Sustainable Buildings Canada

A message from the Executive Director:

Let me take a minute to introduce you to Sustainable Buildings Canada, Canada’s only label-neutral voice for improving the energy and environmental performance of new and existing buildings in Canada. In this our 7th year of operation, our new initiatives build on our core strengths and principles, including our long-time focus on education and training, our integrated design practices, and our uniquely un-biased perspective on labels and software for improving the environmental performance of buildings.

SBC Breakfast - June 3rd, 2009:
Delivered Performance

Stephen Carpenter
President, Enermodal Engineering

While LEED buildings have been proven to save energy, water, and resources, typically they do not live up to their predicted efficiency potential. To address this common criticism of green buildings and LEED, Enermodal looked at its best performing buildings to see what they had in common in order to replicate this success.

The study found that Enermodal projects that used the full range of its green building services (including commissioning and measurement and verification) performed about 13% better in terms of energy savings than other buildings that only used its LEED consulting and energy analysis services.

The result is "Delivered Performance" a new service that not only encourages better performing buildings (46% of the energy use of a traditional Canadian office building), but turns the traditional pricing system for LEED consultants on its head.

This talk covers the study findings, including key building case studies and hard data, and how commonly discussed, but poorly understood services like commissioning can increase building efficiency.

Download the presentation - June 3, 2009

Harbourfront Centre Charrette, Toronto, April 2009

Harbourfront Centre is committed to transforming its 10 acre site into a green district on Toronto’s waterfront. As part of its core operations, the organization wishes to explicitly adopt principles and practices throughout the organization that are inherently green and sustainable.

As part of this effort, HFC contacted Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) to assist in developing a sustainability Vision Statement, and ultimately in developing and delivering an Integrated Design Charrette that would bring together a variety of green building specialists including architects, mechanical, electrical and structural engineers, experts in costing lighting, building envelope, renewable energy, and environmental marketing and program management.

Harbourfront Centre (HFC) buildings and property are a central part of Toronto’s public realm. The greening of an important space such as HFC is not only significant because of the direct environmental impacts and the improved performance of its own facilities, but because it represents a unique opportunity to engage, educate and inspire the public in the process.

Full Report (PDF).