The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) recently unveiled an updated version of its Zero Carbon Building Standard.
Version 2 incorporates lesson from over 20 zero carbon projects that represent a wide spectrum of building types including schools, offices, commercial offices, and industrial buildings. “These projects demonstrate that the industry is ready to raise the bar on expanded requirements for embodied carbon and energy efficiency,” according to a CaGBC news release.
The updated standard aims to get more buildings to zero, faster, by providing more options for different design strategies, by recognizing high-quality carbon offsets when necessary and providing new tools to help design zero carbon buildings and measure results, the release says. The standard provides two pathways for any type of building project—new construction or retrofit— to get to zero carbon. The standard provides a framework for verifying that buildings have achieved zero carbon, and it must be revisited annually.
Among the new requirements:
· Projects must now reduce and offset carbon emissions for the building’s life-cycle including the manufacture and use of construction materials.
· Best practices must be followed to minimize potential leaks of refrigerants.
· More stringent energy efficiency and air-tightness requirements were added.
· Projects must demonstrate two innovative strategies to reduce carbon emissions.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 25, 2019
AEC professionals should push for net zero projects
Educate and lead clients to more sustainable choices, says LEED fellow.
Codes and Standards | Jan 24, 2019
OSHA unaffected by federal government shutdown
Agency fully funded for first nine months of 2019.
Codes and Standards | Jan 23, 2019
Hackers can easily take control of construction cranes
Potential for serious harm is real, say researchers.
Codes and Standards | Jan 22, 2019
Initiative will introduce open-source software for commercial and public building retrofits
Energy analysis tool will identify energy efficiency opportunities.
Codes and Standards | Jan 18, 2019
Texas city sues developer over changes in $1 billion mixed-use project
Revised plan eliminated 8-acre lagoon, trolley, show fountain, and reduced retail space.
Codes and Standards | Jan 17, 2019
First resilience benchmarks for U.S. communities released
Provides way to evaluate current state of resilience and guidance for areas of improvement.
Codes and Standards | Jan 16, 2019
California mass timber building competition kicks off January 15
Competition will award $500,000 in grants to teams who design innovative buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jan 15, 2019
Hazard mitigation provisions in codes save lives and protect property
New NIBS study finds that adopting 2018 Intl. Codes generate $11 benefit for every $1 invested.
Codes and Standards | Jan 10, 2019
Ontario building first to achieve zero-carbon designation by Canada GBC
Geothermal heating, living wall among notable features.
Codes and Standards | Jan 9, 2019
Policymakers need to act to alleviate affordable housing crunch
Moody’s economist says costs including mortgage rates worsening situation.