Building Performance is Now More Important Than Ever Before
By Lucas on May 28, 2015
Earlier in May, over 150 building industry experts and professionals gathered for the 3rd annual Entuitive CityVision event to discuss current trends and issues, with a strong focus on building performance. Entuitive’s Brock Schroeder and the Executive Director of Toronto’s 2030 District, Jeff Ranson, lead the conversation.
What does building performance mean? It refers to the longevity, health, safety, comfort, costs, and energy efficiency of a building in relation to its users. “There is a defining move in the industry towards performance-based design – one of the drivers behind our exploring building performance,” says Schroeder. “Owners, residents, occupants and communities expect more from buildings; it’s about delivering a building that becomes a more valuable asset, for the betterment of our cities.”
Sustainability is a huge factor contributing to a building’s performance rating. We recently chatted with Ranson about how downtown Toronto will decrease its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by the year 2030 with the help of 2030 District. “We first need to develop what the energy performance profile for a building looks like for an office building, home, or apartment building,” explained Ranson. “The second part is to create an understanding of the emissions profile of a city. Where do the emissions come from in a city? How can we know where we should spend time and effort if there’s no real understanding of water and energy consumption?”
The effect of GHG emissions on the environment and the population’s health has become a major concern, and hopefully, Toronto’s 2030 District helps citizens and the City identify ways to decrease emissions levels.
Photo by Donna Santos Studio
During the event, there were five global shifts presented that are affecting the built environment, and thereby directly influencing how builders, developers, municipalities, and cities approach the growth of our communities.
Hidden to Open
Homebuyers and other users of buildings and homes never used to care about the materials used for construction or how much energy was consumed on a daily basis. These are frequently asked questions now in sales centres around the GTA and most builders and developers now include “green features” in their features and finishes lists.
Prescriptive Performance
Building codes and standards are evolving and becoming more strict. It has become a huge selling point in the GTA to be LEED Certified and be ENERGY STAR Qualified.
Me to We
The building and development industry has taken a more collaborative approach to designing master-planned communities, with residential, commercial, and cultural spaces planned all at once. And when it comes to homebuyers, it’s not just about a single family, it’s about how all the families in a community function together.
Reactive to Proactive
Cities are starting to plan ahead for where they are going to be or where they want to be decades down the road. This approach to city design and growth has even spurred the creation of a Chief Resiliency Officer role in many cities.
Building to Ecosystem
There is now a more holistic approach to building communities. The way the built environment interacts with people and the natural environment has become very important to city administrations, builders and developers, and most importantly, homebuyers.
Feature image by Donna Santos Studio
