Additions and attached buildings added to Zero Carbon Building Standard
- Rating System/Standard
- Zero Carbon Building
- Theme
- Zero Carbon
The Canada Green Building Council continues to accelerate zero carbon building adoption by adapting its standard to include even more buildings.
A recent addendum to the Zero Carbon Building Standard v2 (ZCB Standard) now allows for the certification of additions and attached buildings and provides allowances for buildings in climate zones 7 and 8 as well as those with unique heating or ventilation loads.
From the beginning, CaGBC’s ZCB Standard was intended to create pathways for both new and existing buildings to reach zero carbon.Canada has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to do that, building sector must play a significant role.If the target is to be reached, every building design and retrofit project must target zero carbon now.
These updates to the ZCB Standard change nothing for projects currently pursuing either Zero Carbon Building Standard – Design or Zero Carbon Building Standard – Performance certification.Rather, they maintain the Standard’s focus on rigour while providing the flexibility needed to get even more buildings to zero.
What’s different?
ZCB-Performance and ZCB-Design may be used to evaluate the efficiency and low-carbon design of entire buildings, as well as newly constructed additions and attached buildings.These additions and attached buildings are subjected to additional criteria.
Under ZCB-Design, additional energy requirement flexibility is available for buildings in climate zone 7 or 8, or buildings with unique heating or ventilation loads, such as labs, commercial kitchens, pools or gymnasiums.Projects must still meet the site energy use intensity improvement target regardless of which thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) requirements are followed.
Getting more buildings to zero
These changes to the ZCB Standard ensure that even more buildings can work towards zero carbon.The allowances for buildings with unique heating or ventilation loads is especially significant for municipalities interested in taking advantage of federal funding through Infrastructure Canada’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
Announced earlier this year, the Green and Inclusive program earmarks $1.5 billion to build more community buildings and improve existing ones while also making the buildings more energy efficient, lower carbon, more resilient, and higher performing.
New building projects hoping to leverage this funding will need to be built to zero carbon standards or built to be net-zero carbon ready.Infrastructure Canada is leveraging the ZCB Standard to help these projects achieve their zero-carbon aspirations.
For more information on these changes, download ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance.