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 | Jul 8, 2020
Standards for reducing risk of COVID-19 in senior living communities
AIA releases strategies and illustrations for the sector.
Codes and Standards | Jul 6, 2020
Guide presents benefits of public-private partnerships
Discusses process from project conception to construction.
Codes and Standards | Jul 1, 2020
COVID-19 public health guidelines may be downplaying building systems solutions
Emphasis on cleaning surfaces overlooks importance of mechanical infrastructure.
Codes and Standards | Jun 30, 2020
WELL building institute steps up health safety rating for hotels and resorts
Certification body forms advisory group of industry leaders and health experts.
Codes and Standards | Jun 30, 2020
7 must reads for the AEC industry today: June 30, 2020
Affordable housing comes to the Bay Area and this is not the end of cities.
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2020
Mandated building retrofits are necessary to meet climate crisis
Performance standards could greatly reduce GHG emissions.
Codes and Standards | Jun 29, 2020
New buildings can fall short of designed performance
Similar structures can produce different energy usage results.
Codes and Standards | Jun 25, 2020
Arc offers tools, analytics for safe workplace re-entry
Platform helps sustainability teams to collect data, benchmark progress, measure impact, and improve performance.
Codes and Standards | Jun 24, 2020
New API enables design and construction technology platforms to connect
Construction Specifications Institute offers “digital classification engine.”
Codes and Standards | Jun 23, 2020
State lawmakers encouraging transition to heat pumps for building heating
Policies aim to replace gas heaters with electric units.