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
| Nov 10, 2011
Senate ready to repeal 3% withholding on government contracts
The U.S. Senate is set to approve legislation that would eliminate a law requiring federal, state, and local governments to withhold 3% of their payments to contractors and companies doing business with the government.
| Nov 10, 2011
New legislation aimed at improving energy efficiency in federal buildings
Recently introduced legislation, the “High-Performance Federal Buildings Act,” would help federal agencies save energy and money by improving building performance.
| Nov 4, 2011
CSI and ICC Evaluation Service agree to reference GreenFormat in ICC-ES Environmental Reports?
ICC-ES currently references CSI's MasterFormat and other formats in all of its evaluation reports. The MOU will add GreenFormat references.
| Nov 3, 2011
House Votes to Kill 3% Withholding Requirement; Senate Yet to Vote
The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to repeal a 3% IRS withholding tax on businesses that do work for the government.
| Nov 3, 2011
OSHA Publishes Information on Rights and Safety
OSHA recently published new and revised information that explains workers’ and employers’ rights, as well as how to protect workers from hazards in the construction industry.
| Nov 3, 2011
Sierra Club Critical of Albuquerque Mayor’s Push to Weaken Green Code
The mayor’s plan to move to a less environmentally friendly code would mean confusion for people in the construction industry and a loss of energy efficiency and money for consumers, said Shrayas Jatkar of the Sierra Club.
| Nov 3, 2011
Lax Code Enforcement Blamed for Deaths in Turkey’s Earthquake
Despite tough safety codes approved a decade ago after earthquakes killed 18,000 people, lax enforcement led to hundreds of deaths after a recent earthquake in Turkey.
| Nov 3, 2011
International Green Construction Code Will Provide Template for Local Codes
A uniform code for green construction is being readied for publication in March.
| Oct 31, 2011
NIST issues new code requirements
Buildings taller than 420 feet are now required to include an extra exit stairwell or a specially designed elevator that occupants can use for evacuations.
| Oct 28, 2011
Los Angeles County mulling building codes for improving health
An ordinance would amend county building codes to promote better walking environments, encourage more bicycling, improve access to healthy foods (farmers markets, community gardens), and enhance project review requirements to ensure that developers include healthy-lifestyle components in their building plans.
