The mayor of Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough wants Quebec's housing authority to speed up its plan to publish construction guidelines for green roofs. Housing authority Régie du bâtiment has yet to publish the standards. Without them, green roof projects in Montreal are subject to a six-month approval process.
Mayor Alan De Sousa says he has negotiated with developers to ensure that all new construction involves green roofs, and he wants the Régie du bâtiment to draft and publish its guidelines before that progress is lost. The current National Building Code of Canada does not include guidelines for green roofs. Each province is responsible for developing rules governing vegetative roofs.
Owen Rose, an architect and member of the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, says regulations are making it increasingly difficult to include green roofs on new projects. "We shouldn't be building green roofs for Florida hurricanes, San Francisco earthquakes and Japanese tsunamis; we're living in Montreal, we have to adapt to our local climate," Rose told CBC news.
Montreal has granted some exceptions for the construction of green roofs for certain developments, including buildings that are less than three stories, residences under nine units, and some small commercial buildings. But on taller residential buildings, the Régie du bâtiment has the final say.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 9, 2017
China claims top ranking outside of U.S. for total LEED-certified space
Canada, India, Brazil, and Korea round out top 5.
Codes and Standards | Jan 6, 2017
OSHA prompts more proactive approach to construction site safety
Remote operated camera systems are being used to mitigate risk in real time.
Codes and Standards | Jan 5, 2017
2018 building energy code upholds efficiency gains
Efforts to scale back efficiency requirements largely defeated.
Codes and Standards | Jan 4, 2017
Low-income housing doesn’t lower neighborhood housing values
A Trulia study contradicts longstanding fears.
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2017
Intelligent transportation systems have implications for designers, construction firms
Sensors and Internet of Things devices will have to be embedded in infrastructure.
Codes and Standards | Dec 15, 2016
OSHA releases safety recommendation guide for construction industry
It is said to be most helpful to small and mid-sized contractors.
Codes and Standards | Dec 14, 2016
Cities must invest $375 billion to avoid catastrophic global climate change
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group advocates low carbon infrastructure.
Codes and Standards | Dec 14, 2016
Resilient construction techniques pay for themselves over lifetime of buildings
Spending $340,000 for resiliency would pay for itself over the lifetime of a $10 million structure.
Codes and Standards | Dec 12, 2016
Dept. of Energy launches program to advance zero energy school design
Six school districts and two states are among the first to mainstream zero energy schools.
Codes and Standards | Dec 9, 2016
California city’s plan for net zero building includes net zero water usage
Santa Monica city services building aims for highest level of sustainability.
