The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announced an update to its Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Standard that will help new construction and existing buildings achieve zero carbon status even quicker.

Version 2, as it is known, is designed to accelerate adoption of zero carbon building practices, and help Canada meet its climate targets.

Buildings are a top contributor to carbon emissions. Building operations today represent 17 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When embodied carbon from construction and materials are factored in, that figure rises to closer to 30 percent.

CaGBC’s ZCB Standard provides the industry with a zero-carbon approach that works for any type of new or existing building. It directs design, guides retrofits and verifies that building operations are zero carbon—all while driving innovation and creating new jobs and opportunities in the emerging low-carbon economy.

Version 2 of the standard draws on learnings from more than 20 real-world ZCB-projects. These projects demonstrate that the industry is ready to raise the bar on expanded requirements for embodied carbon and energy efficiency. At the same time, Version 2 aims to get more buildings to zero, faster, by providing more options for different design strategies and by recognizing high-quality carbon offsets when necessary.

The new standard offers two pathways for any type of building to get to zero carbon. ZCB-Design guides the design of new buildings, as well as the retrofit of existing structures. ZCB-Performance provides a framework for verifying buildings have achieved zero carbon and must be revisited annually.

Additionally, the new standard provides updates on such criteria as: refrigerant leaks, energy efficiency and airtightness requirements, design innovation, and carbon emissions, including those produced during a building’s lifecycle and those associated with the manufacture and use of construction materials.

The CaGBC says these updates balance the rigour needed to meaningfully eliminate carbon, while also being flexible enough for zero carbon buildings to reach the mainstream. They also provide the guidance for more owners and developers to build to zero now and as part of their plans for the future.

“There is no time to waste or reason to wait. Zero carbon buildings represent the best opportunity for cost-effective emissions reductions today,” said Thomas Mueller, CEO and President, CaGBC “The changes we’ve made give the industry and government a clear path to show carbon leadership with positive climate action that future-proofs buildings, encourages innovation, and drives job growth.”