Upcoming Build Sask Green Conference focuses on Zero Carbon Buildings

[Michael Nemeth]

Hi everyone,

Be sure to check out the agenda for the 2018 Building Saskatchewan Green Conference. To be held October 18 at the Remai Art Gallery in Saskatoon.

This year will focus on CaGBC's new Zero Carbon Building Standard. A quick read through shows that it borrows from the Passivhaus standard with Thermal Energy Demand Intensity, similar to Passivhaus' Space Heating Demand, in the units kWh/m². The requirement ranges from 30 to 40 kWh/m² per year depending on climate zone. 30 kWh/m² is equivalent to the Passive House Institute's Low Energy Building standard. I like how we're heading in the same direction and I think there's a lot we can learn from each other.

The Zero Carbon Building Standard has an added feature by considering embodied carbon, suggesting that free and straightforward tools like Athena can be used to optimize our material selections through life-cycle assessment.

I always look forward to the annual Build Sask Green meetup and I hope to see you there. 

I should also take the opportunity to let you know about the Passive House Canada Conference, this Nov 7-8 in Vancouver. I was at the last conference a couple years ago and found it was great to see what people were achieving with Passivhaus in Canada especially with the government support that exists in BC. I'm excited to see what this conference brings, knowing that many houses have now been built and Passivhaus is making its way into new building types in Canada: fire halls, high rises, affordable rental housing.

And, while I'm at it, there will be the first ever Saskatchewan Building Information Modelling conference on October 26. More information can be found at https://www.canbim.com/saskatchewan18

All the best,

Michael

Michael Nemeth | P.Eng., LEED AP

t: 306 292 6356 | www.brightbuildings.ca