Topic
Green Construction
UBC study looks to strengthen rammed earth construction
April 24, 2018 by Jillian MorganCompressed soil, or rammed earth, is the focus of a study out of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan campus. The use of soil as a construction material may offer a reduction in costs and energy consumption, according to…
Nova Scotia’s CarbonCure Technologies named finalist in $20M competition
April 10, 2018 by Jillian MorganNova Scotia-based CarbonCure Technologies has been named one of ten finalists in the global $20 million NRG Cosia Carbon Xprize. Carbon Xprize challenges competitors to convert CO2 emissions into valuable products. CarbonCure’s technology converts carbon dioxide into concrete. The competition…
Quebec funds green infrastructure projects in Montreal
March 27, 2018 by Jillian MorganThe Quebec government will provide $20.5 million in funding to the City of Montreal for green infrastructure projects in the Technopôle Angus green neighbourhood. This contribution will help meet the total costs of green infrastructure, estimated at nearly $40 million,…
From the editor: Hurray for the red, white… and green
March 13, 2018 Rob BlackstienAs a I dragged my butt out of bed at 2:40 in the morning last month to watch an Olympic hockey game taking place on the other side of the planet, my mind drifted… as it is wont to do…
Ontario homebuilder to construct Canada’s first net-zero office building
February 14, 2018 by Jillian MorganMarkham, Ont.-based Howland Green Homes announced plans to construct the first net positive (net-zero) energy office building in Canada. A net-zero building generates its own energy needs through renewable on-site or remote power generation. The Howland Green Business Centre will…
Low carbon fuel study to be conducted at Lafarge Canada cement plant
January 11, 2018 by Jillian MorganA $1 million study on the environmental benefits of low carbon fuels will be conducted at a Lafarge Canada cement plant in Exshaw, Alta. The study is in partnership with the University of Calgary, Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and…
EllisDon in partnership with U of T acquires $2.4M in funding for Carbon Accounting Tool
January 9, 2018 EllisDonEllisDon, in partnership with the University of Toronto, has successfully secured a $2.4-million grant through the TargetGHG Collaborative R&D program to develop a Carbon Accounting Tool. The program is supported by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Natural Sciences…
2018 forecast: green infrastructure sprouting up
December 14, 2017 Saul ChernosWith scientists forecasting increasingly turbulent weather, builders developers and governments can expect heightened pressure in 2018 to green their infrastructure. The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, for instance, is developing new measures for stormwater run-off volume control. “It…
Lafarge files application for industrial approval
November 29, 2017 Government of Nova ScotiaLafarge Canada Inc. has filed an application for an industrial approval to use tires as a low-carbon fuel. The project is a one-year pilot for one of the company’s kilns in Brookfield, Colchester Co. It requires both an environmental assessment…
Bauma selects Canada as official partner country for 2019 show
November 21, 2017 by Corinne LyndsBauma, the world’s largest trade show for the international construction machinery, mining equipment, and building material machinery sectors, has named Canada as its official partner country for the April 2019 show. According to organizers Canada was chosen to “reflect the…
CaGBC helps kickstart Canada’s low-carbon economy with opening of Zero Carbon Building Program registration
October 31, 2017 CaGBCOTTAWA, ON – Today, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is opening public registration for Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Program, which provides third-party verification of compliance for zero carbon design and performance. This world-class Standard positions Canada as…
Lethbridge College opens Trades Innovation Centre
September 28, 2017 On-Site MagazineTORONTO – A greatly expanded trades and technologies centre opened Sept. 29 at Lethbridge College. At close to 170,000 square feet, the new facility designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Sahuri + Partners is one of the largest…
CaGBC announces Greenest School in Canada winner
September 27, 2017 CaGBCOttawa, ON – The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the Canada Coalition for Green Schools announced today that Amber Trails Community School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the winner of the annual CaGBC Greenest School in Canada competition. Located in…
Boehmers uses captured CO2 to make stronger concrete blocks
September 7, 2017 Nate HendleyBoehmers is a concrete block producer in Cambridge, Ont. with a new, carbon-dioxide (CO2) infused product said to be great for the environment and superior to traditional concrete blocks. The company has been selling the Carboclave block, as the product…
Carbon pricing alone can’t meet Canada’s GHG emission reduction targets
September 6, 2017 Conference Board of CanadaOTTAWA – Carbon pricing will help Canada reduce emissions but the reductions will fall short of the government’s goal of a 30 per cent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030, according to a joint report by The Conference Board of Canada and The Canadian Academy of Engineering. Trillions of…
Canada’s existing buildings hold key to climate targets
September 5, 2017 Pembina InstituteVANCOUVER and TORONTO — Governments at all levels in Canada are moving toward requiring new homes and buildings to be constructed to low-carbon, ultra energy-efficient standards by 2030. But Canada still lacks a comprehensive strategy to achieve the significant reductions…
Report: Meeting Canada’s climate change goals will create a boom in construction jobs
August 17, 2017 by Corinne LyndsThe Columbia Institute released a landmark study: Jobs for Tomorrow – Canada’s Building Trades and Net Zero Emissions. Commissioned by Canada’s Building Trades Unions, this study explores the historic role of Canada’s construction industry and potential for low-carbon economy job growth as…
Canada leads with more than 100 LEED v4 registrations
August 1, 2017 CaGBCOTTAWA, ON – The Canadian green building movement is at the forefront of the global green building industry, with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announcing today that the country has now surpassed 100 LEED v4 registrations, representing over 681,000…
Ontario’s first tall wood institutional building is to be constructed on the George Brown College campus
July 27, 2017 George Brown CollegeTORONTO – Continuing its leadership in the evolution of green and sustainable building methods, George Brown College plans to construct the province’s first Tall Wood institutional building. The planned 12-storey, carbon neutral facility will be home to a Tall Wood Building Research Institute.…
VIDEO: RDH senior building science specialist John Straube on the thermal performance of buildings
July 25, 2017 RDH Building Science LaboratoriesIn a series of three short videos, RDH principal and senior building science specialist John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., talks about the key early design decisions that drive energy performance, the paths to code compliance, and the impact of thermal bridging…