Dive into ZCB at Building Lasting Change 2026

From June 17–19, the Canadian green building community will turn its attention to Montréal, where Building Lasting Change™ (BLC) will take place this year. For professionals working with Zero Carbon Building Standards (ZCB), BLC offers a rare opportunity to move beyond theory and into practical, peer-driven learning.

Sessions in the Technical Stream and National Industry Forums will explore the real-world application of ZCB — from understanding and managing transition risk through a reimagined ZCB-Performance program, to making early-stage design decisions that impact carbon, cost, and project performance. Attendees will also gain insight into scaling low-carbon housing through innovative retrofit approaches and learn how methods like life-cycle cost analysis can strengthen zero carbon decision-making across projects.

June 18: National Industry Forums

Reimagining ZCB-Performance for transition risk

Get a preview of a reimagined ZCB-Performance program designed to help the market better understand, manage and communicate transition risk. Program improvements will enhance disclosure and recognize the implementation of carbon transition plans—recognizing unique paths to decarbonized operations. Owners and stakeholders won’t want to miss the opportunity to learn how the program can support asset planning, risk mitigation, and futureproof existing buildings.

June 19: Technical Stream

Early Carbon Decisions Under LEED v5 and ZCB: What Teams Need to Know Before It’s Too Late

With Jason Packer, President and Principal, CIMA+ ; Ali Nazari, Executive Director, National Growth & Strategy, CIMA+

Using real project examples, presenters will show how teams can evaluate early design options across energy use, peak demand, operational and embodied carbon, and cost – and translate those results into clear, defensible decision logs that support LEED v5 submissions, ZCB-Design pathways, and owner approvals. The discussion will focus on practical workflows that reduce redesign cycles, improve coordination, and help teams build stronger business cases for high-performance outcomes.

Industrializing Deep Retrofits: Prefabrication, Partnerships, and Housing Decarbonization

With Graeme Stewart, ERA Architects

This session brings together leading practitioners across design, housing operations, and construction to explore how prefabricated, panelized retrofits are catalyzing a new era of low carbon building renewal. Using WoodGreen’s Net Zero 444 Logan Avenue retrofit as a case study – a project targeting a Zero Carbon Building – Design certification – panelists will discuss how industrialized construction and standardized methods reduce resident disruption, improve building performance, and streamline delivery. The Atmospheric Fund’s Keith Burrows will also guide dialogue on market transformation insights from national research and roundtables, highlighting the steps needed to build a robust ecosystem of manufacturing, financing, and workforce capacity.

Getting Carbon to Pencil: Unlocking Viable Low-Carbon Housing in a Volatile Market

With Scott Armstrong, Senior Associate, Entuitive; Kit Milnes, VP of Sustainability & Resilience, Kingsett Capital; Michelle Xuereb, Innovation Director, BDP Quadrangle; Jonathan Hendricks, Principal, Entuitive

This session will showcase Phase 1 of Valhalla Village and its developer-led, repeatable approach to delivering zero-carbon rental housing. Comprised of 10- and 29-storey rental towers with 390 units (40% of which considered affordable), it is targeting Zero Carbon Building – Performance and WiredScore certification. The team adopted an agile, data-driven approach, including prefabricated cladding, selective rejection of geothermal based on cost-benefit analysis, and two different structural systems within the same phase. From owner and consultant perspectives, the panel explores how integrated engineering, carbon analysis, envelope design, and energy modelling aligned with ZCB-Performance frameworks to reduce risk, improve cost certainty, and support scalable rental delivery.

Integrating ZCB v4 with Life Cycle Cost Analysis: Strengthening Zero Carbon Decisions Through Cost Informed Evaluation

With Aaditya Patel, Associate, Sustainability Consultant; Stantec Consulting Ltd. and Ghina Annan, Decarbonization Business Lead, Stantec Consulting Ltd.

This session will show how combining ZCB-Design v4 with life cycle cost analysis supports clear and transparent evaluation during early design. Through anonymized examples, participants will see how project teams can examine cost implications related to capital needs, operational profiles, maintenance strategies, equipment renewal, and end of life considerations. The emphasis is on supporting informed internal decision making and improving communication with owners, executives, and governance committees. The session focuses on enabling confident choices through structured analysis rather than forecasting financial outcomes.

See sustainability in action at BLC’s building tours.

Back by popular demand, our signature building tours take you inside some of Montréal’s high-performing buildings. Held on June 17 and 18, these tours offer a rare opportunity to explore projects that demonstrate how sustainability strategies perform in practice.

Earn while you learn

Part of the BLC program will be eligible for GBCI continuing education hours, supporting your professional development and credential maintenance.
Stay tuned for updates.

National Industry Forums sponsor

Technical Program Stream sponsors