Stay informed with SABMag's monthly newsletter

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.

November e-NEWS

Visit the SABMag Booth #1554 at The Buildings Show
Nov 30 – Dec 2, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Details here.

Fall SABMag covers Passive House and Ontario FOCUS stays local

The annual SABMag Passive House issue includes four recent Passive House projects: a 1967 tower renovation, a new YWCA building, a remote single-family home, and a multi-storey mixed use building, in which the design decisions and techniques are described to achieve Passive House certification. Other articles and interviews round out the issue. See it here.

The recent Ontario FOCUS, a joint publishing project of SABMag and the CAGBC, covers local building projects, such as the Lakeshore Lofts in Port Credit, and related subjects. See it here.

Case study: Bringing biodiversity to the heart of the city with pollinator roofs

Several recent LiveRoof® Ontario projects in downtown Toronto all incorporate biodiverse green roofs which are attracting and assisting the re-establishment of species of insects, invertebrates, birds and other animals that have not lived in any great numbers in the city core for many years. And at the same time these vegetated roofs provide stormwater control services difficult to achieve in a dense city core in other ways. Read the one-page case study here.

Register now for the 2023 SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards and we’ll send you the Entry Kit as soon as it is available. The winning submissions are heavily publicized, and many of the projects published in SABMag and the regional FOCUS publications are sourced from the Awards. Deadline for submissions is March 10.

Thanks to our sponsors!

National Sponsors: Masonite Architectural and the Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute. Category Sponsors: Inline Fiberglass, Enbridge Gas Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada, and JELD-WEN Windows & Doors

For further information: dgriffith@sabmagazine.com

The 2022 SABMag Directory a quick reference of products for high-performance building

SABMag’s 2022 Directory of Sustainable Products and Services for Sustainable, High-Performance Building is a quick reference for finding products. Examples of featured listings include:

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.

Tempeff

Building on over 20 years of European innovation, Tempeff is pleased to offer air to air Dual Core® energy recovery ventilation equipment with up to 90% energy efficiency in winter without any requirement for an energy robbing defrost strategy. In these times of escalating energy costs, and concern over environmental impact, Tempeff Dual Core® Technology is the highest efficiency solution available for your building ventilation needs.

TermoBuild

Turn your concrete buildings into year round thermal batteries. Stay ahead and thrive. Call us today to unleash your hidden edge.

VCT Group

At VCT Group we believe clean, inexpensive solar power should be accessible to everyone. We design, construct, and manage innovative energy products that are built to perform in any climate. For rooftop arrays, solar canopies, EV charging, and energy management we are your end-to-end partner. Powering everyone.

Viessmann Control Solutions

Solar made simple and affordable with the Vitosol DHW SolarPack. Complete package designed for high-performance, simplicity, fast installation and low cost. Features two Vitosol-FM panels, solar tank with pre-mounted pump-control station.

Canadian Precast Concrete 2030/2050 Net-Zero Roadmap

The Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) is pleased to announce, in 2022, the launch of a 2030/2050 net-zero roadmap Initiative, an important step to decarbonizing our industry by 2050. The roadmap will align with the broader Canadian and international cement and concrete industry efforts by the Cement Association of Canada (CAC) and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and will also support international climate action industry efforts like the Paris agreement and COP27 to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 ⁰C. The industry has established several working groups on benchmarking, production, design and construction, carbonation, and communications. The Canadian precast concrete net-zero roadmap and action plan is expected to be published in 2022 and initiated in Winter 2023.

Local 144 Administrative Office and Training Centre achieves high environmental performance

Awarded the Commercial-Industrial (Large) Award in the 2022 SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards, the Local 144 project in east Montreal restores a former wasteland area and provides training facilities for local trades. The aim was to achieve LEED v4 Platinum certification (a first for an industrial building in Canada), an 80% reduction in energy consumption partly achieved with a Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada VRF air source heat pump system; a partial wood structure using Nordic Structures FSC-certified cross-laminated timber slabs for the floor and roof, and glued-laminated timber posts and beams to minimize embodied energy; daylight harvesting through large areas of translucent insulated panels by Kalwall ; and natural displacement ventilation for energy efficiency and occupant comfort. The jury said, “This project reflects the client’s remarkable commitment to exemplary building performance and the wellbeing of its employees. Low-carbon materials, a large photovoltaic array, and ultra low water consumption are combined with an attractive atrium, gardens and other social spaces.” Read more …

See all of the winning projects.

New federal-provincial-territorial board formed to harmonize construction codes across Canada

The newly formed Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has assumed responsibility for the development of Canada’s National Model Codes. The CBHCC replaces the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) – the committee responsible for managing the national code development system in Canada since 1991. Under the new governance model, strategic policy direction will be set by the Canadian Table for Harmonized Construction Codes Policy, which will oversee the CBHCC and include deputy-minister-level decision-makers from provincial, territorial and federal governments. The new model will remove barriers to the free movement of goods, services, and investments within Canada.

The new governance model will also include an Advisory Council consisting of members from industry, the regulatory community, and other interested organizations which will provide policy advice to the CBHCC. The broader code community, including code users, interested organizations and members of the public, will continue to participate in the code development process. Inquiries: cbhcc-cchcc@strategycorp.com

Kings Daughters and Sons seniors’ residence: Welcome addition earns LEED Platinum

By Anthony Leaning, CSV Architects

The project is an addition to the existing building in Ottawa and includes six floors, 58 new residential units, and health services support space to provide a high quality of life for those living on a modest budget. The residence received LEED Platinum for Homes, Mid-Rise certification through the Canada Green Building Council. A strategic combination of standard Code-level building components in the envelope, windows, and HVAC, combined with targeted attention to high return measures, resulted in a significant cut in energy use as compared to a building that meets minimum Ontario Building Code requirements. The project utilized the Enbridge Savings by Design incentive program which provides preliminary energy modelling and encourages the adoption of energy performance targets early in the design process. Windows are Inline Fibreglass High-Performance Series 325 Casement & Fixed Windows. Read more …

Atlantic Place takes top honour at Luminary Awards

Atlantic Place, the 355,000 sq. ft. office and retail space and one of the largest buildings in downtown St. John’s, took home the Big Award in the Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro takeCharge Luminary Awards. The Luminary Awards recognize companies, organizations, communities, and individuals across Newfoundland and Labrador who are taking brilliant steps to use energy wisely – and inspiring others to do the same. The Big Award acknowledges a participant that, through energy efficient upgrades, has seen the most significant increase in their energy savings. Atlantic Place reduced HVAC energy consumption by 16.6%, over 1,000,000 kWh, equating to $107,000 in energy saving using Ecopilot® artificial intelligence technology.

Kitsilano Duplex Retrofit a model for improving aging housing stock

A rare Canadian example of a Passive House EnerPHit retrofit, the Kitsilano Duplex received the Residential (Small) Award in the 2022 SABMag Canadian Green Building Awards as a superb example of renovating a 1940s single-family home thereby dramatically lowering the embodied carbon of the building. By adding new structure to the existing framing, it was possible to bring the house up to current structural and seismic standards, while using far less new material than required for a new build. The house uses triple-pane Passive House-certified windows by Vetta Building Technologies, a Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada ductless heat pump handles heating and cooling. The jury said, “Given the requirement to maintain the historic character of the neighbourhood, and the imperative to add density by creating a duplex, meeting Passive House performance at this scale is a remarkable achievement. This project should be an inspiration for others like it in Vancouver and elsewhere.” Read more … . See all of the winning projects.

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

Marmoleum Modular tiles

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.