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The Fall issues of SABMag and the SABMag/Ontario FOCUS publication, published in association with the CAGBC, inform and inspire with several project profiles and related articles. The Fall SABMag covers the LEED Gold/Zero Carbon Portland Commons project, energy modelling for net zero MURBs, bioregional materials and much more. Ontario FOCUS covers green building as a business, the City of Kingston’s plan to tackle building emissions, and profiles of highly energy-efficient buildings.
See the full digital versions of the issues:
Continual visibility throughout the year through all SABMag media: print, digital, web, eNews and eBlasts. A great value with over 60,000 impressions! Deadline Dec 12. Contact dgriffith@sabmagazine.com
Register now for the 2026 SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards and we’ll send you the Entry Kit as soon as it is ready. The winning submissions are heavily publicized through all our media. Many of the projects published in SABMag and the regional FOCUS publications are sourced from the Awards. If you entered last year, do so again as a different jury can bring different results.
National Sponsor: Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute
Category Sponsors: Inline Fiberglass, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada, Jeld Wen and Amexon
The Buildings Canada Session: From Case Studies to System Change – Enabling Circularity in the Built Environment – December 4th 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET – is about system change, connecting the efforts of built environment owners, developers, investors, engineers, architects, policy makers, real estate leaders, contractors, and manufacturers to close the loop across the built environment. The four speakers, who make up Canada’s leaders in circular construction, will explore how the Canadian Standards Association is building the foundations for the circular built environment through standards and measurement tools. The CIRCLE Lab at @Dalhousie University is connecting applied research to innovations on the demand side of the equation via the built environment owners, developers and investors. Organizations like @Green Salvaged Materials and their subsidiary the Reuse Collective are helping firms and manufacturers integrate material reuse into everyday practice — maximizing the life of our existing buildings and products while improving the bottom line. |
SABMag’s 2025 Directory of Sustainable Products and Services for Sustainable, High-Performance Building has just been launched. Listings are organized by Product Category and by LEED Category. The Directory also offers a quick view of the structure of LEED and is a quick reference for finding products. Examples of featured listings include:
Canadian Precast Concrete Quality Assurance Certification Program – Qualifies the capabilities of precast concrete manufacturers who fabricate precast concrete products of all types.
Innotech Windows + Doors – A BC-based manufacturer of Passive House Institute certified fenestration systems for deeply sustainable custom residences and multi-family developments.
SaveEnergy NB – Want your business to be more energy-efficient and save money SaveEnergyNB has 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!
SLOAN Valve – Sloan’s EPDs are produced in accordance with international standards and verified by an independent third party to ensure the data we communicate is credible, resulting in full LEED Material and Resource credits for your project.
SHARC Energy – Utilize the power of wastewater for your sustainable heating & cooling projects, from district sized to individual buildings! Wastewater pairs well with geothermal, is consistent and is proven to reduce energy & water consumption while slashing carbon emissions.
Forbo’s Marmoleum Modular collection presents sustainable linoleum tiles in various sizes and designs that allows you to create stunning floor designs. The planks and tiles are created around visuals of wood, concrete, stone and marble and can be used to mix and match or on their own, both delivering a beautiful sustainable floor. Explore the Marmoleum Modular designs.
CPCI Learn on Demand Check out CPCI’s Learn on Demand platform for courses on various precast concrete-related topics, including formliners and colour stains, total precast concrete systems, resiliency, passive house, latest code and standard changes, accelerated building construction and much more.
Upon completion of the course, participants receive a certificate that qualifies them for Professional Development Hours (PDH) and/or Continuing Education Units (CEUs)/Continuing Education Credits (CECs).
Learn about precast concrete and earn continuing education credits at the same time!
Winner of the Commercial Industrial (Large) Award in the 2025 SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards, the TRCA Headquarters by ZAS Architects + Interiors and Bucholz McEvoy Architects (Dublin) incorporates an energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system highlighted by four “water walls” in the main atrium. These water walls are glass enclosures where ventilation air is pulled down from the roof intake and distributed to ERVs. Inside each glass duct, a chain-link mesh is suspended the full height, with cascading water providing both a visual display and a role in pre-heating and humidification of the dedicated outdoor air HVAC system.
