N E T Z E RO h o m e s
Net
MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
Zero LESSONS LEARNED FROM CHBA’S INITIATIVE TO BENEFIT PEOPLE, PLANET AND PROFIT
BY NATASHA ROMBOUGH, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, CHBA
hree years ago, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) and several leading members from across the country began working on an exciting new Net Zero initiative for multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), in partnership with Natural Resources Canada. Lowrise (part 9) MURBs are an increasingly common housing type in many communities across the country. They allow for densification while still being a desirable ground-ori-
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ented option that many buyers are looking for. The MURBs initiative is advancing solutions, technologies and approaches to building Net Zero Energy Ready and Net Zero Energy multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), with the goal of producing homes that are affordable, replicable and appealing to Canadians. The objective of the initiative is to validate the use of pre-fabrication (panelization and modular construction) and integrated mechanical system technologies, design and practices on Net Zero Energy Ready and Net Zero Energy MURBs to optimize energy efficient performance, increase construction productivity, shorten construction schedules and reduce costs.
At the heart of the initiative is six builders from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. All of them agreed to build a lowrise MURB for purely residential occupancy, and they joined the initiative in its early days, during the planning stage. Marie Hanchet, CHBA project manager for the MURBs initiative, helped put together teams of builders, manufacturers and experts in building science, pre-fabrication, insulation, windows, mechanicals and renewable energy. Together, they met regularly to optimize their designs before construction started. It’s a project that Hanchet has poured her all into over the last three years. “Working with this collaborative group of builders through the pandemic meant frequent adjustments to
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