On May 1, the Green Building Policy for Rezoning took effect in the city of Vancouver, mandating that new commercial and multi-unit residential buildings be built to standards modeled after the international Passive House standards, with airtight design, exceptional insulation, and good ventilation. The Policy, originally approved in November 2016, is part of Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan and its Zero Emissions Building Plan . Matt Horne, the city’s Climate Policy Manager, writes in an OpEd in the Vancouver Sun that the new rules will result in buildings which emit half as much carbon pollution, with slightly lower construction and operating costs. Vancouver’s new rezoning policy is in line with the province-wide standard for energy efficiency in new construction, the B.C. Energy Step Code , which came into force in April, 2017 in an effort to upgrade municipal building codes across the province.
The Pembina Institute praises Vancouver’s new Rezoning policy and its benefits for workers in “Vancouver’s green buildings policy is good news for homeowners and renters” : “Constructing new energy-efficient homes and offices will be a boon to Vancouver’s green building sector. In B.C., the sector already employs over 23,000 people, and the industry is ready to respond to increased demand. New trades training is being offered by such institutions as the British Columbia Institute of Technology, which recently launched a new hands-on High-Performance Building Lab. Passive House Canada now trains hundreds of people a year, including designers, builders, and government staff. Energy-efficient buildings are one of B.C.’s biggest opportunities for real and lasting job creation.” A February article in the Globe and Mail, “The Economic Case for Retrofitting Buildings” echos this “ready to work” idea in the context of retrofitting: “we have the know-how and technology to be a key player in meeting a steep challenge. Building efficiency isn’t just low hanging fruit, it’s the fruit that’s ripened and ready to fall into our lap.”
Evolv1 is a net positive building project in Waterloo Ontario, being described as a “game-changer”,“groundbreaking”, and “iconic”. Evolv1 will generate more energy than it needs for its own operation from 1.5 acres of solar panels on the roof and carport, allowing it to power the building’s 14 electric vehicle charging stations and sell any remaining excess to the provincial electricity grid. The building is also aiming for LEED Platinum certification through the use of triple-glazed glass, very high levels of insulation, digitally-controlled LED lighting with occupancy and light level sensors, natural light, a three-storey green wall to improve air quality, and a geo-exchange system that extracts heat from the ground for winter heating and returns excess heat to the ground in the summer. Finally, the building will have direct access to the city’s light rail transit system to reduce the environmental impact of commuters. Completion is scheduled for 2018. The project is being built by Cora Group construction, in partnership with Sustainable Waterloo Region and the University of Waterloo, as well as anchor tenant, consultants EY Canada. The Cora Group website provides illustrations.
Evolv1 was highlighted in the Waterloo Region Record in “An office building so green it actually produces energy” (Feb. 17), and in the May issue of the Natural Resources Canada Newsletter, Heads-Up. Sustainable Waterloo released its own press releases about the project: “Raising the Standard” , and a description of the vision for the project.