Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2023 i Sustainable Architecture & Building

Our annual Passive House issue is an opportunity to showcase the progress we are making in reducing the consumption of operating energy and (in the case of renovations) conserving the embodied energy of existing buildings. As energy prices increase, Passive House performance is also seen as helping address affordability – but what more can we do? One answer lies in the methodology of regenerative design, which goes beyond harm reduction to enhance the quality and resilience of the physical, environmental and social context of our buildings. Our practice article describing the data driven approach to design, recognizes the integrated and interdependent nature of the ecological and social systems that support all life – but, again, what more can we do? One answer lies in our Viewpoint article that investigates the…

We are in overlapping climate, housing, and affordability crises and we must turn to the construction industry to help build and retrofit our way out. But would you turn to an industry that has been notoriously slow to digitize, lagging almost every other sector? Whose productivity underperformed the rest of the economy? What if I told you that the tides are turning, and the construction industry is on the brink of a technological revolution that could redefine our approach to sustainable, high-performance buildings? THE LONG OVERDUE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION In 2016, McKinsey ranked the construction industry as second last to digitize, only ahead of agriculture. For two decades, global labour-productivity growth in construction averaged a mere one percent a year, compared to 2.8 percent for the world economy and 3.6 percent…

INTRODUCTION The objective of this research project was to better understand the feasibility of granting legal personhood to the Fraser River Estuary. The resultingreport seeks to provide an overview of the key legal pathways towards recognition of nature as a rights- bearing legal subject. We examined case studies from jurisdictions across the world alongside the current state of Canada and British Columbia's environmental law regime to determine which legal pathways are the most feasible to accord the Fraser River Estuary legal rights and recognition. PROJECT CONTEXT As the largest river in western Canada and one of the most productive salmon-bearing rivers in the world, the Fraser River is a critically important ecosystem and economic driver for the region. The Fraser River Estuary, located at the mouth of the river where…

Let's be honest - to handle large projects from start to finish, architects need excellent project management skills. Because encountering challenges during any architectural design project, regardless of size, is pretty much guaranteed. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is relaunching its highly popular Project Management Courses in response to demand. These in-person courses provide both project management knowledge in the context of architectural practice as well as prepare participants for the Project Management Institute's PMP® certification exam. To manage design projects effectively, architects need expertise, experience, and the ability to proactively address potential issues to avoid expensive mistakes and prolonged timelines. Communication is also critical to the process and can be improved using userfriendly software tools to facilitate discussions with stakeholders, team members, and clients. RAIC project management…

Located in an established single-family neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver, this project takes advantage of recent zoning changes to create an energy efficient duplex, with lock-off suites, combining thermal efficiency and spatial flexibility, within an architectural expression that is both minimalist and contextual. The project goes beyond the basic concerns of Passive House certification for energy efficiency and indoor air quality to embrace broader community issues of affordability and aging in place. In Vancouver, where land comes at a premium, splitting the cost of land and construction between two families, while also creating income generating rental suites, made the dream of building a custom Passive House a reality for our clients. We capitalized on the City of Vancouver's floor area incentives, which encourage Passive House construction by compensating…

1. Kearns Mancini had completed some Passive House projects previously, but why did you recommend Passive House construction for this project? Beyond energy efficiency, KMAI sees Passive House as a pathway to resiliency and social equity. During early client presentations on what Passive House can do, the client noticed that their core values and strategic priorities aligned perfectly with Passive House goals, and that is what got things rolling. KMAI worked with the client to provide the information necessary to secure environmental and energy incentives. In the end, the client embraced the benefits of Passive House design. 2. What drew you to use all precast concrete construction as opposed to other materials? The client wanted a building that was robust, both physically and aesthetically. They also wanted a factorybuilt solution…

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