Layman's Blog to Green Building

An important environmental issue with respect to construction that does not attract a lot of notoriety is that of bird-friendly construction bylaws. An advocacy group called FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) claims that in North America, a staggering ONE BILLION birds die each year from crashing into high-rise buildings. The group claims that an estimated 10 birds die per building per year; and with 950,000 registered buildings in the City of Toronto, there is the potential for those buildings to annually cause the death of over nine million birds. The problem with the buildings is glass reflection. Birds are unable to perceive images reflected in glass as reflections. Birds will fly into windows thinking that it is the sky, or a tree. FLAP estimates that at least one million birds die each year in Toronto alone, from window collisions. The Bird Friendly Guidelines in Toronto’s Green Standard outlines all of the rules that developers must meet to prevent the death of ...

On August 3, 2016, eleven of Canada’s leading building professionals and associations wrote to the Canadian government, advocating for recommendations that would improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The eleven organizations say that their proposed plan would reduce energy by 25-50% in 1/3 of Canadian buildings by 2030, and all new construction would be zero energy by that time. The signatories also advocated for the development of national energy codes for renovations of existing buildings, and reforming tax policy to stimulate investment in efficiency. The implementation of certain ‘energy efficient’ bylaws or updates is something that all construction industry professionals should be keeping an eye out for. The organizations claim that the energy consumption of buildings accounts for ¼ of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed recommendations align with climate change objectives and the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Naturally, if adopted, these recommen...

Today is Earth day...what are you doing for our earth? This is not a question we should ask once a year for Earth day. This is a question we should be asking every day. As caretakers of this earth, we need to leave it a better place for our children especially through our work. What is your company doing in 2016 for a sustainable Ontario? Other TCA members would like to know!  TCA's Environmental Committee has launched a "TCA Green Ambassador Program" where we will be showcasing (online) TCA members that are enjoying success and helping the environment at the same time. There many companies within our ranks that are using efficient, effective, and green products, operations, and practices that benefit their customers and the earth.  Please share your company’s best green initiative whether it is an internal practice, a product you sell, or simply the way you do business.  We will publishing stories online on our committee page - this months pr...

Envirotech Office Systems joined the TCA in January of 2015.  Caroline Sabourin attended the Environmental Committee meeting shortly after that and gained some great insight into how Envirotech can improve upon the promise of delivering sustainable office furniture to the end-user.  The committee spoke about their relationship with "Clean 50," run by Gavin Pitchford with Delta Management.  During a conference call after the event, Gavin offered further insight on the importance of, and how to get started with, implementing sustainability best practices in the workplace. We at Envirotech were encouraged by the support and information gained.  It helped us as we took the next steps towards developing a sustainability program here at Envirotech, with a goal to lower our carbon footprint.  Starting in May, post-graduate students at Niagara College's Environmental program will complete a waste audit at Envirotech, as well as conduct research on how to improve the...

By Marc McAree, Partner and Certified Environmental Law Specialist, with the assistance of Giselle Davidian, Student-at-Law. © Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP December 22, 2014 On September 23, 2014, the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) released its interlocutory decision in Rocha v Director, Ministry of the Environment. The ERT refused to issue a stay pending appeal of a Director’s Order issued to a mortgagee and advisor under section 157.3(5) of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA). The ERT found that it did not have jurisdiction to grant a stay of the work items set out in the Director’s Order. The ERT decided that even if it had jurisdiction to stay any of the work items, it would not exercise its discretion to do so. Mr. Rocha failed to demonstrate that it would suffer irreparable harm. The ERT held that the balance of convenience did not warrant a stay. Most interesting was the ERT’s finding that “where groundwater contamination is present and s...

When it comes time to put shovel in the ground on most Green Building projects, the greatest challenge can sometimes be the execution of the contract and subcontracts according the the specified design.  Knowing your contract documents and the language that governs the products, materials, and procedures to use can be overwhelming the first time around. Much like the development of a new building code ( See OBC 2012 ) Green Building standards can catch trade contractors off-guard, especially at the pricing stage.  Innocent looking specs on a product may not be caught at the bid stage, and product availability and cost can create huge headaches for contractors pricing projects aggressively in today's competitive environment. Here are some tips to avoid common estimating errors on Green Building Projects: Check the General Requirements (Division 1) Just about every Green Building Project will make it very clear in Division 01 that there are special product selection pro...

When we refer to integrated design, we are referring to a building that brings all design disciplines into balance so that the "optimized" building design can be found.  The traditional design approach would typically have mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, landscaping, and architectural elements designed in individual groups, then brought together for "coordination" of the design.  (e.g. shift this duct here, run your electrical services through this open space, increased beam depth on these members, add another catchbasin here, remove some shrubbery, or revise glazing locations).  When design elements are left to individual professionals, it is easy to consider mainly the scope of your own profession, with insufficient consideration being given to what sustainability trade offs other disciplines might have to make in order for you to meet your goal.  When a lack of coordination between the disciplines occurs, you can have disastrous results: (For Examp...