Winners selected in CleanBC Better Buildings competition

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Originally posted by the Government of British Columbia

Eleven building projects have been selected as winners in a juried competition to support the design and construction of energy-efficient buildings.

“By using more clean energy and using it more efficiently in our buildings, we’re taking action to improve air quality and reduce energy costs for British Columbians,” said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “Part of our CleanBC plan, the Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge, is showcasing best practices in building design and providing support to leading innovators across the province. Congratulations to all of the final winners.”

The Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge (NZERC) is one of many CleanBC programs aimed at making buildings all over the province less polluting, more comfortable and energy-efficient. Net-zero energy-ready buildings are designed and built to be so efficient that they could meet all or most of their own energy consumption requirements with renewable energy technologies.

Since the competition was announced in October, 51 expressions of interest were submitted, naming more than 170 different organizations as proponents, suppliers or partners. In January 2019, 16 of those projects were selected as winners of the design incentive portion of the NZERC. The winners were then asked to submit more detailed applications for the construction incentive portion of the competition.

The $2.5-million program provides up to $390,000 in financial incentives to offset a portion of the cost to build to the highest energy performance standards.

Winners of the NZERC will showcase their winning designs and share design best practices at an open house event to take place later this year.

CleanBC is a pathway to a more prosperous, balanced and sustainable future. The Province’s CleanBC plan includes raising standards for new construction and encouraging energy-saving improvements in homes and workplaces.

CleanBC was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.

The final 11 winners of the NZERC Construction Incentive are as follows:

- Corvette Landing, Esquimalt, Standing Stone Developments

- The Narrows, Vancouver, 51565 BC Ltd

- Vanness, Vancouver, Community Land Trust

- OSO, Golden, Viddora Developments

- 825 Pacific, Vancouver, Grosvenor Americas

- UVic Student Housing/Dining, Victoria, University of Victoria\Skeena Residence , Kelowna, UBC Properties Trust

- SFU Parcel 21, Burnaby, SFU Community Trust

- 2150 Keith Drive, Vancouver, Bentall Kennedy

- Peat Commons Phase 2, Langford, Peat Commons Inc.

- Carrington View – Building A, Kelowna, Highstreet Ventures

Quotes:

George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy –

“Our government is committed to making the buildings people live and work in more comfortable, more affordable and less polluting. The Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge is helping drive world-leading innovation and inspiration in the building and design industry that will help us make every new building built in B.C. net-zero energy-ready by 2032 and support good jobs for today and tomorrow.”

Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing –

“Not only are these buildings meeting and exceeding our environmental targets, but many are creating much-needed housing for people throughout the province. We’re also seeing a number of developers using mass timber construction in order to achieve net-zero energy performance, which is why we are also making changes to the B.C. Building Code to encourage more mass timber buildings in B.C.”

Christian Cianfrone, executive director, Zero Emissions Building Exchange –

“The number and diversity of projects pursuing the highest level of the BC Energy Step Code under the Net-Zero Energy Ready Challenge confirms that we have the expertise and solutions to build low-carbon buildings today. We look forward to extracting the lessons learned from these early adopters and further building capacity to accelerate cost-effective solutions for future projects.”

Quick Facts:

- The Province has set a goal that all new buildings in B.C. must be net-zero energy-ready by 2032. In partnership with industry, utilities and local government stakeholders, the Province developed the BC Energy Step Code as a pathway to reach that goal.

- The Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge is administered by the Integral Group and is funded through the Innovative Clean Energy Fund for $1 million and Forestry Innovation Investment for $200,000, for a total provincial contribution of $1.2 million. Additional funding of more than $1.3 million is provided by Natural Resources Canada.