SABMag 90- Winter 2026
Thanks to the advertisers who supported this issue
- Canada Green Building Council
- Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute
- CertainTeed
- Construction Specialties
- DF Perforations
- Duxton Windows & Doors
- Écoénergie NB
- Engineered Assemblies
- Evolve Builders
- INLINE Fiberglass
- Innotech Windows + Doors
- Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada
- NexKemia
- NZP Fenestration
- Passive House Canada
- SIGA
- SABMag Product Directory
- SaveEnergy NB
- SystemAir
The 2025 Zero Carbon and LEED Buildings-in-Review
An Annual Supplement by CaGBC and Sabmag
Product Profile: NexEco™: Bringing Circular Innovation to EPS for Construction
As sustainability becomes a bigger part of building design, architects and specifiers are looking for materials that balance performance with credible environmental benefits. At NexKemia, that shift helped drive the development of NexEco™, our recycled content EPS solution.
Toward Circularity in the built environment (CBE)
By Vince Catalli
In collaboration with Circular Construction Canada (CCC), Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) is driving an initiative to help transition Canada’s construction sector from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to a circular, net-zero, and low-carbon economy.
La Pêche town hall
Integrated design approach makes a beacon of sustainability
By Dominique Laroche
La Pêche new town hall is a two-storey, highly energy-efficient building with a very low embodied and operational carbon footprint. It is also the first institutional building in Quebec to apply for Passivhaus certification.
Timbre and Harmony Non-market Housing
A reimagining of Vancouver's apartment heritage aims for resilient future
By Adam James
Completed in 2025, Timbre and Harmony is a landmark non-market housing development in the Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood on Vancouver’s east side.
Harmony Commons Student Residences
Designing the world's largest Passive House dormitory
By Jonathan Kinsley
The University of Toronto Scarborough’s all-electric student residence, Harmony Commons, represents an important leap forward in the efforts to decarbonize the building sector in Canada and beyond.
VIEWPOINT:
High-Performance Design as a Stress Test for Specifications
High-performance design targets are no longer exceptional. Metrics tied to energy use, airtightness, thermal continuity, and long-term operational performance are now common expectations on institutional, residential, and mixed-use projects.
High-performance windows: Examples of applications
The Sundance Housing Co-op in Edmonton underwent a Deep Energy Retrofit using an EnergieSprong-inspired model—Dutch for “energy leap”—focused on dramatically improving the efficiency of existing homes.
Exterior details for High-Performance Enclosures
Rear-Ventilated Rainscreen (RVRS) and Cladding Types
Jeff Ker, Engineered Assemblies
Facades systems have always been one of the most important parts of sustainability. We are only now coming around to realize just how important. Facades, if done properly, will be a rear ventilated rainscreen.
Cladding types
EQUITONE: a high performance fibre cement material designed for contemporary architectural façades.
DF Perforations: The facade exterior represents the architect’s vision, which enjoys the combination of functional and aesthetic features in concert with providing unique character to the building.
LEED offers formal exemption for tobacco smoke control for cultural ceremonial practices
By Colleen Loader, Director of Technical Services at CAGBC
The Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) recently shared that LEED Interpretation 10517 will allow for the seamless integration of Indigenous cultural ceremonies within the LEED certification process.
Decarbonization is reshaping Canada’s green building sector
A new market assessment confirms that green building and decarbonization are delivering jobs for Canadians
Decarbonization is no longer a niche priority in Canada’s building economy: it’s becoming a growth strategy.
7 Cedar Passive House
Winnipeg home designed for the next 100 Years
By Fletcher Noonan
Winnipeg will always be defined by climatic extremes. Annual temperature swings approaching 70°C are not anomalous but expected.
Can $10 per square foot result in 40% carbon savings?
The Purpose Retrofit Accelerator’s initial insights in cost transparency and real-world case studies turn ambitions into action.
Deep retrofit momentum is growing across Canada, with more building owners, managers and investors moving from early planning to implementation – and initial success stories show deep retrofits can deliver better value.
INTERVIEW WITH: Stephen Boudreau of Teritt Indoor Environmental on Green Building Indoor Air Quality Testing
Do green building practices result in buildings with better indoor air than traditional buildings?