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Winner of the Residential (Large) Award in the 2026 Canadian Green Building Awards, the tul’al’txw – Student Housing Commons at North Island College in Comox, BC by Architecture Associates Inc. has student accommodation arranged across three, four-storey wings, which together define a central outdoor gathering space, known as the Hearth. Between the buildings, three passageways, each with cultural relevance to the K’omoks First Nation, create welcoming thresholds connecting the campus to the Hearth. Fully electric, low GHG systems include a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system for heating and cooling to common spaces and other specialty spaces. Suites are heated with electric resistance heaters with partial cooling from the VRF cooling coil connected to the central ERV. Rooftop photovoltaics provide 15% of the building’s annual energy use, reducing the GHGI to 0.64 kgCO2/m2. HVAC equipment includes fan coils and AC units from Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada and water heaters by A.O. Smith. Owens Corning Thermafiber® mineral wool insulation is used in the building envelope. The project was recognized with the 2024 Carbon Leadership Forum (BC) Embodied Carbon Award for Large Buildings.
The Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) is inviting the public to participate in its fall public review of proposed changes to the 2025 editions of Canada’s National Model Codes. Proposed changes included in this review address several topics, including:
The public review runs from October 26 to December 21, 2026. Those interested in participating in the review can access the proposed changes on the CBHCC website and provide feedback. Review comments will be assessed by the relevant code development committees and recommendations on the proposed changes will be made to the CBHCC. Approved changes will be included in the 2030 editions of the Codes, which provinces and territories may adopt or adapt into their construction regulation.
The Green & Healthy Building Rating Comparison Matrix, just launched by EcoSpex, is an online resource that provides an unbiased comparison of 11 leading green building and health-focused rating systems. The tool helps architects, specifiers, building contractors and project teams map credits, requirements, and documentation across multiple frameworks, reducing duplicated effort and simplifying the certification process.
The GBM offers great value by improving your efficiency. Ask for details, contact dgriffith@sabmagazine.com
Designing interior spaces across the institutional, commercial, and industrial segments requires wall systems that deliver a multitude of performance benefits. Saint-Gobain Canada, through its subsidiaries Bailey Metal Products and CertainTeed, brings together tested wall assemblies that deliver on important performance criteria. With this testing comes peace of mind and a faster route to specification as architects can spend less time picking components, verifying compatibility, etc. Compared to traditional alternatives, some of the featured assemblies offer:
SABMag’s 2026 Directory of Sustainable Products and Services for Sustainable, High-Performance Building has company listings organized by Product Category and by LEED Category: a quick reference for finding products. Examples of featured listings include:
International Timberframes – We manufacture DLT in Golden, BC using local wood. Wood100® DLT is a 100% wood, no glue product. Stacked and cross laminated DLT panels. Design, engineering, manufacturing and installation services available. A healthy, sustainable and energy efficient building product.
ACO Systems – Every product within the ACO system chain safely controls water as it passes along the chain to ensure that it can be ecologically and economically reused in a viable way.
Radon Environmental – A building and environmental health sciences company reducing public exposures to radon gas. We provide code-evaluated, high-performance radon mitigation solutions for commercial and residential builds, including Radon Guard™ ventilation-insulation structural panels and Radon Block™ barrier membrane. Find radon measurement tools in our Testing Shop.
Rockfon – High-performance solutions with low environmental impact. That’s what Rockfon stone wool ceiling tiles and panels offer. In addition to delivering IAQ support and acoustic comfort, Rockfon ceilings also feature a low carbon footprint, geared towards minimizing the environmental footprint of buildings all over the world.
Wishbone Site Furnishings – A recognized leader in the development and manufacture of municipal grade outdoor furniture. Using recycled plastics and metals, Wishbone products speak innovation through design that is aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Presented by Ryan Zizzo, CEO and Founder, Mantle Climate Understanding whole-life carbon is essential to making informed decisions about building design and material selection. The webinar presents an overview of three recent whole-building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) studies comparing the carbon performance of precast concrete building systems across five Canadian cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The studies examine three building configurations: a precast concrete envelope with a cast-in-place (CIP) structure, a precast concrete envelope and floor system with a steel frame, and a total precast concrete building. Using a comprehensive life cycle approach aligned with the National Whole-Building LCA Practitioner’s Guide, the analysis considers both embodied carbon from materials, transportation and construction, and operational carbon from building energy use. Learning Objectives:
Earn continuing education credits. |
Quebec-based Béton Léger du Canada
Lightweight insulating concrete: weight and thermal performance Quebec-based Béton Léger du Canada has developed lightweight insulating concrete for applications where added weight and thermal performance matter. For the formulation tested, laboratory results report a fresh density of 584 kg/m³, dry thermal conductivity of approximately 0.17 W/(m·K), and compressive strength of 3.9 MPa at 28 days. Potential building uses include floor levelling and insulating fills, subject to design for each assembly. The documented Quebec transport ministry recognition concerns pavement insulation; it does not constitute approval for building assemblies. The company is discussing potential building projects in Quebec and Ontario and is seeking industrial partners for deployment. Supporting test reports are available to readers and design professionals.
Innotech Windows + Doors in Langley, BC is marking 25 years of manufacturing high-performance windows and doors which, from the beginning, focused on airtightness, water resistance, thermal performance and proven durability. The company recognized the important role advanced fenestration could play in creating more energy-efficient, durable and comfortable buildings. Twenty-five years later, increasingly stringent building codes, energy standards and voluntary performance programs, such as the Passive House standard, have validated that early foresight. Innotech has grown alongside that evolution, manufacturing increasingly advanced fenestration systems for applications ranging from custom homes to high-rise projects. “Performance is no longer an afterthought; it is an expected part of good building design. To have contributed to that shift, while continuing to learn and evolve ourselves, is something we are incredibly proud of,” says Troy Imbery, Founding Partner and President. Today, Innotech products are specified on high-performance projects throughout Canada and the United States.
Construction Specialties (CS), a leading manufacturer of architectural building products, has released its inaugural Pursuit of Better — Impact Report 2025 to show how its products align with evolving sustainability goals.
Key Milestones are:
Click here to see the Pursuit of Better — Impact Report 2025.
Preserving ecological integrity of site shapes design decisions
Winner of the Residential (Large) Award in the 2026 Canadian Green Building Awards in King Township, ON by Montgomery Sisam Architects, the Koffler Park Scientific Reserve Dining and Operations Centre brings much-needed student housing and multi- purpose teaching space to the site while reinforcing the Reserve’s core commitments to conservation and ecological stewardship. Its form reimagines local agrarian architecture through asymmetrical pitched roofs and elongated façades punctuated by slender vertical windows. Passive strategies are paired with active systems – automated windows, ERVs, and a geothermal loop – to create a responsive building envelope that, much like breathable activewear, opens and closes in response to site-specific weather conditions while minimizing energy use. Moreover, resulting roof geometries provide optimal surfaces for photovoltaic panels. Unicel Architectural Corp. supplied the timber curtain walls with advanced glazing and sealing technology. Read the article …
