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Subscribe to the SABMag monthly e-news to stay informed of news and events in Canadian sustainable design, of new releases of SABMag and the CaGBC FOCUS publications, the Canadian Green Building Awards, and more. It’s only a few minutes of your time every month. Occasionally our e-News may include announcements from our partners who support our mission of advancing Canadian sustainable design.
Ten winning projects have been selected in the 14th annual Canadian Green Building Awards, a program of Sustainable Architecture & Building (SABMag). The winners represent some of the best examples of sustainable, high-performance building design in Canada, both new and renovated – from large commercial/industrial down to single-family homes, and one Award for technical innovation. The winning projects will be announced in the SABMag April e-News. and fully described in the Summer issue of SABMag, and in the SABMag web site.
We thank all those who entered the 2021 program, and our esteemed jury:
National Sponsors: Masonite Architectural and the Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute. Category Sponsors: Inline Fiberglass, Enbridge Gas Inc., and Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada.
For further information: dgriffith@sabmagazine.com
VIA Rail Canada has announced that its Ottawa station earned the LEED® Gold v4.1 certification for Operations and Maintenance for Existing Buildings – Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) second-highest level of accreditation.
The Ottawa station – a heritage building and VIA Rail’s flagship station – underwent important renovations from 2016 to 2019 to improve its environmental performance and accessibility. Opened in 1966 and gaining a Governor General’s Massey Medal in 1967 for the architects, John B. Parkin and Associates, the Ottawa station is an international style building with exposed cantilevered trusses supported by massive concrete piers resulting in an open interior and a powerful roofline. The process of LEED certification, a first for VIA Rail Canada, began during the renovations with the identification of efficiency measures.
SABMag’s 2021 Directory of Sustainable Products and Services for Sustainable, High-Performance Building is 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:
Architek – The Canadian leader in Integrated Living Building systems: green roofs, living walls, green facades and water management (conservation and storm water mitigation)
475 High Performance Building Supply – A trusted source for building envelope knowledge and materials: Pro Clima airsealing, GUTEX wood fiber board insulation, Lamilux skylights, and more.
Radon Environmental – A building and environmental health sciences company reducing public exposure to radon gas. Radon mitigation solutions for commercial and residential builds.
Cascadia Windows & Doors – High-performance fiberglass solutions for window wall, windows and doors, and storefront glazing.From Passive House projects to high-rise buildings, Cascadia’s fiberglass windows offer unparalleled thermal and structural performance.
The live, half-day workshop that reviews 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:
Participants will have the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A and interactive activities designed to reinforce the course material.
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.
Ottawa City Council recently approved design guidelines to help keep birds from colliding with buildings and other structures. Millions of birds are killed by collisions each year in Canada, including an estimated 250,000 birds per year here in Ottawa. Bird-safe design features have been scientifically proven to lessen the risk of collisions, reducing bird injuries and deaths.
The guidelines address the design of buildings, lighting and landscaping, and also provide suggestions for improving bird safety around existing buildings. While large buildings with extensive use of glass are a primary target for these guidelines, the recommendations can be applied to any building or structure. Staff worked with Safe Wings Ottawa and other experts to adapt best practices from other jurisdictions and prepare recommendations tailored to Ottawa’s context. City staff engaged in planning, designing or reviewing projects are encouraged to apply the guidelines in their work.
Finnish-based VTT is testing Thermocell plastic film made of cellulose and fatty acids in the production of food packaging in cooperation with Arla Foods, Paulig, and Wipak. Thermocell plastic material, which is made from renewable components, is to be used in the same way as fossil-based plastic. The film has shown to provide good protection against water vapour, and none of its components migrate into the food. It can also be heat sealed using manufacturers’ standard equipment. The recyclability of Thermocell has proven to be nearly equal to that of the most common thermoplastics. It can be melted down and extruded again at least five times with no significant deterioration of its features. jarmo.ropponen@vtt.fi
The recent issue of the CPCI Imagineering Magazine features: The Spot at East Village, an 18-storey mixed-use total precast concrete apartment building, a Walmart Store with exterior insulated wall cladding incorporating simulated brick, the Trent Durham Residence and Academic Building that boasts compelling precast concrete architectural features, and the Highway 427 Expansion in Ontario consisting of several bridge types. View the latest issue of Imagineering Magazine here.
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