📈 Passive House rising

Together with

Good morning! Turn the volume up. Last week was the 65th Grammy Awards which saw artists like Lizzo, Bonnie Ratt, Adele and others take home statues. Hopefully your day is going better than Ben Affleck’s. His deep frown while watching the awards show caused headlines around the globe.

This probably won’t cheer Ben up, but researching Passive House projects always puts a smile on my face. Keep reading to learn about one of the first Passive House projects in the country.

- Russell Hixson, editor

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 10:00 PM ET Feb 6th.

Economy: Storm clouds are forming for big tech giants like Apple, Amazon and Alphabet. The companies all announced disappointing first-quarter earnings for 2023. This is only the latest bad news for big tech as layoffs have been sweeping the sector for months.

THE BIG STORY

Passive House pushes the envelope

What it is: Passive House is considered to be the most rigorous voluntary energy-based standard in the design and construction industry today.

How it started in Canada: In 1977, the Saskatchewan Conservation House, an early example of Passive Housing construction in Canada, was born. It produced research that showed modern Passive House methods can create a structure that used 85% less energy than an average 1970s home.

How it’s going: Modern projects are bigger. Much bigger. The $43.5-million Clayton Community Centre in Surrey, B.C. is the first community centre to be certified in North America and is the largest Passive House facility in Canada. The 76,000 square-foot facility has reduced its carbon emissions by 98%.

Why it matters: According to the United Nations, buildings generate 38% of all energy-related greenhouse gas, making them a priority for climate change mitigation efforts.

Who is doing it: Some of the same names pop up a lot when going through Passive House Canada records, including Lanefab, Passive House 43 Architecture, Cornerstone Architecture, EllisDon, Invizij Architects, and Integral Group. See a list of some of the latest and greatest Passive House projects being built in the country here.

Where it’s headed: Vancouver’s CURV tower, scheduled for completion in 2027, would be will be the tallest passive house structure in the world at 60 storeys. It would create a total of 501 homes.

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

💰 As the Bank of Canada has bumped up interest rates to combat inflation, homeowners are growing worried that they won’t be able to pay their mortgages. According to a survey of 1,920 homeowners, roughly one in three said they won't be able to handle higher rates for long before they are forced to sell their homes.

💡 A majority of B.C. residents endorse the expansion of LNG projects, a new poll suggests. In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 55% of residents said they support the provincial allowing for further LNG development. The research also found that 43% of residents are in favour of allowing nuclear power (small modular reactors) for electricity generation while 40% disagree.

🌎 CO2 captured via direct air capture (DAC) has been permanently stored in concrete for the first time in a demonstration project led by Nova Scotia-based CarbonCure Technologies and Heirloom. The best is that the carbon won’t return to the atmosphere, even if the concrete is demolished.

💧Vancouver is moving forward with plans to invest in water infrastructure. City officials have approved a 70% increase in investments in sewer and drainage systems totalling $656 million over the next four years. The plan is meant to address pollution from combined sewer overflows and rainwater runoff, renew aging infrastructure, enable housing and growth, and respond to climate change.

SPONSORED BY GB GROUP

Going green one bin at a time

Got bins? Well then you got trees. Vancouver-based construction waste disposal company GB Group started back in 2004 with just one truck and 20 bins. Now they have 18 roll-up trucks, roughly 400 bins in all shapes and sizes, and about 35 employees.

The family business is helping reduce the industry’s carbon footprint with a new initiative. For every GB bin a client uses, a tree will be planted. And it’s not just trees. GB’s planting partner analyzes forests to determine exactly what is are needed and plants accordingly. Learn more about GB Group’s sustainability efforts and the family business in our Q&A with Tyler VanderHoek, the company’s chief operating officer.

Call GB Group today at 604-468-2467 to get started.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Toronto towers envision future with fewer cars

Driving change: A five-tower development planned for Toronto is highlighting the need to rethink car dealerships in dense urban areas. The development’s towers range from 13 to 49 storeys, with 1,846 housing units is proposed for a 278,000-square-foot site at the intersection of Leslie Street and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto. The site currently serves as a Lexus and Toyota dealership but Rowntree Enterprises, the site’s lead developer, told the Globe and Mail that the car dealership industry is changing, making large dealership properties less necessary. The project, designed by BDP Quadrangle, is still years away from becoming a reality, but officials believe projects like it could signal a shift away from car dependence.

PROJECT UPDATES

Peter and Adelaide tower tops off in Toronto

Metro Vancouver sees 20 development projects with towers over 45 storeys

TransPod reveals station locations for Alberta high speed rail project

Tree removal causes controversy for Ontario Line work

Concrete poured at Langford post secondary school in B.C.

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

LISTEN: 🎧These are the podcasts construction leaders listen to

TWEET: 🌿 The International Forest Stadium concept absorbs CO2

READ: 💸 Don’t hold your breath for cheaper construction costs

LINKEDIN: 🤖 ChatGPT launches a subscription service for peak use times

READ: 🎻 Toronto architects break the acoustic curse at NYC’s David Geffen Hall

SWAG EXCHANG

🧦 When we asked Sanjeev Dillon, director of member & stakeholder engagement at ICBA, where to send his SiteNews socks he said don’t bother. He had a better idea. We met up in person and did a historic exchange of fashion - two socks for one shirt. Thanks, for the support, Sanjeev!

Get your pair by referring five subscribers using the link below and who knows, we might deliver in person to you too! 🚚

Here's to a great rest of the week!