Climate change poses challenges for building professionals tasked with the job of protecting structures from water damage. By becoming a part of the concrete, crystalline admixtures remove the need for a waterproofing membrane.
The National Research Council Canada (NRC) is working to integrate climate resiliency into building and infrastructure design, guides, and codes. In this article, the authors present a framework for climate-resilient design of commercial roofs that will become part of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) A123.26, Performance Requirements for Climate Resilience of Low Slope Membrane Roofing Systems.
Some of the United Kingdom’s most influential architects have joined efforts to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency. Leading architects, including Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Rogers Stirk Harbour, have united as the group called Architects Declare.
Architects can integrate solar arrays into building designs instead of adding them as an afterthought. As solar photovoltaic (PV) technology matures and design options expand, everything from the colour of frames to the tint of the glass can be selected.
Climate change is moving forward. Therefore, one must construct buildings to resist its consequences. Horizontally and vertically integrated hybrid insulated walls can meet various performance criteria, including added wind resilience and fire safety.
Government institutions are increasingly recognizing the role the Passive House standard can play in effectively reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are beginning to introduce it into their requirements and codes for all types of new buildings. British Columbia is leading the way.
The federal government is investing $35,000 in a project at Carleton University aiming to help the construction industry design more energy efficient and high-performing buildings. This project will study and model occupant behavioural patterns to better predict building energy consumption and find new methods to reduce it.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will provide $1.3 million toward a new $43.5-million community centre in Surrey, B.C., cited to be North America’s first and the world’s largest community centre built according to the Passive House standard.
A Carleton University student is one of the winners of the INNOVATION 2030/Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten for Students design competition. The winning projects embraced this year’s challenge of carbon-neutral design while also addressing climate change adaptability and resilience in the built environment.
Climate change is already having an effect on communities across Canada. Some are facing increased droughts; others, more intense storms. Weather-related emergencies like heat waves, flooding, and forest fires are on the rise.
