLANCE: SUBTERRA PROCESSES STEP ONE Developers contract Subterra to build, own, and operate a thermal energy system for their building.

STEP TWO Subterra’s System provides clean and renewable thermal energy to building owners.

STEP THREE Building owners pay a fixed monthly fee to Subterra for heating, cooling, and hot water.

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solution that can take advantage of a low-carbon grid supported by renewably generated energy, and you are reducing on-site fossil-fuel combustion.”

A primary barrier to entry for geothermal systems is the increased upfront capital. However, over a 30-year life cycle that includes operating and maintenance costs, the system is cheaper overall. It is an investment in technology for the betterment of the future in the long term.

OPERATIONS AND FUTURE GROWTH A contributing factor to the success of Subterra is the various supply chain partnerships the company has cultivated and maintained over its many years of service. These

partnerships have proven invaluable, and are of paramount importance to the firm’s overall operation.

“We have multiple important and key partnerships,” Tokarik assures us.

“Mechanical distributors, piping and grouting distributors, those who supply drills and other necessary tools, the list goes on. On top of this, we spend a lot of time dealing with designers, construction managers, lawyers, and other individuals key to the real estate development processes. We operate as integrators to bring products and processes into place.

“Our supply chain partners are extremely important for the timing and delivery of company projects.

They have to be on time and able to supply when we need it - an aspect of service they never fail to achieve.”

Subterra Renewables is backed by Forum Equity Partners, an alternative asset manager and private capital investor, with a long history developing and managing complex energy infrastructure, and real estate assets.

Subterra’s relationship with Forum provides access to creative capital that allows the firm to be nimble and meet the needs of a diverse client base. Over the past two decades, Forum has been active in a number of large-scale projects including a multi-phase student housing project at York University, and the Toronto City Airport Pedestrian Tunnel.

“We have partnered with Turnkey Site Solutions who deliver geothermal drilling and shoring projects,” Tokarik informs us.

These reliable supply chain partnerships help Subterra reinforce and achieve its company mission: to create change in local communities through reducing greenhouse gas emissions in built environments.

The firm partners with its clients to enable them to meet and exceed the challenges and opportunities of the future. Subterra’s aim is to deliver exceptional service to clients, partners, residents, and society overall

ENERGY & UTILITIES

“THERE IS CERTAINLY A PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS THE EXPECTATION OF RENEWABLE COMMUNITIES RATHER THAN IT BEING A NOVELTY, TREND, OR A TEMPORARY TOPIC” – JESSICA ROWE BALD, VICE PRESIDENT SALES, SUBTERRA RENEWABLES

in order to increase sustainability and promote environmental and human wellbeing into the future.

And proceeding into this future, Subterra has planned to improve several aspects of its operation.

“We will strengthen the operational delivery of our products and services led by clear-cut quantifiable targets,” Tokarik informs us.

“We plan to expand our service offering coast-to-coast across Canada and into the US market.

Our expansion is in response to the many market signals we have seen indicating the demand for geothermal.”

With sustainability at the fore,

Subterra remains at the frontline of environmentally friendly construction and energy solutions. The continual growth of greener demand yields a promising future for Subterra, and it is safe to say that the firm is one to watch in the next few years of this ever progressive and advancing decade.

Tel: 1-416-966-9540 www.subterrarenewables.com

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SUBTERRA RENEWABLES 100 Adelaide St W, Suite 2805 Toronto, ON, M5H 1S3 Canada Tel: 1-416-966-9540 www.subterrarenewables.com

PRODUCED BY NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE