ATLANTIC Canada Green Building Council 2021 ISSUE, CaGBC Regional Publication /
FOCUS
NOVA CENTRE AND HALIFAX CONVENTION CENTRE LEED Gold project engages public and sets standard for new developmentneed a new cover. Can you close
crop around the tower of photo 1 of p.26, or can try Stratford photo 6933 of contact sheet 002
THE RECOVER INITIATIVE: Energy retrofit methodology to upgrade ageing buildings
MATERIALS SELECTION ELEVATES BUILDINGS: CaGBC
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Upcoming Events + Workshops CAGBC is the leading green building education provider in Canada, delivering education to over 45,000 green building professionals since 2004. Our online and in-person programs and courses are developed and delivered by expert industry professionals that can help further your career, professional development and knowledge of Canada’s vibrant green building industry.
NOVEMBER 3: INNOVATION SERIES - ACHIEVING NET ZERO WITH ENERGY AS A SERVICE Innovative technology and financing solutions are needed to support asset owners and managers as they accelerate the transition of building portfolios to net zero. Presented by Ameresco Canada, this session will explore how the EaaS model can help bridge the financing gap to achieve a net zero building and integrate advanced renewable technologies, stabilize lifecycle costs, and offload performance risk. A case study on how this model helped fund Canada’s first operationally carbon neutral school will also be presented. NOVEMBER 22: THE WELL BUILDING STANDARD WORKSHOP WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. This half-day introductory workshop will introduce broad audiences to the WELL Building Standard, including its key processes. DECEMBER 6: ZERO CARBON BUILDING STANDARD WORKSHOP This live half-day workshop will review important foundational knowledge for low-carbon buildings, with an emphasis on the latest version of CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard. The requirements for both new and existing buildings will be addressed. Topics include the zero carbon balance, embodied carbon, peak demand, renewable energy, and more.
INNOVATION SERIES – PURPOSEFUL ESG Join Canadian and global ESG experts as they uncover the trends and demands that are driving corporations to not only adopt ESG policies, but implement them in a purposeful manner. Led by ESG and corporate purpose expert Faith Goodman of Goodman Sustainability Group, this three-part series will explore the drivers and principles behind Purposeful ESG, what brands are leading in this space and how, finishing with a cross panel-attendee roundtable discussion to identify current challenges, gaps and potential ways forward. Session 1: Purposeful ESG – Society and Investors demanding tangible action from firms Wednesday, November 17 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST Session 2: How Leading Brands are already moving on Purposeful ESG Wednesday, November 24 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST Session 3: Roundtable on Purposeful ESG - What does 2022 hold for us? Wednesday, December 1 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST
By choosing CaGBC Education, you can be confident that you are receiving the best possible green building education in Canada. To learn more about any of these initiatives and to register for workshops + events, cagbc.org/education
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See a digital version of CaGBC Atlantic FOCUS https://www.cagbc.org/ 6
Click on Chapters/Atlantic/Atlantic FOCUS magazine.
In this issue 26
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Upcoming Events + Workshops
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Materials selection elevates buildings
Nova Centre and Halifax Convention Centre - LEED Gold project engages public and sets standard for new development
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CaGBC Awards celebrate Canadian projects and innovators
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The ReCover Initiative - A deep energy retrofit methodology to cut energy use and upgrade ageing buildings
+ A joint publishing project of the Atlantic Chapter - CaGBC and SABMag. Address all inquiries to Don Griffith: dgriffith@sabmagazine.com Published by Janam Publications Inc. | www.sabmagazine.com | www.janam.net
Bay View House - Perfect fit retirement home a top performer
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Decarbonizing cement
Printed on Domtar Husky Opaque text offset paper.
Cover: Nova Centre and Halifax Convention Centre, Architect IBI Group, Photo: David Xu, IBI Group.
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Materials selection elevates buildings By CaGBC A healthy building is made of healthy building blocks. Using sustainable materials that comply with building codes today – and those decades in the future – really help a project stand out. Over the last decade the building sector has been redefined by innovations in building materials and an increased interest for materials transparency. Occupants are concerned about their exposure to the chemical components of the building materials; owners want to understand what materials are present in their building; and designers and architects are no longer content to simply specify a product without understanding the holistic attributes of that product. Where design and budget constraints traditionally determined materials selection, now a growing awareness and interest in sustainability is driving new behaviours.
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Increasingly, manufacturers are offering more sustainable, durable, and resilient materials. By pursuing the highest sustainability standards, manufacturers are diversifying their products with greener alternatives to classic building materials. As a result, more project teams are able to earn credits towards certification for rating systems and standards such Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) or CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Standard®. Today, architects and project teams can access detailed information about building materials and products. This allows them to weigh their options against the building’s sustainability goals and keep LEED Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits in sight. Information like that included in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Heath Product Declarations (HPDs) provides full disclosure of any potential areas of concern in a product, helping projects limit potential negative impacts on the environment and building occupant health.
When asked how material selection has changed, experts unanimously agree that sustainability documentation from manufacturers is an expectation, and that builders and project teams value its convenience. Guillaume Martel, Architect with Provencher_Roy and Chair of CaGBC’s Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group, explains that “availability of information has really changed in the last five years. While a few years ago you had to reach out to a sales representative to get documentation, today most manufacturers have sustainability documentation readily available or automated website to generate what you really need.” Different online databases help aggregate materials information and speed up product research.
