AGING BUILDING AND THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY: OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS.
Good opportunities arise when several trends come together in a way that creates opportunities that would otherwise
not be possible. Other combinations of trends are the aging of commercial buildings and facilities in need of
re-investment, the rapid growth of greenhouse gas emissions, and the dramatic
advances in recent years of design techniques and technologies available to build energy savings and electrification.
Working at the crossroads of these three approaches and focusing on the establishment of Canadian government buildings
in the Canadian capital, SSG, what about? Technologies, along with the
Rocky Mountain Institute, have found that investing in older buildings can significantly reduce carbon emissions while
significantly reducing energy costs and creating thousands of jobs.
Most of the 2,200 Canadian government buildings in the Ottawa area are over 40 years old. Wrapping up the restoration of
energy efficiency, renewable energy, and regional energy systems in planned development provides a unique opportunity
for climate action and renewal.
The age profile of government buildings in the Ottawa area represents a significant portion of the commercial and
institutional building stock throughout North America. Altogether 70% of the portfolio is over 40 years old; more
ground floor space was added in the 1970s than in all the decades since then.
These buildings are due for renewal; indeed, budget pressures have resulted in inadequate maintenance investments over
the years, and over 40% of the federal building inventory is in poor or critical condition. Another 22% is in fair condition. Even for those buildings kept in reasonable condition, advancements
in building science and technology have rendered critical systems obsolete. Their interior designs and layouts are misaligned with the needs of a modern office working environment and
the much greater role of advanced information technologies in the delivery of government services in the 21st century.
Trend #2: Government commitments to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions
Necessary renovation of buildings is in line with the government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.
If the Canadian government adopts the carbon budget under consideration, it could have an even more challenging goal:
zero emissions by mid-2030.
Necessary renovation of buildings is in line with the government’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.
If the Canadian government adopts the carbon budget under consideration,
it could have an even more challenging goal: zero emissions by mid-2030.
Trend #3: Advancing building science and technology.
The science, engineering, and related technologies used in buildings today will not be visible to the visitor of the
1970’s. Most of the government building stock in the NCR preceded the introduction of the personal computer, do not worry about the advanced digital sensor and control technology now commonly used instead of over-design and inefficiency in accuracy, efficiency, and high comfort and functionality of the building. Ironically, it is possible that the backlog in building stock repairs represents a profit:
the government can bypass intermediate generations of technology by recycling to build future low-carbon buildings.
The Opportunity: Better buildings and zero emissions through modernization
In the old example of everything being bigger than the total number of components, the SSG / RMI Roadmap to Low-Carbon
Operations in the National Capital Region shows that an integrated approach, which builds on the overall state of government infrastructure, could result in better performance. buildings that are fuel-efficient and have lower electricity consumption than today. Although the combination of technology and the effects of energy and emissions varies from one building to another, we have found that combined electricity consumption can be reduced by 25% or more, as gas-fired stock is electrified. This is an opportunity created by the combination of aging stock, the importance
of climate change, and a new generation of construction technologies that have transformed the art of what is possible.
Comments (1)
good blog.