Be net-zero ready by designing to TEDI targets
By Amanda Ross, Architect
As architects, we have a tremendous responsibility to the environment. Since over one-third of Canada’s total emissions in 2017 came from buildings, we need to immediately increase the energy efficiency of our designs to reduce our carbon emissions and keep global temperature increases below 1.5C over pre-industrial levels.
Canada has a tremendous need for energy, and it isn’t reducing or even plateauing — it’s still growing. Most of Canada’s current energy comes from refined petroleum products and natural gas. To meet those energy demands without fossil fuels, we would need over 3,500 km2 of solar panels.
By Heather Anderson
Heather is a senior Professional Interior Designer and Hospitality & Entertainment Studio Lead at Number TEN Architectural Group. She recently added ‘Mom’ to her list of credentials when her son William was born in April 2018.
After 16 months away from the office on maternity leave with my son William, I’ve spent the last few weeks back at Number TEN refamiliarizing myself with professional life and adjusting to my new role as a working parent. While I’ve been pleased to find that my skills as a designer have returned ‘just like riding a bike’, I’ve found that motherhood has altered my perception of the built environment in many ways. Over the last year-and-a-half, I’ve learned to navigate building and landscape features with a baby (and now toddler) in tow and I’ve come across design solutions that both facilitate and hinder everyday activities.
Brent Bellamy is an architect, creative director, urbanist and columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press. Among his many notable accomplishments is his recent selection as this year’s winner of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Advocate for Architecture Award. We sat down with Brent to ask him about his approach to design, where he gets inspiration from and what motivates him to publicly share his views on architecture, design and urbanism.
By Greg Hasiuk, Number TEN Partner and Practice Leader
As a business person, it's sometimes easy to forget what a huge influence your work environment has on the productivity, morale and overall well-being of your staff and clients alike.
Image: Number TEN renovated office
By Amanda Ross, Architect
Can designing better buildings reduce the impacts of climate change? Can we make every new building carbon neutral? The answer is resoundingly yes. As architects, we have the knowledge, capability and technology to do this today. When it comes to designing more environmentally friendly buildings, the approach we take makes all the difference.
Image: The City of Vancouver has a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 (Photo: iStock)