Momentum Grows for Zero Carbon Buildings in Canada

Momentum is surging for carbon-neutral building designs and operations in Canada, as the number of projects that have registered for certification under the Canada Green Building Council’s (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building Standard (ZCB) have doubled in the past six months.

More than 220 building projects have registered for certification under the standard, which was established by GBC in 2017 and aims to eliminate accelerate retrofits aimed at reducing, then eliminating carbon emissions from building materials and operations.

“For years, [GBC] has focused on zero-carbon buildings in our standards, education, research, and advocacy. Now we are starting to see results, with more zero-carbon projects, more retrofit financing options, and more government programs and policies supporting a low-carbon building sector,” said Thomas Mueller, CAGBC’s CEO, in a statement.

“We can’t let this momentum slow in scaling the decarbonization of Canadian buildings by 2050 which will require a massive effort from across the building sector and all levels of government,” Mueller said.

The latest project to be certified to meet the standard is the new Co-operators headquarters in Guelph, Ontario, a 226K SF all-electric office building.

The design exceeds current code minimums, with 40% greater energy and greenhouse gas savings beyond the Ontario Building Code’s all-electric baseline, and 60% heating load reduction that surmounts the code-minimum for new offices.

A 282-kilowatt rooftop solar array will generate 9% of the total annual building energy consumption. Windows will tint automatically in the building, which also features a highly insulated and airtight design—as well as high-efficiency water source technology to recover and redistribute heat throughout the building.

Co-operators first became carbon neutral in 2020 and in 2021 announced its target to reach net zero emissions in its operations by 2040. By 2030, it aims to reduce its gross operational emissions by 45%.

Under the ZCB standard, a zero carbon building is a highly energy efficient building that produces onsite, or procures, carbon-free renewable energy–or “high-quality carbon offsets”—in an amount sufficient to offset the annual carbon emissions associated with building materials and operations.

The ZCB standard decarbonizes buildings on three tracks: by minimizing embodied carbon in building materials, reducing the energy demand of buildings and developing onsite renewable energy resources as well as storage facilities for renewable power.

It credits building developers with meeting ZBC targets in a two-stage carbon reduction strategy spanning the design and operation of the building. Offsite renewable energy, as well as carbon offsets, can be deployed to meet the standard.