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As a boutique consulting firm specialized in the environmental sustainability of the built environment, we help organizations optimize the design, construction and operation of their building portfolio, and transition from a paradigm of focussing on reducing harmful effects to one of increasing positive impacts.

Mission

Our mission is to implement solutions that go beyond sustainability to create truly regenerative practices in building maintenance and construction.

Services

Sustainable Design Optimization of Alternatives

A general assessment of the resilience, social impact, environmental impact, wellness impact, and total cost of ownership is conducted for feasible design alternatives of the following systems:

  • Building structure (above grade and below grade);
  • Building envelope (insulation, glazing and finishes);
  • Site (services, finishes and landscaping);
  • Mobility (transportation and services);
  • HVAC;
  • Energy systems;
  • Water systems (stormwater, potable water and wastewater);
  • Building massing;
  • Lighting (natural and artificial);
  • Interior layouts and space use.

Passivhaus Design Analysis

  • Model project energy performance at critical milestones using PHPP;
  • Model thermal bridging elements;
  • Help guide building envelope design;
  • Provide gap analysis reports to the design team.

LEED v4 Certification Evaluation

  • Analyze project design at critical milestones as compared to the requirements of LEED v4 and v4.1 prerequisites and credits;
  • Identify guaranteed points, targeted points, points requiring clarifications, points at risk, and points that will not be pursued;
  • Provide gap analysis reports to the design team.

Whole-Building Life-Cycle Impact Analysis

  • Using the Revit models supplied by the design professionals, calculate the environmental impacts for a reference building as compared to the proposed design in accordance with the requirements of the LEED v4 credit ‘Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction’;
  • Evaluate the massing, structure and envelope design alternatives being proposed, based on normalized and weighted lifecycle impact analyses for the lifecycle stages:
    • Stage 1 – Raw Material Acquisition
    • Stage 2 – Manufacturing
    • Stage 3- Transportation (Distribution)
    • Stage 4 – Use (In-service/reuse/maintenance)
    • Stage 5 – End-of-Life (Recycle/Landfill)
    • Provide reports to the design team with WBLCIA results and guidance as to how to reduce the lifecycle impacts of the design.

WELL v2 Certification Evaluation

  • Analyze project design at critical milestones as compared to the requirements of WELL v2 preconditions and optimizations;
  • Identify guaranteed points, targeted points, points requiring clarifications, points at risk, and points that will not be pursued;
  • Provide gap analysis reports to the design team.

Zero Carbon Certification Evaluation

  • Analyze project design at critical milestones as compared to the CaGBC Zero Carbon and ILFI Zero Carbon certification requirements;
  • Provide gap analysis reports to the design team.

Tools & Publications

PHPP v9.6 Carbon Calculator Tool v1.1

A plugin for the Passive House Planning Package that calculates the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of insulation as compared to the operational greenhouse gas emissions of a given project modelled in PHPP v9.6.

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