The availability of material transparency data (such as EPDs, HPDs to name just a few) has gained traction, especially in the last few years. It indicates that the market has caught up with the demand. “Many manufacturers are using these findings to reduce their environmental impact,” Martel adds. “It took a bit of time, but these changes are finally coming to fruition.” BPDO credits in LEED v4 encourage the adoption of products that disclose and optimize full life-cycle impacts, including the impacts of raw material sourcing and its effects on human health. Through the Environmental Product Declarations, the Sourcing of Raw Materials, and the Material Ingredients credits, project teams can be rewarded for their responsible products selection, helping them deliver on projects that reduce energy costs and impact on the environment. The holistic assessment of materials takes an even more prominent place in LEED v4.1. The revised materials credits in LEED v4.1 now include varying levels to bridge the gap from where the market is currently to the goals identified in LEED v4. As a result, GBCI Canada is seeing significant increase in the successful uptake of these credits, reflecting the need for more transparency and a growing interest in healthy materials.
Photo top left: Prototype laneway housing. BSN Architects. Photo: Tom Arban Photography. Photo bottom left: Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, Humber College. Perkins+Will. Photo: Tom Arban Photography. Photo bottom right: North End Landing + James North Baptist Church. Invizij Architects Inc. Photo: Industryous Photography.
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Nova Centre and Halifax Convention Centre LEED Gold project engages public and sets standard for new development By Neil Munro The Nova Centre and Halifax Convention Centre is a first-of-its-kind facility in Atlantic Canada. The $500 million, 1 million sq. ft. project received LEED Gold certification in 2020, a significant achievement for a building of this magnitude and complexity. It’s a place made with people in mind. Both destination and part of something larger, it aims to serve as an incubator for new development in Halifax’s urban core. In addition to the Halifax Convention Centre, Nova Centre incorporates a boutique hotel, retail facilities and twin core office towers with 2.5 acres of parking housing 250 cars. Significantly, the entire development is 100% compliant within the HRM Bylaw planning and design constraints of Historic Viewplanes. The Nova Centre project site minimizes developmental effects on sensitive greenfield sites, has a strong connection with the community, and is close to the public transit system. The building was massed and oriented to maximize daylight into the space, as well as preserve sightlines from the historic Halifax Citadel. Street-level retail engages passersby and provides a gradual transition to the convention centre, hotel and office towers. The extension of Grafton Street through the project as a pedestrian-friendly streetscape invites people into the development and promotes interaction.
1. View from Prince Street to Grafton with the office tower and Rogers Square in the foreground, and the hotel farther back. Prelco supplied the insulating glass units and the spandrel glass of the three fist floors as well as the interior glass railings. High performance and better visibility were the main criteria for the selection of low-e glass units, specifically Prelco’s LoE366 which deliver a balance between high visibility and solar control. 2. The Blue Box Convention Centre. The view along Sackville Street sloping down to the harbour. 3. The atrium lobby and public space at Level 2. DriSteem supplied an XT series electrode humidifier for this project. Easy installation and cylinder replacement, together with minimal maintenance, make this humidifier an excellent and affordable choice for humidification. 8
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ARCHITECT IBI Group OWNER/DEVELOPER Rank Inc CONSTRUCTION MANAGER EllisDon LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT IBI Group
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PROJECT CREDITS
CIVIL ENGINEER WSP Global Inc. MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEER MCW STRUCTURAL ENGINEER BMR Structural EngineeringCommissioning Agent: Maritech Commissioning Works Ltd
South tower
North tower
LIGHTING Marcel Dion Lighting Design WIND STUDY CONSULTANT RWDI PHOTOS David Xu, IBI Group
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Site Plan
4. The prow of the south office building, with the north office behind, and the Blue Box podium of the Convention Centre.
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The massing and design of the various building types were intended to maximize the opportunity for light and air. The glazed street frontage, bisecting east and west building portions, benefit from maximized opportunity of daylighting and views. To maximize urban density, the Nova Centre project was developed on the entirety of the project site, with trees and planters introduced to provide naturalized green space at grade. The vegetated roof on the hotel adds to the ecology of the site. The Nova Centre was designed to minimize its energy footprint. Having an initial energy use intensity of 157 kWh/m2, the building’s systems have been designed to maintain this efficiency throughout its lifetime. Mechanical HVAC operation is a 100% Direct Digital Control Building Automation System.
The central utility plant for the site incorporates heat recovery chillers producing chilled water for cooling and low-temperature heating. An additional 80,000 gal of thermal storage is used for peak load reduction. With the normal use of this facility having a high degree of variation for occupancy and time of use, all pumping and fresh air systems have been installed with variable flow to meet demand. The DDC control systems optimize energy savings, regulating operation of all systems including, optimum start/stop and time of day scheduling, electric demand limiting, building purge, free cooling, preventative maintenance, night setback, graphics and logging of alarm, experience and energy use.
5. The west façade showing the hotel on the left and the south office tower on the right. Work at the Nova Centre by the Flynn Group of Companies included 182,839 sq. ft. of curtainwall consisting of 74 modules of unitized curtainwall that are an impressive 34 feet in height.
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6 6. The extension of Grafton Street through to the Rogers Square Pedestrian Activation Zone invites people into the development to explore, interact and congregate.
