Award

J UNE 2019 | 21 Sustainable Design approach to achieving more energy-efficient build- ings that go beyond the requirements of the base BC Building Code. Its goal is to make buildings net-zero energy ready by 2032. Step 4 for residential buildings is about equivalent to an R-2000 standard for houses, which means a building is on average 50 percent more energy-efficient than a typical new building. "There is interest from an increasing number of commercial property owners who are building to own. There's also an understanding that there are substantial marketing benefits to a sustainable building," says Peer. In order to achieve these goals, Peer and his col- leagues are being called upon for their knowledge to help owners gain a better understanding and imple- ment these ideas. "We are seeing exterior insulation being adopted more widely to reduce thermal bridg- ing. There is also a re-adjustment of the structure, plumbing, and mechanical systems to achieve high- performance envelopes, and we are also looking closely at window buying decisions," says Peer. Indeed, window companies are stepping up to the plate. In B.C., Innotech Windows and Doors is now producing Passive House-certified windows at their Langley plant. Of course, all of this costs money, however, Peer says that rebates available through utility companies are definitely helping pique developers' interests. Lisa Bate, global sustainability lead, principal at B+H Architects and chair of World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) board of directors, echoes Peer's sentiments when she says that clients are now looking at their triple bottom line, which she describes as, people, planet, and profit. "We are seeing our clients being held more accountable when it comes to these three things, and that includes the environmental, social, and gover- nance issues. It's not just about financial performance today, but about demonstrating how we are making a positive contribution to the world," explains Bate. "When we talk about sustainable design strategies today, it's a very different conversation to the one we were having just 12 months ago." Bate adds that she is seeing an increasing number of companies mapping against the 17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals that were created to drive The Paris Agreement. "A lot of companies are now setting science-based targets, with the goal of achieving net zero operational buildings and infra- structure, and net zero embodied carbon by choosing local materials, looking at how they are created, extracted, and transported, for example." The World Green Building Council is focussed on a number of initiatives currently, one of which is to promote and support the acceleration of net zero carbon buildings to 100 percent by 2050. And while sustainable design strategies are often thought of on a per building basis, Bate says that there is greater understanding that "the impacts can be far reaching and sustainability is about the 'we,' not the 'I.'" One project that demonstrates the excellent use of sustainable design strategies and thinking beyond just the building is The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation (JCPI) at Mohawk College; Canada's largest net zero institutional building, designed by B+H and mcCallumSather (see February 2018 issue of Award). However, Bate says that implementing similar strategies for existing building stock retrofits is a key focus for B+H today, which, while seemingly costly, pays off in operational savings. To help offset the upfront costs and encourage a more sustainable mindset, many utility companies are providing incentives to owners and developers. BC Hydro has been working on some excit- ing programs of late; one of which is the Provincial Government's CleanBC Initiative, Custom and Custom Lite Programs. These programs offer energy study funding and capital incentives to support fuel switching and elec- trification measures in commercial building retrofits. Larger customers eligible for the Custom Program can receive up to $20,000 towards an energy study, and up to $200,000 (based on lifetime CO2 emissions savings) to offset capital costs. The Custom-Lite Program is a streamlined version of the Custom Program, targeting small to medium businesses, and offering up to $2,000 in energy study funding, and up to $48,000 in capital incentives. In addition, CleanBC's Commercial New Construction Program provides funding for the design and construction of new high-performance buildings that use high-efficiency electricity in place of fossil fuels, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program offers up to $15,000 to sup- port energy studies, and up to $500,000 to offset capital costs. The programs are funded by the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada, and are administered by BC Hydro … this is a sure sign that we are heading in the right direction. A Our passion and commitment to responsive and responsible design is embedded into our everyday engineering practice.

• Cover