Inline Fiberglass supplied the windows which are manually operated but monitored by BAS. The Tremco ExoAir impermeable air barrier mitigates air infiltration/exfiltration, vapour transmission and water penetration. The building uses the AquaTech Lochinvar Lectrus Boiler, an electric boiler available in a kW range from 15-150 for applications requiring sustainable alternatives to carbon producing fuels. Read the article …
New Book: Canadian Architectural Styles: A Field GuideLorimer Publishing has launched its new book by Don Mikel, an acclaimed architecture scholar and heritage consultant with decades of experience researching and restoring Canada’s historic buildings. This project is a culmination of a decade of work and passion, and is an unprecedented commitment to celebrating the diversity of Canadian architecture and advocating for the conservation and responsible caretaking of Canada’s built landscape. The book includes more than 1000 images of buildings across the country, including famous buildings as well as hidden gems for readers to discover. $39.95 CAD, and available through Indigo, Amazon, local independent bookstores, and https://lorimer.ca/adults/product/canadian-architectural-styles/ .
By John Gillanders, Partner at Sweeny&C0 (Architectural Principal-in-Charge)
Portland Commons is a high-performance commercial office and retail development, integrating with the surrounding neighbourhood through its preservation of surrounding heritage buildings, terraced massing and activated, pedestrian focussed street presence. It is designed to achieve LEED Platinum (Core + Shell), LEED Zero Carbon, and WELL Building Gold standards, supporting the highest levels of energy efficiency, environmental responsibility, and occupant physical and mental well-being through access to outdoor terraces, biophilic elements, and abundant natural light. Employing Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system, underfloor air distribution, and high-performance building envelope reduces energy demand to an annual heating and cooling energy intensity of 137 kWh/m² or less. Part of the exterior cladding consists of Vicwest Channel Wall . Interior finished include Quebec Mosaic, Quartz Jambs and Granite Stone by Olympia Tile+Stone and CertainTeed Type X and Acoustic Gypsum Board. Read more …
New guide offers tips to landowners considering clean energy projectsA just-released guide from the Pembina Institute, Guide to Renewable Energy and Battery Storage Projects, covers everything from basics about renewables to thoughts on how to help maximize benefits and minimize impacts. There’s a section for municipalities on how they can get involved in renewable energy development. And to wrap it all up, there are lists of questions on a variety of topics that offer solid starting points for conversations with developers proposing projects. Get the Guide.
EcoPilot Canada Earns Dual Distinctions in 2025 Energy Manager HonoursDartmouth-based EcoPilot Canada has been recognized in Energy Manager Canada’s 2025 EM Honours Awards Program with two distinctions: Best Software Solution – Honourable Mention for iBOS energy® and Energy Manager of the Year – Honourable Mention for Eric Ewing, Senior Efficiency Analyst. These recognitions are a testament to the measurable results EcoPilot delivers in partnership with leading organizations including Colliers, Ravelin, Crombie REIT, Concert Properties, Minto, and Shannex, among others; uniting building operators, integrators, and technology teams to scale savings, reduce emissions, and enhance comfort across portfolios.
EcoPilot delivers AI-driven software for real-time energy management in commercial and institutional buildings. jennie@ecopilotai.com
In memory: George BairdGeorge Baird, founding principal of Baird Sampson Neuert architects and member of the Order of Canada, has died. He was Professor Emeritus and former Dean (2004-2009) of University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and founding partner of the Toronto-based architecture firm Baird Sampson Neuert architects. He also served as Dean of Daniels Faculty, he was the G. Ware Travelstead Professor of Architecture at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. He was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the recipient of major awards including the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Architecture and Design Award (1992), da Vinci Medal of the Ontario Association of Architects (2000), RAIC Gold Medal (2010), AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education (2012), and Order of Canada (2016).