Nova Centre anticipates a 28.3% reduction in energy cost and a 40% reduction in energy intensity compared to a reference building. A total of 35% of anticipated annual electricity use is offset through renewable energy credits. Both electrical and energy metering are used to provide data and historical information for setting future reduction targets by facility operators. Water consumption for the Nova Centre project was minimized both inside and outside the building. The landscaping and vegetated roof were designed to eliminate the need for irrigation; and the selection of fixtures was modelled to save 9.2 million litres of water annually, representing a reduction of nearly 33% compared to a conventional building. Many of the construction materials have recycled content which reduces embodied carbon footprint, and demand for raw material extraction and refinement.
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Over 30% of the building’s components have materials containing recycled content, including concrete, steel, masonry and curtainwall. Over 2,680 metric tonnes of waste, or 68.1%, were diverted from landfill and redirected as feedstock for secondary processing into recycled content. With a concrete structure and a modular envelope cladding system, the building is anticipated to be serviceable for many years without significant disruption to its function or to its occupants, and allowing recyclable opportunities as its service life ends. The building’s interior layout and HVAC systems have been designed to provide maximum flexibility to future tenants, allowing for future customization. As part of commissioning, the building owners/operators received training of the building systems, and were provided detailed technical information about the building’s setpoints, sequences of operation, and other information to ensure optimization through operation. For tenants, a green building education website communicates the Nova Centre’s sustainability attributes, which is supplemented by a regular tenant newsletter.
Neil Munro is Associate Director, Practice Lead/Architecture with IBI Group.
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CaGBC Awards celebrate Canadian projects and innovators CaGBC recently announced the winners of the 2021 CAGBC Awards. The annual awards celebrate the projects and leaders transforming Canada’s building sector by accelerating and scaling buildings with exceptional performance across environment, carbon emissions and human health factors. “This year’s submissions speak volumes about the passion, dedication and innovation of the green building sector,” said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of CaGBC. “Considering the challenges of the past 18 months, the achievements they represent show what we can do when we move forward together. As the pandemic continues to weigh on us, the green building projects and people we honour today demonstrate how together we can action on climate change, resiliency, adaptation, and environmental and human health.” THE WINNERS OF THE 2021 CAGBC AWARDS ARE: Vivian Manasc, Principal Architect, Reimagine – CaGBC’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Vivian Manasc for her contributions to green building in Alberta and across Canada. For the past 35 years, Vivian has led integrated sustainable design teams with Reimagine (formerly Manasc Isaac, which she co-founded) for a wide variety of projects, frequently working in partnership with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. Vivian’s trailblazing nature helped the firm score Alberta’s first LEED Certified building, and the first LEED Gold building in the Arctic. Her work beyond the firm has included serving as President of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada and helping launch the CaGBC. She was recognized for her leadership in green building with the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2017. This award is sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric Canada.
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CaGBC recently announced the winners of the 2021 CaGBC Awards. The annual awards celebrate the projects and leaders transforming Canada’s building sector by accelerating and scaling buildings with exceptional performance across environment, carbon emissions and human health factors. GREEN BUILDING LEADERSHIP AWARDS: Lisa Bate, Global Sustainability Lead + Advance Strategy, Principal at B+H Architects is the Green Building Champion Award winner – One of Canada’s global sustainable design ambassadors, Lisa has for decades brought her diverse expertise to a number of organizations. At B+H she has led pioneering projects like the Zero Carbon Building Standard-certified Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation. She has also been featured in media coverage regarding topics from the ROI of green building practices and advancing carbon neutrality, to gender parity and building resilient cities and structure in a post-COVID world. Additionally, she has served as Chair for both the WorldGBC and CaGBC and was a representative to the UN’s Environment Programme—Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative. This award is sponsored by Oxford Properties Group. mcCallumSather, Green Building Pioneer winner – mcCallumSather exemplifies the definition of a pioneer, breaking new ground and helping grow a broader understanding of sustainable building practices. Over 25 years, the firm has built an impressive Southern Ontario portfolio, with both lower-profile projects which were often the first LEED-certified building in a municipality, to more prestigious projects that to this day push the boundaries of sustainable and efficient design. This award is sponsored by Enwave Arman Mottaghi, Emerging Green Leader winner – Co-founder and CEO of Lambda Science, a Vancouver start-up that uses artificial intelligence to help homebuilders create cost- and energy-efficient building designs, Arman is already a thought leader and innovator in the green building space. Through Lambda, he has developed partnerships with five B.C. cities and helped more than 200 builders build more energyefficient homes. This award is sponsored by DIALOG. Ben Henderson, City of Edmonton, Government Leadership Award winner – As Council Chair of the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) program of FCM, City of Edmonton Councillor Ben Henderson has provided exceptional leadership and guidance during a time of significant growth for funding allocations to green building capital projects and municipal capacity building. During his tenure, Ben has facilitated the provision of millions of dollars to Canadian communities, enabling investments in green initiatives, and been a stabilizing force as the liaison between GMP council and FCM’s Executive committee. This award is sponsored by Stantec.
Left to right: Zero Energy Buildings Learning Centre at BCIT, 25 York Street, and the AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex.
