Green Building Strategy

The City of Vancouver is implementing a Green Building Strategy (GBS)for all commercial, institutional, mixed-use, and high density residential buildings in the city of Vancouver. The GBS is one of many green building initiatives currently underway to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings and related infrastructure, others include Green Homes, EcoDensity, SEFC, and major rezonings.

The following outlines the status of GBS actions as outlined in that Council report:

Actions Completed

  1. Rainwater Management
  • Require drains in parking garages to connect to sanitary sewers instead of stormwater drains, to reduce overflows of combined rainwater and sewage into surrounding water bodies during periods of heavy rain.
  • Solve issues related to greenroofs specific to Vancouver's climate with Homeowner Protection Office.
  1. In-Building Water Conservation
  • Adopt low flush toilets in nonresidential buildings.
  • Review and analyze cost impacts, benefits, and regulatory barriers to requiring dual flush toilets and Energy Star laundry machines and dishwashers.
  1. Transportation Demand Management
  • Provide additional relaxations for minimum parking requirements to support alternative travel modes.
  • Review the feasibility of unbundling parking requirements.
  • Update requirements for secure bicycle parking and other end-of-trip facilities.
  • Expand transportation demand management requirements for new developments.
  • Develop requirements for accommodating charging of electric vehicles.
  1. Landscape and Ecology
  • Develop guidelines for voluntary urban agricultural installations to contribute to support a sustainable food system.
  • Develop voluntary guidelines for native and low-water use landscaping to reduce use of drinking water for irrigation, particularly during drought periods.

Actions Adopted

  • Improve enforcement of Energy Utilization By-law requirements
  • Adopt ASHRAE 90.1 2007 as new Energy Utilization By-law.
  • Decrease overall building energy use requirements by 12-15% beyond ASHRAE 90.1 to meet Natural Resources Canada Commercial Building Incentive Program requirements.

Actions in Process

  1. Rainwater Management
  • Conduct analysis with recommendations and timeline for a city-wide storm water management plan for development.
  • Develop on-site storm water management requirements for surface parking lots to reduce runoff and improve water quality, including oil separation and infiltration facilities.
  1. Heat Island Effect Mitigation
  • Develop voluntary guidelines for greenroofs and high albedo Energy Star "cool" roof that maximize rain-water management, energy efficiency, habitat and aesthetics. (The albedo is the extent to which an object diffusely reflects light from the sun).
  1. Water Conservation
  • Permit waterless urinals as accepted plumbing fixture based on ANSI standards.
  • Develop requirements for low flow irrigations systems that will decrease water use by 50%.
  1. Energy Efficiency and GHG Reduction
  • Develop energy use targets by building type as an alternative energy compliance path.
  1. Passive Design
  • Evaluate passive design floor space ratio exclusions that were used in SEFC Olympic Village; access desirability and feasibility of extending exclusions more broadly; access compatibility of current design guidelines and regulations with passive design features. Promote solar design, natural ventilation and daylighting through site and building design to enhance indoor occupant comfort and increased energy efficiency.
  1. Waste Diversion
  • Develop mandatory Construction Waste Management Plans for all construction projects to be monitored through the building permit process.
  • Develop recycling targets by analyzing existing building types and Metro Vancouver bans, recycling infrastructure and robustness of markets.
  • Develop zoning guidelines and amendments for the Solid Waste By-law for improved in-building waste reduction facilities (waste, recyclables, organics) to support banned materials such as organic waste.

 

For more information about the City's Green Building work, contact David Ramslie.