The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) recently launched the first phase of its Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative.
The new framework is a precursor to the launch of a Zero Carbon Building Standard in spring 2017. Canada is striving to develop more lower-carbon commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases by 30% by 2030.
The Zero Carbon Buildings Framework establishes five key components for evaluating building carbon footprints:
• Greenhouse gas intensity metric for assessing a building’s emissions taking into account regional emissions factors
• Energy intensity metrics to incentivize design of highly efficient, reliable, and resilient buildings
• Peak energy demand metric to encourage the use of peak-shaving measures
• Embodied carbon metric to recognize importance of building material lifecycle impacts
• Requirement that renewable energy be generated on-site or procured directly
Upcoming phases of the Zero Carbon Initiative will include the identification of specific pathways to zero carbon, a zero carbon building pilot program, and the development of a verification program.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 21, 2016
Green Bond Guidelines for the Real Estate Sector updated
The market growth is a signal of future opportunities.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
What top-ranked energy efficiency states are doing right on codes, utility mandates
Calif., and Mass., use aggressive targets to lead nation.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
New cross-laminated timber fire tests back proponents of high-rise wood structures
'Demonstrating for the first time the feasibility of tall mass timber buildings in the U.S.’
Codes and Standards | Oct 14, 2016
ASCE issues first tsunami-safe building standards
The new standards will become part of international building code.
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2016
Making concrete greener
The high energy-consuming material can be made more sustainably.
Codes and Standards | Oct 11, 2016
Historic preservation moving beyond saving grand old buildings
National Trust for Historic Preservation CEO says the focus is on saving cities, not just buildings
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
Los Angeles voters will decide whether high-density developments should be harder to build
A March vote on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative would put 2-year ban on zoning changes
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
New sustainable landscape development and management credential launched
GBCI offered the first testing opportunity Oct. 3 at Greenbuild
Codes and Standards | Oct 6, 2016
Obama administration will spend $80 million for smart cities initiatives
The technology is targeted for climate, transportation, resiliency.
Codes and Standards | Oct 6, 2016
New York City files criminal charges on owner for deadly building façade accident
The owner allegedly did not heed warning about danger of the crumbling exterior.