Zero Energy Buildings Learning Centre at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Inspired Educator winner – Created to support the construction industry’s transition to the new BC Energy Step Code and new City of Vancouver Zero Emissions Building bylaws, ZEBLC provides a full suite of training courses that are short and hands-on. This past year as part of the pandemic response, they transitioned from their unique classroom with 25 full-scale building assemblies to an online offering. Despite this disruption, more than 500 individuals have benefited from live construction demonstrations and lectures broadcast by the Centre since March 2020. Susan Kapetanovic-Marr, Ed Lim Technical Expertise Volunteer Award winner – Susan is a long-standing, dedicated volunteer who goes the extra mile to provide the expertise needed to continually advance sustainable buildings in Canada. Director of Sustainability with Canderel and a professional engineer in Alberta, she has been an active CaGBC volunteer for a decade, starting with the Sites-Water Technical Advisory Group in 2011, a committee that she continues advise to this day. Susan also provides her extensive knowledge to the USGBC’s Water Efficiency TAG and their Location and Transportation TAG. Additionally, she recently joined the International WELL Building Institute’s Water Advisory Group and joined the LEED Canada Steering Committee in 2020 to provide broader market and technical insight for CaGBC’s green building programs.
GREEN BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS: MEC Vancouver, New Construction Award winner – This mixed-use mass timber building at the gateway of Vancouver’s Olympic Village embodies the values of MEC and its customers. In addition to impressive water reuse and conservation elements, the project’s thoughtful design means that it contributes nearly twice as much energy to the Neighbourhood Energy Utility as it consumes. Photo Michael Elkin Honourable mention, Humber College, Barrett Centre for Technology. This award is sponsored by Morguard. 25 York Street, Toronto, Existing Building Award winner – This LEED EB:O+M Platinum building in downtown Toronto not only sets an exceptionally high bar in greenhouse gas, energy and water performance, it goes the extra mile in committing to the well-being of its occupants and in empowering tenants to help the building achieve its sustainability goals. The Confluence, Summer Village of Waiparous, Alberta, Inspiring Home winner – This residence on a previously developed site helped push the residential marketplace towards environmentally friendly products and manufacturer transparency. Its net positive energy and water performance is especially impressive given the location’s extreme climate. Photo Pavel Hajek This award is sponsored by Enbridge. Ottawa’s AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex, Zero Carbon Award winner – The AMPED project provides a shining example of how even a commercial building with an energy-intensive use in an extreme climate can lower its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 90 per cent. AMPED achieved this by using an advanced predictive learning software, a building and ice plant automation system, energy retrofits, custom build and design strategies, the removal of combustion fuels through electrification, and renewable energy generation technologies. This award is sponsored by Entuitive. Lindsey Kent, University of Calgary, Andy Kesteloo Memorial Student Project Award winner - This fourth year Civil Engineering student project focuses on the redevelopment of Rundle Manor, an affordable housing complex in northeast Calgary. Judges noted the project’s technical sophistication, especially the depth of engineering considerations, designed with a practical eye to today’s construction industry and code framework, as well as the community’s need.
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The ReCover Initiative A deep energy retrofit methodology to cut energy use and upgrade ageing buildings By Emma Norton, Nick Rudnicki and Lorrie Rand Nova Scotia has committed to aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, targetting a 53% reduction below 1990 levels by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2050. A recent report by Brendan Haley and Ralph Torrie states that existing buildings are responsible for 47% of Nova Scotia’s GHG emissions.
In 2030, more than 75% of the building stock in Nova Scotia will be composed of buildings in use today, and an estimated 60% of those buildings will still be in use in 2050. This means that existing buildings will have a large impact on meeting Nova Scotia’s emissions targets. In light of these facts, the ReCover Initiative was established to develop a deep energy retrofit methodology for Nova Scotia that can be implemented at a large scale to reduce GHGs emissions from existing buildings. Our team performed a pilot design, with the support of Quest Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines, to demonstrate the potential reductions in energy consumption and GHG emissions through a deep energy retrofit of a low-rise MURB (multi-unit residential building) pilot building in Halifax. Conventional methods of performing deep energy retrofits are slow and expensive, because every project is custom, as every building is unique. The ReCover Initiative is based on a systematic, turnkey approach to affordable deep energy retrofits, developed in the Netherlands, called Energiesprong (“energy leap”).
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The ReCover process involves wrapping the building in a new prefabricated skin and replacing the mechanical systems with smaller, more efficient components. This work is faster and less disruptive than a typical renovation, and it allows for occupants to remain in their home throughout the work. Additionally, following a systematic process reduces risk to the contractor and reduces costs to the owner. Low-rise MURBs are ideal candidates for the ReCover Initiative due to their compact size, simple form, and uniform window dimensions. In Nova Scotia, there are over 40,000 households in pre-1996 low-rise MURBs. Retrofitting these units to 75% improved efficiency, would save 1,500,000 gigajoules of energy and 140,000 tonnes of GHG emissions annually. The ReCover Initiative is committed to promoting retrofit solutions that achieve reductions in both operational carbon and embodied carbon. This includes using building products made in Atlantic Canada. The best materials for making low-impact buildings can already be sourced locally but the supply of these products will need to increase to meet the demand from low-carbon retrofits.
