Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1521495
J U N E 2 0 2 4 | 49 Sustainable Design A D O B E S TO C K "Increasingly, we are seeing projects seeking higher levels of sustainability, notably with net-zero carbon and aggressive energy targets. This is due, at least in part, to the various funding streams available at both federal and provincial levels. Which is great – if we are to meet our global commitments to the climate crisis, we need everyone pulling in the same direction. However, we, and likely others in the design profession, find ourselves on the constant merry-go-round of 'value engineering' as project scopes and sustainable aspirations simply don't align with budgets." Amidst these challenges, Oster highlights that there's no doubt that these budgets are still feeling the impact of inflation and high-interest rates, as well as the ramifications of the pandemic and global conflict "I think there remains a fundamental disconnect between the intent and the implementation. This is especially hard for non-profit groups who are often cobbling together various streams of staged funding and have to 'just jump and build wings on the way down.' In many ways, I think that's what we are all having to do when it comes to addressing this beast of an issue," she says." ROI REALITIES When it comes to investing in sustainable design, it's all about striking a bal- ance between economics and the environment. According to Jim Gilliland, director of engineering services at Williams Engineering, "there's definitely an eagerness to be sustainable, but for owners and investors it's about spending money responsibly." Gilliland notes that carbon sustainability, particularly the life cycle assessment (LCA) of carbon, is gaining traction, especially in select jurisdictions like Vancouver. "There is a growing movement to take a holistic perspective, especially the end-of-life piece, about what will happen to a facility when it can no longer fulfill its original intended use." He acknowledges that while progress is underway, there's still a long way to go. "Basically, the industry is in the process of establishing carbon measurement standards. We need the whole industry to step up and start reporting its carbon footprint and how it is calculated. Otherwise you get a lot of information that can be difficult to interpret." Proudly contributing to a more sustainable approach to building in the prairies.