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CBC
25-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Here's how people are making buildings more climate resilient
It's time to build for the future, according to Penny Martyn. "[It's] really important that our buildings become more climate-friendly," said Martyn, a green building manager for University of British Columbia Campus and Community Planning. "Our buildings need to be able to adapt to climate change, so we need to design them differently." UBC is just one of the many organizations across Canada that are looking for ways to better adapt to the changing climate, as forest fires, heat, and extreme weather become more prevalent, whether that's while designing new buildings, or retrofitting old ones. According to a report released by Natural Resources Canada in January, buildings make up 13 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. And some of the solutions may seem boring, but it's the boring changes that can have a long-term positive impact. More than just going solar Martyn says UBC is committed to making sure all its new buildings meet LEED gold standard, which is an internationally recognized certification that looks at carbon emissions, the conservation of resources, and operating costs. And more developers are looking at ways to start off on the right foot. In Calgary, the planning and construction of the new Central Library cost $245 million. In addition to more than 30 free meeting rooms, a 330-seat performance hall, and of course, books, it boasts a long list of climate-friendly features. Kate Thompson, CEO of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, which served as the development manager for the project, said it started with location. The library is right along Calgary's light rail transit, making it easy for people to get there. Plus, there are plenty of places to lock up a bike. A large cistern on the outside of the library captures rainwater, and inside there is low-flow plumbing. The building has lots of natural light, but is also equipped with solar shades and windows with ceramic dots that prevent the building from overheating on a sunny day. And those are just some of the features added to the building to make it sustainable over the long term. "You have to say collectively, what are we aspiring to do here?" said Thompson. "Sustainability was foundational." Community first Serena Mendizabal, managing director at Sacred Earth, says the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario decided to make clean energy a full community effort. "I think that's what makes it so unique and so different because we did things outside of the box and we did things very Haudenosaunee," said Mendizabal, using a term that means people of the longhouse. In November 2022, the community started a sustainable restoration of its Sour Springs Longhouse, which included energy-efficient retrofits and a solar panel project. Mendizabal says a year before even starting the design process, they were able to engage with the community about how solar energy works, its impacts, and the benefits it creates. The design allows the longhouse to use the power it generates, without having to send it to the grid. Then, community members were trained in solar design, installation, operations and maintenance. Mendizabal says this community focus was important because so often developers come from outside with ideas. Here the power was generated from within. "This was a project that from inception came from the needs of the longhouse and the needs of our people, and we implemented [it] ourselves because we knew what we needed and we knew we wanted," said Mendizabal. "That's something to really be proud of." Mendizabal says other communities among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are looking at replicating it. Using what you have Matt Henderson says sustainable changes to public buildings aren't always flashy. He's the superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division, where he's had to tackle boring but necessary changes at Gordon Bell High School. It's an older building in the heart of Winnipeg that has undergone a handful of additions. "The original feasibility study indicated that, through infrared, that there was so much leakage of air, not only going out, but coming in, that it was equivalent to having sort of a 40-square-foot hole in the building," said Henderson. The province, the federal government, and the school division came together to completely retrofit the building by increasing natural light and improving the flow of air through the building through improvements to the walls and roof. The nearly $24-million project is in its second year of construction and is expected to be done by September. He hopes it's not the last school they're able to fix up, as the Manitoba provincial government looks at the impact of the Gordon Bell High School project. "We talk about putting solar panels on top of schools and getting electric busses … to prepare us for the climate emergency that we're in right now," said Henderson. "But I think an easy step is to create really highly efficient buildings that are sealed tight." Fighting fire with design In Lytton, B.C., it's not just about reducing emissions. There's a focus on making sure the community is ready for the next natural disaster. A wildfire that ripped through the village in 2021 destroyed much of its municipal infrastructure. In the years since, the village has received federal funding to make its buildings more fire resilient. "We've definitely experienced firsthand a lot of the climate-related issues," said Lytton Mayor Denise O'Connor. "The old construction style, we've discovered, it doesn't work in a disaster. You know, we need to be thinking this way and doing what we can to support people that want to build this way." One of the ways it's doing that is by designing the new community centre to be a more resilient space. The goal is to also make the building net zero, and able to be used as an emergency shelter. And the outdoor swimming pool will double as a water reservoir, for when the next wildfire rolls through. "Not only will we have a sustainable building, but we're also going to be setting an example, I think, for others that are considering building," said O'Connor. Covering the cost For those looking for more sustainable buildings, Martyn says the best advice she has is to keep pushing. "Keep talking about your desire for sustainable community and green buildings and advocate kind of on all levels where you can," said Martyn. "If it's a strong and co-ordinated voice, it usually gets heard." Still, Martyn says, price tags can be an issue in these conversations. "In the long run, it will cost you less if you have a resilient building that can withstand certain climate hazards, but the initial cost is kind of a difficulty, I think, for lots of projects," said Martyn. She says there are ways around that. Businesses can take climate-friendly measures when they're upgrading anyway. For example, if it's time for new windows, install the climate-friendly kind, she says. There are also government grants that can help pay for some of the extra expenses. Henderson suggests people look at what they were able to do by retrofitting Gordon Bell High School instead of building something completely new. "I think sometimes there's a desire to kind of build the new and fanciest buildings," said Henderson.