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PROJECT TEAM Emma Norton, Climate Emergency Unit Nick Rudnicki, RSI Projects CEO, Passive House-trained builder Lorrie Rand, Habit Studio President, Certified Passive House Designer Greg Hanlon, Smarter Spaces, LIDAR Scan
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and CAD Andrea Doncaster P.Eng, Andrea Doncaster
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Engineering, Structural Consultant Aaron Smith P.Eng, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, M&R Engineering, Mechanical Consultant Liam Kidston E.I.T, M&R Engineering, Electrical Consultant William Marshall P.Eng, LEED AP, CMVP, WUFI modelling Jim Nostedt P.Eng, SEEFAR Building Analytics, Cost Analysis and Optimization Drawings RSI Projects
1. The building in its current state. 2. Rendering of the building after the ReCover process.
Wall panel schematic 1. 1/2” plywood sheathing - taped for air tightness 2. Double 2x3 studs, 24” o.c. - Filled with dense pack cellulose (not shown) 3. 8” wide 1/2 plywood gusset every 48” of height 4. Cellulose bib at each stud - 1/2” plywood sheathing on interior face of wall assembly (not shown)
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THE PILOT BUILDING The pilot is a four-storey residential building in Halifax, constructed circa 1980. Each floor consists of a two or threebedroom dwelling unit as well as common stairwells. The first floor also contains a garage space, laundry room and a mechanical room. All spaces in the existing building are heated using hot water baseboard heaters served by an oil-fired boiler. Domestic hot water is heated through an indirect tank from the boiler water. The dwelling units are provided with cooling by mini-split heat pumps. These heat pumps are not currently operated in heating mode, presumably because they would increase tenant energy cost.
Existing walls consist of brick cladding and 2x6 stud walls with batt insulation. Roof construction is 2x10 joists with batt insulation. Existing windows are double- glazed vinyl with sliding sashes. The Covid-19 pandemic situation limited physical access to the pilot building at the time of the study, however, the team was able to develop an understanding of the building condition and current energy use. All assumptions have been documented and verification will occur in Phase Two when access to the building is less limited. The plan is to proceed with the pilot build, however, funds are not fully in place.
Performance targets were set as: 1. Air leakage maximum of 1 Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) (Passive House retrofit target) 2. 25 kWh/m2 heating demand (Passive House retrofit target) 3. Net-Zero Energy Performance
KEY FINDINGS 1. By investing about $350,000 to undertake a deep energy retrofit, including PV modules, to achieve the Net-Zero Energy level, the net Total Cost of Building Ownership (TCBO) could be lowered by $1,532,000 or 38% over 60 years.
Windows would be replaced with locally made triple-pane, PHIUS-certified units. The retrofit includes converting the garage to a fitness room and replacing the garage door with a window.
2. The Deep Retrofit without PV modules did reduce the TCBO, but not as much as with PV modules. This highlights the need for all three components to be part of the solution: a deep energy retrofit to reduce the building energy load and improve building durability, electrification to reduce GHG emissions, and solar generation to achieve Net-Zero Energy consumption.
The three options considered for the insulated panels to the above-grade walls and the roof were: 1. EPS panel with plywood nail base (walls and roof), with metal siding 2. Larsen truss wall panel, TJI roof with cellulose insulation, with wood siding (option chosen) 3. Prefabricated metal panels with mineral wool insulation (walls and roof)
3. By shifting the analysis goal to optimizing owner investment with energy and GHG emissions reductions, the project becomes sustainable financially and environmentally. Lower TCBO is a significant factor for encouraging investment in Deep Retrofits.
All options include the addition of three inches of rigid insulation to the exterior of below grade walls, and we made the assumption that the envelope improvements would meet the airtightness target of 1.0 ACH.
4. Using a TCBO approach, like the SEEFAR-Valuation©, at the beginning of the project will help to optimize the design, minimize the TCBO, and generate high-quality input data for the analysis.
Options considered for replace the oil-fired boiler were: 1. new electric baseboards 2. an electric boiler (option chosen) 3. hot water heat pump + electric back-up boiler The photovoltaic (PV) system planned has a capacity of 24.19 kW DC using 59 410 W modules and producing 25,233 kWh/year.
5. Since utility costs are a major driver of TCBO, doing the full retrofit all at once, instead of incrementally over time, results in larger savings. Not factoring operational/utility costs into capital planning can present a large financial liability.
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6. Maintenance and renewal, property tax, and energy are big cost drivers for the TCBO.
Panel: 1/2 standard plywood Seams taped to air tight Weatherresistant barrier
Existing basement walls Interior of foundation wall Additional insulation assumed
Panel: 2x3 studs with 1/2 plywood gusset
Panel: 10” dense pack cellulose
1x4 strapping
Existing 1/2 drywall
Panel: 1/2 plywood interior face
Existing fiberglass batt 5.5 inches thick
Pre-finished od siding
Existing basement walls 2x4
Existing vapour barrier
Existing 2x6 framing
Existing basement walls 1/2 drywall
Bug screen
Existing soil
Existing 10” foundation stem wall
Wall Panel - Foundation connection exploded view
3” EPS insulation all the way down to footing
New water proofing membrane for foundation wall
Air barrier membrane adhered to foundation wall brackets mounted to it taped to new panel to continue air barrier
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Wall panel - 1/2 Plywood - Flange that extends past end of wall panel - Attachment point between wall and roof panel 1/2” Dens Glass sheathing
Roof panel - 1/2 plywood at eaves end of panel - Air-Seal taped to underside of panel - Then taped to flange of wall panel
Liquid-applied roofing membrane
Roof to wall flashing
I joist
Siding trim - crown frieze board
1x4 strapping as rain screen Roof panel 1/2 plywood seams taped for air tightness 1/2 plywood gusset for double stud
Weather-resistant barrier
2x3 double stud Pre-finished wood siding
Wall panel 1/2 Plywood 10” dense-pack cellulose Wall to Roof Panel Connection Detail 1/2” exterior plywood taped at seams
FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY The Energiepsprong program in the Netherlands is successful because it includes a comprehensive funding model that delivers Net-Zero homes at no extra cost to the owners. Innovative financing structures will likely be needed to influence property owners to ReCover their buildings. The TCBO analysis for the pilot building shows that completing a deep retrofit will save the owners $1.5 million over the life of the building, cutting the cost of ownership nearly in half. However, the savings are not reflected in the owners’ cash flow for 25 years, which may be a disincentive. But, over time, the ReCover process will become faster and less expensive. In the immediate future, the need for new buildings and added density must be balanced with carbon storage needs that benefit the environment.
