{"id":12536,"date":"2023-02-01T04:37:57","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T12:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/climate-and-construction-carbon-neutrality-the-new-gold-standard-for-buildings-and-infrastructure\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T04:37:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T12:37:59","slug":"climate-and-construction-carbon-neutrality-the-new-gold-standard-for-buildings-and-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/climate-and-construction-carbon-neutrality-the-new-gold-standard-for-buildings-and-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate and Construction: Carbon neutrality \u2014 The new gold standard for buildings and infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Net-zero energy (NZE) entered the lexicon of residential and commercial construction several years ago. In simple terms, NZE means successfully designing and constructing a building that creates at least as much renewable energy as it consumes.<\/p>\n

NZE ultimately means reducing GHG emissions, including carbon. It also assumes building operations are mostly electrified to reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels like natural gas.<\/p>\n

Energy efficiency efforts such as NZE are important but are only part of the full carbon story. As outlined in a recent column<\/a>, decarbonizing the built environment also means addressing the carbons associated with the building process itself from construction through to demolition and beyond.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a matter of the changing balance between operational and embodied carbons in terms of the total emissions associated with a building over its whole life. As operational energy emissions are reduced, the proportion of the embodied carbons, represented by everything that went into creating it, increases.<\/p>\n

Structures built with this understanding in mind are referred to as carbon neutral.<\/p>\n

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STATERA GROUP \u2014 The La Forest-Quebec proposal is an integrated complex of rental units and supporting commercial activities, built with the objective of achieving carbon neutrality.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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An accepted definition for a carbon neutral building is offered<\/a> by Swedish-based international design firm White Arkitekter.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreenhouse gas emissions are minimized at all stages, including the manufacturing processes, during construction and during use. The emissions that occur are balanced by climate-positive initiatives so that the net carbon footprint over time is zero,\u201d the firm states. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Realization of carbon-neutrality can take different forms that go beyond mere aspirations, illustrated by two breakthrough projects, one in Qu\u00e9bec City and one in Toronto.<\/p>\n

A private sector consortium consisting of designers Salem Architecture and R\u00e9gis C\u00f4t\u00e9 et associ\u00e9s, structural engineering firm Groupe Statera, and construction project managers Alaroy, have announced their intention to build Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s first large-scale carbon neutral building beginning later this year. When completed, the La Forest-Qu\u00e9bec project will include over 300 rental units, a hotel, shops and restaurants in a complex of towers from seven to 15-storeys.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Constantin, formerly of Qu\u00e9bec construction firm Pomerleau and now president of Statera, told La Presse<\/a> La Forest will bring today\u2019s available technical and analysis tools together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to improve the process and bring it, thanks to the synergy between different technologies, to be deployed in industry, so that carbon-neutral buildings will be the norm in 15 to 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed the cost premium of building to high certification standards is now near-negligible.<\/p>\n

This determination is echoed by Jos\u00e9e Lupien, president of sustainable building consultancy Vertima, who joins the team to help with various certification processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the design, the operational carbon will also be examined, in relation to the energy performance of the building,\u201d she told La Presse.\u00a0\u201cThe performance of the envelope, solar gains, natural ventilation will, for example, be evaluated, while considering the viability of the project in order to establish a strategy.\u00a0We don\u2019t want to pretend to do things.\u00a0We cannot make a building without carbon.\u00a0You have to operate it, you have to build it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the University of Toronto\u2019s downtown St. George campus, a very different project called Landmark is already underway, but one that shares the same goal of carbon neutrality.<\/p>\n

A large asphalt parking lot is being removed to be replaced with a new green space. But what lies underneath is truly significant.<\/p>\n

Yes, there will be some new underground parking available. However, it\u2019s a small trade-off. More importantly, the project has presented the opportunity to decarbonize the heating and cooling systems of the university\u2019s surrounding buildings using the Earth\u2019s below-ground natural heat, an engineering practice known as geo-exchange.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excavating over 350 boreholes, 240-metres deep,\u201d said Ron Saporta, the University\u2019s CEO of property services and sustainability. \u201cWith the help of heat pumps, we can use these to store excess heat underground in the summer and retrieve it in the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated Landmark will eliminate 15,000 tonnes of CO2<\/sub> from the campus\u2019 footprint while providing pathways and gardens to encourage conversation, study and relaxation.<\/p>\n

John Bleasby is a Coldwater, Ont.-based freelance writer. Send comments and Climate and Construction column ideas to\u00a0ed****<\/span>@*****************<\/span>ws.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n