Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/423872
with the question, what do we really need? Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the current generation without risking those of the future," he says. He points to groups like Architecture 2030 and the Living Building Challenge (LBC) as having some strategies towards achieving sustainability. Architecture 2030 was founded in 2003 as a response to accelerating climate change. Among its goals is a sharp reduction of fossil fuel consumption by new buildings and that all new buildings constructed after January 1, 2030 should be net zero or carbon neutral. The focus of concern around buildings' greenhouse gases makes sense. Buildings account for about 48 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, according to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). "Buildings and their construction consume more energy than the transportation sector. The design, construction and operation of buildings are the main sources of demand for energy and materials – both produce greenhouse gases," according to a fact sheet from RAIC. "Buildings need to be better," says Blackman. But, as he points out, getting what look like sensible initiatives off the ground can be tricky. He cites an example from New York City where it was proposed that a transfer of ownership of a building would entail an energy retrofit. But finding the right mechanism to effect has been a struggle, he suggests. "One of the questions has been, what does it do to the market for buildings?" Blackman says. Despite the challenges, he believes that retrofits offer a golden opportunity and should comprise the lion's share of work to address sustainability. The team at CEI Architecture believe that the taller wood structures offer great potential in green building design and push sustainability into a new era. "Over the past few years, architects in B.C. have been exploring opportunities to increase the use of wood in the built environment. There are several reasons for this shift, including strong government support through the Wood First Act and the many environmental benefits of the material, such as its ability to sequester carbon dioxide and the fact that building with wood requires less overall energy than other materials," explains Nick Bevanda, partner and design director for CEI Architecture. CEI is also seeing more widespread applications of passive design strategies that reduce energy use, as well as a continued push toward net-zero energy and water. "The public is getting more interested in these strategies for their own residential use, and governments and institutions are mandating them in design, and architects and builders are driving their own innovative approaches," says Bevanda. "The combination of reduced demand and renewable energy creation from solar and geothermal sources is a powerful combination that will drive innovation in green building for years to come. We've all got a long way to go." Certainly, many of the key players in the building design community, architects and engineers, also see economic and business barriers to better buildings as hurdles that need to be cleared. "It is time to up the ante on what needs to happen," says Birgit Siber, a principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects. "The Okanagan College – Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies . . . sources energy through geothermal and solar sources, with vacuum tube solar panels, one of the largest photovoltaic arrays in Western Canada, Solatubes for daylighting, sun-tracking light pipes, a green roof, ultra- efficient building envelope, and more." – Nick Bevanda,partner and design director, CEI Architecture aerial Photo FeaturinG rooFtoP enerGy sources. Photo: david vonesch vacuum tube solar panels heat the building's hot water using passive solar technology Photovoltaic panels convert solar radiation into direct current electricity a green roof planted with local flora provides natural habitat for the sandhill skipper solatubes provide natural daylighting into the workshops below ventilation chimney "stack effect" naturally draws air through the building, improving airflow sun-tracking light pipes magnify sunlight by a factor of 10, brightening darker areas of building Green building design