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Building owners must be encouraged to renovate rather than rebuild, and where that is not feasible, salvaging and reuse of timber must be promoted to prevent the release of stored carbon in wood that is sent to landfill. As for current status, RSI Projects has set up a panelization facility in a warehouse space in the Halifax Dockyard and refined the panel design and assembly process. It is now installing the panels on a building as a smaller test before the real deal. We also have only half of the funds committed to complete the work on the pilot building. Implementation of a repeatable deep retrofit system, such as the ReCover Initiative, will make retrofit projects more desirable to builders and reduce the financial and technical risks. Details, research, and lessons learned will be shared in an open-source library, to support the community in undertaking deep energy retrofits.
Emma Norton is with Climate Emergency Unit; Nick Rudnicki is CEO RSI Projects and a Passive House-trained builder; and Lorrie Rand is president of Habit Studio and a Certified Passive House Designer.
The IDEA and Design Buildings were recently awarded first place worldwide in the Educational Facilities — New category at ASHRAE’s 2020-2021 Technology Awards, an international competition celebrating energy efficiency and sustainability in building design.
Canadian Directory of Products and Services for Sustainable, HighPerformance Building
YOUR LEED v4.1 QUICK-REFERENCE Visit our on-line Directory to see hundreds of listings of companies which supply products and services for sustainable, high-performance building. Listings are organized by Product Category and by LEED v4.1 Category. Our LEED v4.1 Directory is created with the help of our partner:
Our 2021 Partners SITE | LANDSCAPING | RAINWATER HARVESTING ACO Systems Molok® Deep Collection™ System Roth North America Wishbone Site Furnishings STRUCTURE & EXTERIOR ENVELOPE 475 High Performance Building Supply Architek SBP Inc. Arriscraft Building Stone CBC Metals and Processing Fraser Wood Siding LiveRoof NATS Nursery Ltd. Radon Environmental Thames Valley Brick & Tile THERMAL, WINDOWS & DYNAMIC GLASS Cascadia Windows & Doors Duxton Windows & Doors ENERsign Windows+Doors Inline Fiberglass Ltd. Innotech Windows + Doors Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems JELD-WEN Windows & Doors LiteZone™ Insulating Glass Pollard Windows Inc. Dynamic Glass SageGlass
COATINGS AND INTERIOR Artech Ceiling Specialties CBR Products Dulux/PPG Forbo Flooring Systems Masonite Architectural Teknion Limited ELECTRICAL | PLUMBING | HVAC | RENEWABLES Acuity Brands Aquatech Daikin Applied Elkay Fantech Klimatrol Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc. RadiantLink In-wall Heating Sloan Valve Tempeff Termobuild Viessmann Manufacturing Company Inc. GREEN DESIGN SUPPORT + PROFESSIONALS Canadian Precast Concrete Quality Assurance Certification Program Efficiency Nova Scotia FABRIQ architecture RJC Engineers Sustainable Forestry Initiative
https://sabmagazine.com/product-directory/ FALL 2021 | ATLANTIC FOCUS
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PASSIVE BUILDER APPROVED
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Kohltech is proud to be one of only a handful of Passive House Certified window and door manufacturers in North America. Our dedication to energy-efficiency allows us to supply companies with the best triple-glazed windows to complete their Passive projects.
kohltech.com
1 1. The rear of the house (south elevation) faces a salt marsh, so the building placement considered existing trees, the 100-year high water line, and the natural grades on the site.
Bay View House
View from street
Perfect fit retirement home a top performer By Mike Anderson The Bay View home was designed to exemplify the lifestyle of the clients and their creative aspirations while conforming to a set project budget. With the clients interested in downsizing and creating a retirement-friendly home this one-story, three-bedroom house was the perfect fit.
View from south
The rural waterfront property fronts onto a tidal salt marsh, and great care was taken to preserve the natural landscape. Building placement was designed to consider existing trees, the 100-year flood plain and the site’s natural grades. The house was placed as close to the road as possible to protect the shoreline. Excavations were minimal due to slab on grade construction and the existing drainage patterns were maintained. Xeriscaping was achieved through planting native low-water plants and the driveway is made of permeable gravel to mitigate storm-water runoff .
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Floor plan N 1. Garage 2. Bedroom 3. Office 4. Laundry/Mechanical 5. Foyer 6. Kitchen 7. Dining room 8. Living room 9. Screened room
25’
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34’
53’
PROJECT CREDITS ARCHITECT Passive Design Solutions GENERAL CONTRACTOR Darrell Wentzell Carpentry Inc. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Andrea Doncaster Engineering Ltd COMMISSIONING AGENT Passive Design Solutions PHOTOS Jarrell Whisken
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2. The screened room on the east side of the house. Cape Cod Siding Cedar shingles supplied by Marwood Ltd., pre-finished with factory weathering stain, and a standing seam aluminum clear-coated roof by Premier Metals, deliver longevity and low maintenance. The roof fasteners are installed on the inside and the panels are then mechanically ‘seamed’ together to form a weather tight ‘Double Lock’ seal.
