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The new issue of Atlantic FOCUS, published by SABMag in association with the CAGBC, covers recent high-efficiency projects in the Atlantic Region – a college student residence, a multi-unit residential apartment, and a new college campus building – as creative examples of sustainable building design. CAGBC articles include how decarbonization is reshaping green building, a new LEED exemption, and the Purpose Retrofit Accelerator.
The SABMag Spring issue opens with a special section listing all projects that were certified LEED and Zero Carbon by the Canada Green Building Council in 2025, along with some representative project profiles. Several articles on Passive House design follows the special section, including building profiles, claddings and windows for high-performance envelopes, articles on the circular economy and indoor air quality, and more.
Projects by Montoni: Espace Montmorency, Laval, QC
Écoparc Saint-Bruno: ZCB-Design v3, LEED CS v4 Gold (Targeted), ZCB-Performance v2 (Targeted)
VSL Multi, Montreal: LEED CS v4 certified
Groupe Robert Distribution Centre, Laval, QC: LEED CS v4 Gold certified, ZCB-Design v2 certified
Longueuil Multi, Longueuil, QC: LEED CS v4 certified
The jury selected 10 winning projects in the 19th annual SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards as follows:
Our congratulations to the teams of the winning projects which will be fully published in the SABMag Summer Awards issue.
Have your say on the 2030 code cycle
The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) is inviting public participation in its first public review of the 2030 code cycle. Proposed changes to the National Model Codes in this review address modular construction compliance and prescriptive compliance for Energy Performance Tier 2, among other key topics, including:
The public review will run from April 27 to June 22, 2026. Go to CBHCC website to provide your comments.
Check out: The 2026 SABMag Directory a quick reference of products for high-performance buildingSABMag’s 2026 Directory of Sustainable Products and Services for Sustainable, High-Performance Building is organized by Product Category and by LEED Category, and offers a quick reference for finding products.
SaveEnergyNB – Want your business to be more energy-efficient and save money? We have rebate programs and expert advice for NB businesses. From big to small projects, retrofits or new buildings; there’s money to help your business save!
ÉcoÉnergieNB – Vous souhaitez que votre entreprise soit plus économe en énergie et vous permette d’économiser de l’argent ? Nous offrons des programmes de remboursement et des conseils d’experts pour vous. Qu’il s’agisse de grands ou de petits projets, de bâtiments existants ou nouveaux, votre entreprise peut réaliser des économies d’argent !
FABRIQ architecture – a Montreal-based firm that delivers innovative and sustainable design solutions for clients across Canada. Several LEED projects are currently certified or underway.
Oxygen 8 – We manufacture high-efficiency energy recovery ventilation systems for commercial and multi-unit residential buildings. Compatible with hydronic or Daikin VRV systems for supplemental heating and cooling, Optimized indoor air quality solutions for energy-efficient performance.
AQUATECH – We serve the market with efficiency Lochinvar® products, like KNIGHT XL® & FTXL®. LEED v4.1 BD & C potential for New Construction for energy performance.
By: Adam James, Rydder Architecture
Completed in 2025, Timbre and Harmony is a landmark non-market housing development in Vancouver’s east side. Designed for people 55 and older and people with disabilities, the project delivers 157 secure, energy-efficient, Passive House-certified homes. Features include a low 20% window-to-wall ratio tuned for daylight and thermal balance, an airtight envelope with thermally-broken balconies and fixed sunshades that act as passive cooling devices, triple-glazed windows by Innotech Windows + Doors, ductless heat recovery ventilation, and rooftop domestic heat-pump hot water. Together, these all-electric strategies demonstrate how to deliver affordable, climate-resilient housing at market-standard cost and on a compressed schedule. Read more …
Learning Objectives:
Humber Polytechnic has been honoured with three golds and one bronze in the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Awards of Excellence, including two awards recognizing institutional and student leadership related to sustainable construction and engineering.
The CICan Awards celebrate innovation, leadership, and impact across Canada’s public college and institute system and those two awards were presented to Spencer Wood, Humber’s Director of Facilities Management, and Samara Ocansey, a fourth-year student in Humber’s Bachelor of Engineering – Sustainable Building Engineering program.
Wood has led more than 50 campus sustainability initiatives, including Humber’s NX Passive House retrofit and Project Switch, which have reduced natural gas use and carbon emissions at Humber’s North Campus by 70%. Ocansey, who plans to design energy efficient, environmentally responsible buildings after graduation, was recognized for academic excellence, peer leadership and inclusive mentorship.
Photo 1 top left: left to right:- Pierre Zundel, President and CEO, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) and Chair of the CICan Board of Directors;; Pari Johnston, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada; Spencer Wood, Director of Facilities Management, Humber Polytechnic; and, Steve Laurin, Vice President, Affinity Market Group, TD Insurance.
Photo 2: left to right: Pierre Zundel; Pari Johnston; Samara Ocansey, student; and Steve Laurin
Budget-conscious design achieves high energy efficiency
By: FBM Architecture
The Nova Scotia Community College’s Ivany Campus in Dartmouth recently benefitted from the Provincial government’s investment of $58.6M for a new 200-bed student housing facility designed by FBM Architecture Ltd. Strescon produced 215 double-wythe insulated precast concrete panels connected to the structural steel frame by MacDougall Steel Erectors. The building is equipped with DVE-300a water heaters from A.O. Smith and fan coils are by Trane Commercial. A fully electrified centralized VRF heat pump system and centralized ERVs achieve a Thermal Energy Design Intensity (TEDI) of 28 kWh/m2 per year, reducing energy costs to 41.8% below the National Energy Code for Buildings reference building. The Whole Building Air Tightness Testing result of 0.136 cfm/ft2 @75 Pa was half the amount allowed by NECB 2020.Precast concrete on-site water and sewage treatment products were supplied by Shaw Precast Solutions. Read more …
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