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The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography1
Green building: is the housebuilding industry in the black or in the dark?
Michael Buzzelli, The University of Western OntarioOriginally presented to Department of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow
30 May 2008
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography2
Green Building context in Canada and the housebuilding/development industry
Answering the GB call – three opportunity areas
1. Emergent GB standards
2. Partnership is necessary
3. Industrialisation (Modern Methods in Construction, MMC)
Concluding remarks
Outline
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography3
3
Environment is on the public agenda…
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography4
“.[We are] unlikely to change peoples hearts and minds, unlikely to suddenly see the benefits of sustainable forms if they conflict with consumer preferences.”
Jenks and Dempsey, 2007
Environment is on the public agenda…
…but confusion remains
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography5
Barriers to green building (Yudelson, 2008)
– Cost
– Consumer resistance
– ‘Internal change’
• A range of stakeholder groups
• The housebuilding industry
Context
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography6
The (building) industry is composed of many small players.
Developers are fewer but the industry is nonetheless competitive
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography7
[Canadian] housebuilding broadly conforms to a competitive model of industry structure
How will builders/the industry respond to the green building imperative?City-regions hold the keys to innovation and implementation
Context
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography8
At the dwelling unit level, the industry has in fact outperformed most sectors of the economy
How? Industry response to GB imperative
1. GB standards
2. Cooperation/partnership is necessary
3. Industrialisation (MMC)
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography9
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography10
CHBA briefing report
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography11
1. GB standards
– There are ~ 12 standards in Canada (LEED, R2000, Green Home, Energy Star…), many incentive programmes for green new build and retrofit, and demonstration projects
– R2000 – CHBA and NRCan programme since 1981• Voluntary (an ‘innovation engine’)• Only about 10,000 homes thus far, but...• Requires a performance audit/air leakage test and should
achieve 80 on the EnerGuide rating system
– The building industry resists a mandated single standard
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography12
CHBA briefing report
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography13
On R2000 – some Key Informant interview text
“…need to choose champions well so that he will be copied. In homebuilding, none want to be first, all want to be second...R2000 became the vehicle by the ‘cloning process’ – copying the ‘spec’ without the soft costs and assessment.” [KI2]
“practical people adapting a research-based building standard” [KI2]
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography14
Challenges/opportunities?
“unfortunately, and this is what I want to get away from, is that the code is going to get more restrictive…Every time somebody tries to be proactive it becomes a new example of being prescriptive and it generates reaction…Take the example of LEED. CaGBC never wanted it to be minim standard but a reward yet now everyone is building to that minimum standard…I envision in the next 10 years those requirements will become more prescriptive as opposed to some developers getting ahead of the curve and reward them. And they [builders] become reactive.” [KI3]
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography15
2. Cooperation/partnerships
Example: Riverbend Heights in London Ontario
– Features a community energy system including• geothermal heating/cooling• biogas heating • and potentially asphalt solar collectors
– Spatial externalities and NIMBYism?
– Risk and liability?
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography16
Riverbend
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography17
Answering the GB call
Geothermal heating system
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography18
Comparison of Business as Usual (BAU) vs. Near-Zero Community Energy System
BUILDING LOADS:*BAU
Design
Integrated CES
Design
Change
(MWh)
Change
(%BAU)
Heating Loads (MWhthermal) 1,328 1,328 0 0%
Cooling Loads (MWhthermal) 853 853 0 0%
EXTERNAL ENERGY INPUT:
Natural Gas Input (MWh) 1,897 201 -1,696 -89%
Grid elect input (MWh) 284 124 -160 -56%
GHG EMISSIONS:
Equivalent emissions (tCO2e) 466 65 -401 -86%
•Both Community Designs were based on EnergyStar® & LEED® qualified buildings•This and prior two slides original presented by Jamie Skimming City of London, at a community• green development forum in March 2008
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography19
Riverbend Heights
Estimate $5 million to build– Note: avoids unit heating/cooling equipment costs
Cost to supply energy twice that of natural gas (at today’s prices…)– But 30% cheaper than electricity
Accepted (from FCM)– $500,000 grant– $500,000 loan
Sifton, London District Energy interested in project
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography20
Michael Moldenhauer is President of Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) In Homes Magazine (GTA)
What about risk and liability?
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography21
3. Industrialisation (Modern Methods in Construction, MMC)
Answering the GB call
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography22
Site visit – Universal Forest Products, near London ON
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography23
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZrnI9TSojCc&feature=related[“Mattamy, factory”]
Factory prefabrication has been tried and often failed in North America over the last century but there is little question around the quality of construction attributed to climate control and assembly-line methods. This includes superior building envelope design, fit and consequently energy/environmental performance.
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography24
In order to move GB forward there is a need for
Partnership - risk sharing and NIMBYism
MMC/industrialisation – what about market cyclicality?– Perhaps not at the scale shown but certainly lessons can
be learned
Building code is regarded as the bedrock of a ‘managed market’ approach– GB standards are solely innovation engines– No single system should be mandated– If anything, the building code should identify
performance levels and allow the market to sort out how to achieve
Concluding remarks - interpretation
The University of Western Ontario
Michael Buzzelli, Department of Geography25
New build versus renovation [“resale is huge” KI3]
Labour and re-training – new products and processes
Municipalities, lenders – project approvals and capital
Affordability [over and above life cycle costing]
What about the community scale? [journey to work]
Policy co-benefits [e.g. health]
Concluding remarks – other issues