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79’ 2
The Bay View was built oriented to the south with a band of clerestory windows driving south light into the plan. Operable windows on opposing sides also allow for cross ventilation throughout the house. The house also includes a garage and screen porch which are unheated air-lock spaces between the interior and exterior. The porch further shades and expands the living space while creating a large entertainment area. The building and site strategies conserve and manage water supply by saving the existing drainage on-site, which showed significant water movement through the ground. The features were maintained and a structural slab on grade was used to float the house above the migrating water. Plantings and landscaping were used in this development to slow the water, reduce erosion, and create biodiversity. The selection of drought-resistant landscaping significantly reduces site water demand.
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www.truefoam.com
902-468-5440
Truefoam has proudly supplied insulation to help achieve Passive House performance on this project by Passive Design Solutions.
Harold Manuel Nova Scotia hmanuel@truefoam.com 902-478-3701
Craig Soke New Brunswick & PEI csoke@truefoam.com 506-429-2678
Custom manufacturing and installation of high quality standing seam panels to meet all of your residential and commercial building needs. Supplier and installer of the Bay View House.
www.premiermetals.ca (902) 680-6096
Info@PremierMetals.ca FALL 2021 | ATLANTIC FOCUS
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Engineered wood roof trusses with 28” blown in cellulose
Air seal 1,5” foil face type 2 EPS insulation to OSB on undesrsde of trusses 3
House wall at roof truss detail
2x8 stud wall with 7,5 mineral wool batt
Radon block rated 15 mil poly Stagger seams between type 2 EPS layers for min. 12” overlap
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LCF frost wall
House wall at foundation detail 5 26
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Material selections were based on health, comfort, durability, and building performance. Limited-to-low VOC materials were used inside the home, and the kitchen cabinets have no formaldehyde. Low-flow showerheads, dual flush toilets, etc. conserve potable water. Central plumbing is incorporated into the design to minimize waste water, and hot lines are insulated to reduce losses. Pre-finished cedar shingle cladding has proven longevity and can be easily maintained, recycled, and replaced without environmental impacts. A standing seam metal roof was chosen over asphalt shingles for its longer lifespan and recyclability. The double-wall building envelope is super-insulated, airtight, and thermal bridge free. By optimizing the assemblies using the WUFI Passive energy modelling software, energy performance of the envelope is balanced with cost. The window design is balanced for passive solar gain, avoiding overheating, and minimizing transmission losses. The house had a final blower door test result of .65 ACH@50, which is five times better than a conventionally built house. By drastically reducing peak heating loads, the need for a central heating system was eliminated. A single ductless minisplit heat pump in the great room provides enough heating and cooling for the home and will also be resilient in power outages, maintaining temperatures over 10C in the winter months. The hot water heat pump reduces hot water energy consumption by 50%, and this system is also a “free” source of cooling in summer season. Mechanical ventilation is achieved with a high-performance HRV having a heat recovery rate of 84%. This ENERGY STAR® qualified fresh air appliance continuously supplies 180 cfm of outdoor, filtered air while removing moist, stale air and ensuring occupants receive the highest level of comfort. The home is Net-Zero ready with PV Solar rough ins. Energy modelling helped ensure this passive home will consume significantly less operational energy throughout its life cycle in comparison to a code-compliant home. The homeowners have engaged with local communities such as by hosting open houses to share their story about what it means to build a Passive House. A Passive House is by nature resilient - the building is slow to lose heat in the event of a power outage – and the homeowners have offered their home as a refuge for the community in power outages.
Mike Anderson, MArch, BSc is lead designer at Passive Design Solutions.
3. The east end of the mail living area. Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems supplied a mixture of casement, picture, and trapezoid shape windows with its exceptionally energy-efficient Triple Energlas Plus glass. 4. The design supports physical and psychological health by offering a bright, all-one-level home for aging in place. The ENERGY STAR® HRV fresh air appliance by Fantech continuously supplies 180 cfm of outdoor, filtered air while removing moist, stale air and ensuring occupants receive the highest level of comfort. 5. EPS insulation by TrueFoam, used under the floor slab and at the underside of the roof trusses, maintains the integrity of the building envelope. FALL 2021 | ATLANTIC FOCUS
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G
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AWARDS
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N G RE E N B U A I D IL A DI N 2021 A
The annual program to recognize excellence in the design and execution of all types of sustainably-designed, high-performance Canadian residential and non-residential buildings and interiors, both new and renovated.
CONGRATULATIONS to the winning teams
BARRETT CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, HUMBER COLLEGE - Institutional (Large) Award. Andrew Frontini representing Perkins&Will.
80 ATLANTIC BUILDING Commercial Industrial (Large) Award. Brian Prinzen representing BDP Quadrangle.
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BNP PARIBAS MONTREAL OFFICE - Interior Design Award Vincent Hauspy representing Provencher_Roy. NORTH END LANDING + JAMES NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH - Mixed Use Award. L to R: Conrado Tabunot, Kasia Wright, Sara Anderson (holding the award), Holly Young, Ted Boruta, Bryce Stonehouse, and Emma Cubitt of Invizij Architects Inc.
