World Green Building Week calls for transition to sustainable built environment
Retrofitting existing buildings has a tangible and immediate impact on carbon reduction, since the building structure’s carbon footprint is maintained while operational improvements will keep carbon emissions low over time. Pictured here is Édifice Jacques-Parizeau (Zero Carbon Building – Performance certified) in Montreal. Alain Laforest
Across Canada, there is wide recognition about the transformative power of green buildings.
It was here that the Zero Carbon Building standards were first created and launched, and where the government is committed to rolling out a Green Buildings Strategy – and putting effort behind developing a greener, cleaner grid and financing deep carbon retrofits. What’s more, Canada has global leaders setting the pace, including companies and cities that have signed the international Net Zero Commitment.
Despite this strong foundation, “more must be done and faster,” urges Thomas Mueller, president and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC). “Not all regions of the country can move at the same pace, and we will need to find solutions that work for everyone to advance a low-carbon future.”
Building the Transition is the theme of this year’s World Green Building Week, September 11 to 15, organized by World Green Building Council, a global network of over 75 green building councils, of which CAGBC is a founding member and one of the largest councils.
“World Green Building Week calls for the global building and construction sector to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future,” says Mr. Mueller. “There are three areas of transitions we’re focused on: clean energy, reducing carbon emissions and resilience to climate change.”
Clean energy
Canada needs to grow access to – and supply of – clean renewable energy to transition to low- or zero-carbon buildings, says Mr. Mueller. “The federal government recently unveiled its Clean Energy Regulations intended to provide clean, affordable and reliable electricity across Canada. This represents a big systems change needed to drive buildings and transportation toward net-zero emissions through electrification.”
The work needed to move Canada’s energy grid to a low-carbon future is significant, says Mr. Mueller. “In order to electrify buildings, significant improvements in energy efficiency and renewable energy generation will be needed.”
New buildings and retrofits must become highly energy efficient, for example, by reducing energy use for heating and cooling, and better managing demand for clean electricity during peak periods. “There are already products available to help reduce demand, like heat pumps, geo exchange systems and advanced window technology,” he notes. “Construction practices also need to evolve, focusing on low-carbon skills that prioritize better performing, airtight building enclosures to reduce electricity demand.”
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Carbon emissions
Reducing carbon emissions has long been a priority for CAGBC, says Mr. Mueller. “In Canada, buildings are the third largest emitters of greenhouse gases. We launched the Zero Carbon Building standards in 2017 to help the sector prioritize carbon reductions and provide guidance on solutions.”
The standards were first in the world, making Canada a leader in zero-carbon building construction and retrofit. Since then, the program has seen over 100 certifications and another 200 projects are registered.
The impact of green buildings is significant, says Mr. Mueller. “Just through LEED alone, Canadian projects have saved over 32 million eMWh, which is enough energy to power over a million homes for a year – and has achieved carbon reductions equal to removing almost 1.5 million cars off the road for a year.”
Building resilience
Another focus is on bolstering the resilience of the built environment to severe weather and climate events. “Many green and zero-carbon building strategies applied as part of LEED or Zero Carbon Building certification contribute to resiliency,” says Mr. Mueller. “Examples are operable windows that can provide ventilation and fresh air, and better insulation and envelopes that can keep a building warm or cool for longer periods when the power is out.”
Making changes to how buildings are designed and managed can help mitigate damage, increase occupant protection and survivability, and support faster recovery, he adds.
A heightened attention on climate change is driving a shift in global investor sentiment and reporting requirements. As a result, green buildings have become mainstream business in the commercial real estate sector, Mr. Mueller reports. “Investors increasingly rely on global ESG standards and reporting to determine risk associated with their business transactions, and real estate companies across Canada have adopted ESG standards and practices.”
The recognition of increased environmental risk – and the need for actionable solutions – are strong motivating factors, he adds. “Extreme weather and temperatures impact buildings and their occupants. That makes zero-carbon green buildings attractive because they can mitigate some of those risks.”
Fertile ground for change
In addition to mitigating climate change risks, green buildings come with lower operating costs and better retain their value over time. This is important because “climate action needs to be carefully aligned with capital and operating expenditures in new and existing buildings,” Mr. Mueller explains. “Building owners must weigh the cost and timing of deep carbon retrofits and rising carbon prices along with the risk of diminished value of their assets and potential for barriers to insurance and investment potential in cases where they haven’t addressed carbon.”
The business case for green buildings can further be bolstered through government intervention, he suggests. “Government has the power to send meaningful signals to the market. The Greening Government Strategy, for example, calls for federally owned buildings to meet zero-carbon targets and asks landlords to provide zero-carbon leased space by 2030.”
When government incentivizes the procurement of low- or zero-carbon buildings, retrofits, technologies, products and services, “this will create new jobs and skills in the building sector, innovation in products and technologies, and also drive the need for more low-carbon training,” says Mr. Mueller, adding that with government funding support, CAGBC will launch a low-carbon training program with partners from the building sector. “It’s critical that Canada’s building workforce – from architects, engineers and builders to operators – understand the fundamentals of zero-carbon buildings and adopt a common language to remove barriers and ensure buildings perform at the level they’re designed to.”
There is much momentum during World Green Building Week and beyond, says Mr. Mueller. “Stepping up these efforts will help transform Canada’s buildings at the scale and speed needed to impact national climate targets.”
To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com
To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Green buildings as climate solution