Kitchener’s evolv1 has become the second building in Canada to achieve two major zero-carbon certifications from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

Developers The Cora Group announced on April 22—Earth Day—that evolv1 had achieved the CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard – Performance certification. That designation supplements the Zero Carbon Building Standard – Design certification the building earned in 2018, when it became the first in the country to do so.

The addition of the performance certification makes evolv1 only the second building in Canada—after the Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation at Mohawk College—to hold both certifications.

The Cora Group says the evolv1 achievement is an important step toward achieving its goal of net-positive energy.

“Cora knew it wanted to apply for the zero-carbon performance certification once one year of reliable energy data was available and took steps to achieve this goal,” said Thor Neumann, The Cora Group’s senior project manager. “It was important for us to ensure the building was fully occupied during the certification period to further validate our performance.”

“Our goal was to influence the market and now with the performance certification, we hope the influence is even stronger,” added COO Adrian Conrad.

Sustainable features at evolv1 include an open-loop geothermal system that uses an aquifer to heat and cool the commercial space, a geothermal well that pumps 800 gallons per minute, a 40,000-litre rainwater cistern, and systems for daylight harvesting.

The building also features two different solar technologies: solar panels and a passive solar wall system. An array of 1,440 Canadian-made solar panels cover the building’s parking spots, and are supplemented by 754 rooftop solar panels. On a summer day, the panels can produce more than 2,000 kWh of renewable energy beyond what the building consumes, and delivers this energy back into the province’s electricity grid.

During evolv1’s first year of operation, the building’s total electricity production was 848,823kWh, and its solar array displaced 110 tons of CO2 in one year—the equivalent produced by 130 cars.

In the winter, evolv1’s passive solar wall warms the entire building, and requires little to no additional heating.

The Cora Group says evolv1 is close to achieving LEED Platinum certification.

“As the very first Zero Carbon Building certification, evolv1 is already ahead of the curve,” said CaGBC CEO Thomas Mueller. “evolv1 helped CaGBC prove that zero-carbon designs are both technically feasible and economically viable. The addition of a ZCB-Performance certification confirms that this building operates to zero-carbon standards while delivering premium sustainability benefits at competitive market rates.”

evolv1 is populated with Waterloo’s top technology companies, global brands and sustainability-focused organizations. By partnering with The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, the building has become a living lab that is researched in-depth for its energy production, and human interaction and habits within a sustainable building.