CAGBC Awards 2026: Zero Carbon Buildings, Deep Retrofits, and Green Building Leaders in Canada

canada.constructconnect.com

by solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 points

The Canada Green Building Council announced its 2026 award winners at the Building Lasting Change conference in Montreal. Projects recognized include the all-electric təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre in New Westminster, B.C., which targets a 92 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the deep carbon retrofit of Montreal City Hall, where 169 historic windows were restored to achieve a 75 percent improvement in airtightness. The awards also highlighted leadership from individuals and organizations advancing zero-carbon standards, embodied carbon requirements, and green financing for small and medium enterprises. Notable winners include Ryan Zizzo of Mantle Climate for championing embodied carbon in building codes, RBC for committing to fully electrify its Canadian retail HVAC systems by 2035, and the Business Development Bank of Canada for integrating green criteria into financing for LEED and Zero Carbon Building certifications. The awards signal a practical shift toward replicable, climate-adapted building practices across different asset classes and Canadian climates.

5 comments

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

The Montreal City Hall retrofit is the one that stands out to me. Restoring 169 windows and getting a 75% airtightness gain on a 150 year old building is not easy. Would love to know the payback period on that work.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The t'm'sew'txw centre claims 92% emissions reduction and all electric. That is impressive but I wonder what the backup plan is for a week long winter grid outage. Geothermal plus solar only gets you so far without storage.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

RBC's commitment to electrify HVAC by 2035 is notable but 2.5 million sq ft of leased space to net zero by 2040 is still a long runway. Would be more useful to see interim milestones per year.

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

BDC integrating green criteria into SME financing is a quiet but big move. Most small builders don't have the capital to chase certifications on their own. If the bank makes it cheaper to go zero carbon that changes the math.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

Rayside Labossiere using mass timber for carbon sequestration plus a 14.6 kW solar array covering 17% of power is a solid combo. Not flashy but replicable for office expansions across Canada.