TSAWWASSEN FIRST NATION YOUTH CENTRE Institutional (Small) Award. L to R: Tim Lam P. Eng. Ennova Structural engineers Inc., Zhiwei Lu BCSLA, Daichi Yamashita architect AIBC (holding the office puppy, Bobo), Dr. Nancy Mackin Architect AIBC AIA LEED AP, Pearl YIP BCSLA CSLA, and Pengfei Du MLA of Mackin Tanaka Architecture.
SKEENA RESIDENCE, UBC OKANAGAN - Residential (Large) Award. Brian Wakelin FRAIC, LEED AP Principal, Architect AIBC representing PUBLIC: Architecture + Communication.
INDIGENOUS ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE: A BLANKET OF WARMTH - Technical Award. L to R: Wendell Starblanket of Star Blanket Cree Nation, and Murdoch MacPherson of MacPherson Engineering, Sonia Starblanket and Aura Lee MacPherson of MacPherson Engineering.
LE GRAND THÉÂTRE DE QUÉBEC - Existing Building Upgrade Award. L to R: Eric Pelletier representing Lemay; and from Atelier 21, Christian Bernard Associate Architect, Project Manager and Manager of Project Design, and Mathieu Turgeon Architect., P.A. LEED BD+C, Manager of Project Construction.
PROTOTYPE LANEWAY HOUSING, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Residential (Small) Award. Jon Neuert, B.Arch., OAA, AIA, FRAIC, LEED Principal representing Baird Sampson Neuert. UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA DISTRICT ENERGY PLANT - Commercial/Industrial (Small) Award. L to R: Esteban Matheus, Architect Associate and Martin Nielsen, Partner representing DIALOG.
Thanks to our sponsors and jury Ewa Bieniecka, OAQ, PP-FRAIC, LEED AP BD+C Project Manager, Decasult.
ARCHITECTURAL National Sponsors Drew Adams, BES (planning), MArch, OAA, RAIC LGA Architectural Partners.
Category Sponsors Sean Ruthen, AIBC, FRAIC, Senior Project Architect, James KM Cheng Architects, Vancouver.
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Decarbonizing cement By Jeff Ranson, Senior Associate, CaGBC As we move towards 2050 targets for green building, embodied carbon is increasingly important to staying under the emissions budget and limiting global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. What is embodied carbon? It’s the product of the materials and construction methods we choose. This value is often stretched over the life of the building to reflect durability, the idea that a building built to last is likely better than one that will need constant repairs. However, the reality is that those emissions are all fully released up front. Like netpresent value in the financial world, a ton of carbon emissions today is worth more than a ton of carbon emissions tomorrow.
Of all the opportunities to reduce embodied carbon, the most significant is in concrete. Concrete is the most widely used building material, cutting across both buildings and infrastructure. And despite strong and promising market growth of alternative low-carbon materials including wood and biomaterials, concrete will continue to be a critical material for construction. POTENTIAL AS A CLIMATE SOLUTION Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from concrete is a national priority. Natural Resources Canada and the Cement Association of Canada have committed to develop a decarbonization roadmap for the industry. For the designing construction industry, there are a few significant ways to reduce emissions today, and some very promising opportunities emerging. In the immediate term, there are two opportunities to reduce emissions from concrete. The first is simply to minimize the amount of concrete projects use. This involves looking at how much concrete is required for the project and optimizing its use. This requires designers be conscious of how design choices such as massing impact material requirements. In many cases, designers are evaluating alternative low-carbon materials like mass timber to replace concrete, but nothing is as effective as just using less material. One area in relation to embodied carbon that has been overlooked is the impact of land use planning. Infrastructure like roads, sewers, and transit require concrete. There is no realistic substitution. Lowdensity suburban development oriented around the automobile results in huge amounts of embodied carbon, seldom considered in any municipal carbon strategies. CaGBC has been in discussions with researchers at the University of Toronto to better understand the relative carbon impacts of different development patterns, but at present there isn’t a well-established practice for evaluation. With more research we hope to understand the impact of embodied carbon from infrastructure and the importance what we build and where we build it.
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The second way designers can have an impact is to specify concrete with lower embodied carbon. This can be achieved by selecting concrete that uses alternatives to cement, such as fly-ash. However, cement companies are also innovating in their manufacturing process is to minimize the emissions related to fuel use. Specification of low-carbon concrete will be aided by transparency around manufacturing practices, including the publication of environmental product declarations (EPDs). One of the most promising areas is the potential to use captured carbon in concrete. A number of emerging technologies are adding carbon dioxide into cementitious materials and aggregates. This could be a potential game changer because the sheer volume of concrete used is large enough to materially impact atmospheric CO2 with widespread adoption. It would not only reduce the net CO2 emissions from concrete but, unlike carbon sequestration, it creates an economic opportunity for carbon capture. There are still issues to be clarified, particularly around calculating the life-cycle carbon impact of these new products. We need to understand how to benchmark them against traditional concrete and understand any impacts to durability and to natural carbonation in concrete. CaGBC continues to explore this area with industry partners. We are excited to how views of embodied carbon from concrete are shifting from overlooked, to a concern, to a promising climate solution.
From roofing to waterproofing, and glazing and architectural metals in between, From design-assist engineering to façade manufacturing and installation, Flynn provides start-to-finish, top-to-bottom building envelope systems and services. Put Flynn’s total building envelope expertise to work on your project. Start at Flynncompanies.com
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