CBC
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Olympic Plaza redesign includes skating rink and 12-metre-tall gold fountain
The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) has released long-awaited design plans for the Olympic Plaza Transformation project. Among the features included in the plans are a winter skating rink, a 12-metre-tall fountain the colour of an Olympic gold medal and an indoor pavilion with food and drink service. The design, inspired by the "sunflake" iconography of the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics, also includes a flexible outdoor gathering space that can accommodate up to 5,000 people. "You want to take something that works and build on it. And I think that's what the team's done here," said CMLC president and CEO Kate Thompson. "It was important to integrate the pieces of the [last] plaza that worked and also build off making it more flexible, more adaptable for pieces in the future, for different uses that maybe we don't even know about yet." Revamping the downtown plaza is expected to cost $70 million, with funding coming from the province, the City of Calgary and philanthropist Dave Werklund and family. Public engagement helped shape the design, according to the CMLC, with a skating rink and green space being two of the most requested features. The reimagined plaza will "seamlessly" connect with a brand new performing arts building that will go up as part the $660 million Arts Commons Transformation project. Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons, said the new Olympic Plaza will provide better opportunities for event organizers, who made use of the old plaza space in spite of its design, not because of it. "We'll be able to have giant events without having to shut down, you know, lanes and lanes to bring in additional resources," said Sarian. "It's exciting because of the flexibility it will allow the community for decades to come." Ground broke in December on the $270-million first phase of the Arts Commons Transformation. Once complete, a new building, adjacent to Olympic Plaza and across Eighth Avenue S.E. from the current Arts Commons building, will house a new 1,000-seat theatre as well as a 200-seat theatre. It will be a three-level, 162,000-square-foot structure that features a curved exterior, inspired by Alberta's landscapes, according to the CMLC. Demolition of Olympic Plaza began in January as part of Phase 1 of the project. The current Arts Commons building, built in 1985, will be modernized in Phase 2. Both the Olympic Plaza and Arts Commons transformations are key to revitalizing downtown Calgary, according to Coun. Terry Wong, representative for Ward 7. "When you take a look at the centrepiece of what the Olympic Plaza Transformation is all about, it is a place where people can flourish," he said. "People can see the vibrancy, the viability of being able to raise a family as well as run a multi-national corporation here." In a nod to the space's Olympic roots, the design team has included one of Calgary's '88 Olympic cauldrons in the plans. As well, part of the arch that bears the Latin motto of the Olympics — "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger) — will be reincorporated in the new plaza. The International Olympic Committee was consulted during the design process, according to the CMLC, and has endorsed the new plans as aligned with its expectations for the celebration of Olympic legacy. Construction work on the new Olympic Plaza is set to start in 2027 and wrap up the following year.
CBC
17-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Heading to the Saddledome or BMO? There's nearby construction to keep in mind
Social Sharing Whether you're heading to a Flames game at the Saddledome or an event at the BMO Centre, officials are warning that construction is ramping up quickly and it'll likely have an impact on your journey to the area. Crews are currently working to transform Calgary's upcoming Culture + Entertainment District, with one main project at the heart of it all: Scotia Place, the future home of the Calgary Flames. "Calgarians can anticipate detours through the Culture + Entertainment District through 2025 and beyond. This is a long-term city building vision and we have lots of work to do here, so we will see phases of intermittent closures," said Emma Stevens, director of external relations at the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. Stevens said those intermittent road closures, as well as lane and sidewalk restrictions, will be in place surrounding the Scotia Place construction site for the rest of the year. Additionally, starting Monday, there will be alternating temporary road closures and lane restrictions on Stampede Trail and 14th Avenue S.E., between Scotia Place and the Saddledome. Crews there are undertaking utilities work for the new event centre, which is expected to last until mid-April. From mid-April, additional closures are expected along Stampede Trail — including a full closure of the 14th Avenue S.E. intersection. It's for the second phase of the Stampede Trail redevelopment project. Stevens recommends that everyone checks real-time construction updates through the district's online map. Liz Whittaker, director of building operations at Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), said anyone heading to the area should plan to arrive early. She said she encourages people to take Calgary Transit to their destination, but there are parking lots within walking distance — including one on the south side of Stampede Park, Platform Parkade on Ninth Avenue and the Stampede parking lot on 11th Avenue. "We need to make sure our customers really, truly understand that this is an ongoing process ... There will be disruption over the next few years as we go toward the final build. So that's where we really want the support our fans and our understanding of them," said Whittaker.
