Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1469378
26 | J U N E 2 0 2 2 Sustainable Design Strategies operational energy side, but also the embodied car- bon aspect, which the City of Vancouver is also now taking into consideration for the Vancouver Building By-law, explains Veronica Ochoa, building perfor- mance project designer at RJC Engineers. "We are seeing an acceleration towards net zero emissions for both new builds and retrofits as a result of both mandate letters submitted to the Minster of Natural Resources on the subject and incentives being available. Owners and developers are going above and beyond what is required and aiming for Step Code 4, for example, and we are see- ing increasing interest in the commercial building sector, too," says Ochoa. Interestingly, one of the mandate letters sets out a requirement for existing buildings to release energy efficiency data at the point of sale. "This is already being done in the U.K. where you need an energy performance label if you are selling or rent- ing. It's much like a nutritional label, but for existing buildings. It's useful as a buyer and sets a good prec- edent," explains Ochoa. RJC is working on a number of institutional proj- ects that truly showcase the future of sustainable design, including one commercial/office building in Vancouver that is aiming for Passive House. They are also working with a number of clients in the exist- ing building realm that are looking to upgrade their buildings to net zero. "While challenging, we cannot ignore existing buildings. We need to talk about adaptation, espe- cially considering the release of the recent IPCC report," says Ochoa. The IPCC report delves into the importance of increasing our resilience against the unavoidable impacts of climate change, and RJC is currently work- ing with clients on the passive survivability of their buildings by simulating a power cut, for example, and assessing the thermal impacts on the building. "We have to be transparent about what is and what isn't possible – the studies are out there to pro- vide owners with the information on how to make their buildings more resilient to the potential changes," she says. At Williams Engineering the team has seen even greater emphasis over the past year on the decar- bonization of buildings to meet climate action legislation, with clients now looking beyond the pay- back of projects and focusing more on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in the long run. Williams is working on several projects in this regard – one being the Reframed Lab that aims to transform how we retrofit multi-unit residential buildings to eliminate climate pollution, reduce energy waste, improve health and safety, and increase resilience to extreme weather events. "Working with BC Housing, Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation, and five other design teams, we are completing deep retrofit designs for six multi- unit residential buildings," says Laurence Kao, team lead, building performance and sustainability who is leading a design team for the Reframed Lab. The six-month Reframed Lab plans to design deep retrofit solutions for low-rise resi- dential buildings in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, Capital Regional District, and Southern Interior. With support from their peers and experts, teams are integrating carbon reduction, cli- mate adaptation, energy conservation, seismic safety, and health and wellness through a com- prehensive regenerative design process. Like the other experts in the sector, Glotman Simpson Consulting Engineers has found supply, timely delivery, and pricing fluctuation to be their biggest challenge of late. "In environments where sustainable strategies involve products that limit suppliers to a narrow field, the fluctuation of pric- ing and delivery challenges adds more pressure on our client teams and diminishes our ability to advo- cate for a particular solution. On the bright side, newer and more innovative products are coming to the market every day that we can readily take up and bring to bear," explains Levi Stoelting, principal at Glotman Simpson. Glotman Simpson is currently involved in many exciting projects including 843 N Spring Street – a five-storey creative office building and one of the most significant steel-timber hybrid structures in the greater LA region, built over a reclaimed and reused existing upgraded substructure. And closer to home, there's the M5, a 20-storey residential struc- ture in Vancouver that is intended to be a replicable prototype for hybrid mass timber construction. As for the future of the industry, the team at Glotman Simpson believe that the rapid rate of change and exploration when it comes to technolo- gies, hybrid solutions, integrated system solutions, and construction methodologies makes this a very exciting time to practice building engineering. Lafarge.indd 1 2021-06-03 11:27 AM