Green Products & Technologies

benchmarking

Why benchmarking small buildings still matters

While building codes and standards help regulate efficiency in new buildings, existing buildings have been operating with little oversight and, in fact, no insight at all into how energy and water was being used in our cities.
Condo design

Condo design takes cue from commercial facilities

Designers and developers foresee a greater turn towards health and wellness in the condo design of tomorrow.
climate change

Are condos prepared for climate change?

While many condos haven’t yet experienced the major effects of climate change, statistics and case studies foreshadow the impacts that could come.
surety association

Smart buildings harnessed for pandemic response

While climate change may have slipped somewhat from people’s consciousness and priorities right now, it’s noteworthy that the pandemic and climate crises are both problems of exponential growth against a limited capacity to cope.
LEED Platinum

Energy efficiency powers condo to LEED Platinum

Perched on the edge of the waterfront, south of the Distillery District near Sugar Beach, Toronto’s first LEED Platinum high-rise condo stands in the Bayside
environmental approvals

Friendlier CHP environmental approvals welcome

It's still unclear how the process of securing environmental approvals for combined heat and power systems will be streamlined, but the Ontario government's recent pledge has been greeted enthusiastically in the buildings sector.
wood-frame development

T.O.’s debut six-storey wood-frame development

Heartwood the Beach Condos, due to enter construction this spring, is likely to become Toronto’s debut six-storey wood-frame development.

Energy-efficient glass in the “battle for the wall”

Since the introduction of legislation, like the Ontario Building Code’s SB-10 supplementary standard for large buildings and the B.C. Clean Energy Act, what once was
flooding

Green roof benefits for buildings

Green roof benefits include better air quality, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved storm water management and economic advantages.

Accommodating electric vehicles in condos

Installing electric vehicle-charging stations during construction is straightforward, but retrofitting existing properties can be a challenge.

Electric cars have developers charged up

As electric vehicles become more popular, the building industry is starting to look at how it can accommodate ...

Capitalizing on solar’s gain

The process of adding solar panels to a building's roof or adjacent land can be made much simpler and less expensive than what is probably thought.
LED light

LED lighting retrofit

To get the greatest value out of a LED lighting retrofit, ask about a manufacturer’s product testing, quality control and sustainability practices.
solar

Green from the outside-in

There has been an incredible explosion of products and services available to those looking to create environmentally advanced buildings. Here is an update on innovative green products for the building exterior.

The resurgence of linoleum

Linoleum flooring fell into decline in the post-war era after the invention of vinyl flooring, which was cheaper and faster to produce and available in a wider range of colours. But as interest in sustainability and life cycle costing has grown ...
REMI

Building automation can save energy

Energy efficiency in highrise multi-residential buildings can be achieved through a variety of retrofits. However, one method that is often overlooked is ...
REMI

Saying goodbye to T12 fluorescents

Since the first Canadian energy efficiency regulation that phased out a handful of inefficient general service fluorescent lamps (GSFL) was introduced in 1995, there has been steady progress in the availability of more efficient lighting solutions ...