Award

Green Building Design The BC Energy Step Code is a voluntary provincial standard that provides an incremental and consistent approach to achieving more energy-efficient buildings that go beyond the requirements of the base BC Building Code. In addition, BC Hydro offers an online self-serve option called Business Energy Savings Incentive. "Here, customers can register and apply for simple energy effi- cient retrofit projects with a pre-defined list of configurations and approved prod- ucts," says Ceron. Like BC Hydro, FortisBC is working on increasing the amount of data out there to better educate the industry and provide a baseline from which to springboard off of. "Sharing findings is an important part of the work we do so customers better understand ways to help reduce both energy and costs," says Nicole Bogdanovic, spokesperson at FortisBC. "For architects and designers working on commercial building projects in B.C., staying informed about FortisBC's incentives and rebates can reduce the cost of incorporating high-efficiency into their designs and send a positive message to their clients about their commitment to attaining superior building performance," she adds. Both natural gas and electric customers can access custom programs for a wide- range of new building and major upgrade projects. These programs include grants for energy modelling, support from an energy expert and rebates on energy-effi- cient measures once the project is complete. For example, FortisBC's Custom Design Program for New Construction provides customized rebates that address the complex and specialized energy-efficiency requirements in new commercial building construction. It's a unique program that represents two utilities working together in a streamlined approach to make sure projects can achieve savings effectively. Through the program, FortisBC co- funds the energy studies offered through the aforementioned BC Hydro's New Construction Program. Over in Ontario, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is also working on a number of initiatives that fall in the green building design realm, including the highly successful High Performance New Construction (HPNC) pro- gram that provides assistance and incentives for building owners and planners who design and implement energy efficient equipment within their new space. The HPNC program, as Bryan Young at IESO describes it, combines "a dollars for widgets approach" (combining rebates for specific pieces of equipment along with incentives for modelling), along with an energy modelling option. The program is delivered by Ontario's local hydro companies, like Toronto Hydro and Hydro Ottawa, who are working closely with their customers on new construction projects. The IESO wants to incent owners to be as energy efficient as possible with exist- ing technologies for buildings that will be around 40/50/60 years. Demand for the HPNC program has increased during the latest framework (Conservation First Framework). "It is far cheaper for us to incent consumers to reduce energy con- sumption than it is to generate, transmit and distribute. It is a 200 percent ROI, meaning that every dollar we invest results in a cost avoidance of $2 for generation and distribution," explains Young. Jen Grado from Toronto Hydro adds that the HPNC program is aimed at exceed- ing building code requirements, and says that the response has been phenomenal. "Designers are more engaged than they have ever been. The conversation isn't just about electricity anymore, it's about integrating systems. Over the past six months we have been looking at how to reclaim heat and integrate different utilities to ensure we are capturing all forms of efficient energy," says Grado. "We are no lon- ger seeing isolated decision making. It has become a full spectrum conversation." This holistic approach to the design is receiving greater focus these days. One program that focusses on just such a holistic approach is the IESO's Energy Performance Program that takes a look at the total building energy consumption instead of looking at specific equipment. The Program provides customers with commercial and institutional facilities with the opportunity to receive energy effi- ciency incentives on a pay-for-performance basis. Another interesting initiative is the Program Savings By Design with Alberta- based fossil fuel delivery company Enbridge. This green building initiative was cre- ated to help builders design and construct buildings and houses with higher energy performance, and also to help homebuyers save on their energy costs. This comprehensive program offers support and financial incentives during the design, construction and commissioning stages of building and housing projects. It is fair to say that the past 12 months have seen a rather encouraging change. And one sentiment expressed by the experts is that while leading-edge design phi- losophies like Passive House, as well as the movement toward Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon are about pushing the envelope the way LEED once did, today's focus is ultimately on collaboration and utilizing existing technologies in combi- nation to achieve the ultimate in green design, dependent, as the Canada Green Building Council study showed, on geography as much as anything else. A Building Better With Sustainable Design Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America S ustainability has become a core principle of architecture and construction in North America. Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction presented in Chicago show how the leading edge of sustainable design means reaching far beyond "common sense." Their approaches use proven instruments that are cleverly applied to improve the quality of life, so the world builds better. The LafargeHolcim Awards is about more than just beautiful buildings. It stands out as the world's most significant competition for sustainable design. The criteria of the $2 million US competition is as challenging as the goal of sustainability itself. The competition is for projects at an advanced stage of design, not finished works. It seeks designs that go beyond current standards, showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural issues affecting contemporary construction, and deliver new, surprising, and truly visionary solutions to the way we build. Gold: Comprehensive neighborhood planning in Detroit, USA With its large team, studio[Ci] in Detroit is tackling one of the city's greatest challenges: In a neglected district of the city, they want to create a community based on collective empowerment that functions as sustainably as possible. The community owned and managed infrastructure will include local energy and food production, water and waste management, while also strengthening civic empowerment. "Taking the pocket vacancies normally characterized as the biggest problem in Detroit, the design turns them into an opportunity to create a compelling sustainable neighborhood," praised the jury. Silver: Flexible sustainable housing in Vancouver, Canada High density or low density housing is prevalent in North America – but nothing in between. LWPAC + Intelligent City in Vancouver is filling the gap: A flexible-use passive house employing prefab wooden elements was designed that will give residents the greatest possible freedom and could become an icon of sustainable construction. The concept is so flexible that it can be used equally well for a single building or a large development. "The proposal is able to merge sustainability with affordability, focusing not just on components but systems in its concentrated effort to strive for net zero energy," said the jury. Bronze: Holistically designed greenhouse in Boston, USA Kennedy & Violich Architecture in Boston designed a greenhouse that is much more than simply a climate-controlled envelope: It houses a preeminent plant collection, supports an innovative public education curriculum that integrates sciences, humanities, and the arts, and enables studies of plant form adaptations. The approach of using local materials and labour is particularly respectful of the environment. "Sustainable design is at the very core of the structure, form, and system. The project meets sustainability metrics as a matter of course and then goes much further to achieve a virtuosity of integration," noted the jury. DECEMBER 2017 | 25 2:55 PM

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