Tags: Assessment

5 Apr 2009, Comments Off

CFC Reviews CMHC Design Report: IDP — Benefits of Integrated Design – Your Association Supports IDP

Author: admin

In a 2003 study carried out for several architectural associations, including RAIC and OAA, one of the key findings on sustainable design in Canada was:
Integrated Design Process (IDP) is essential for effective management of the sustainable design process to ensure that efficient coordination is maintained and that overall project and design costs are minimized. Several sustainable design evaluation and assessment systems require the use of IDP due to the benefits derived from working in a collaborative setting at the outset of the project.
In the 2005–2006 season (the fifth), Sustainable Design for Canadian Buildings, SDCB 205, RAIC’s cross-country, continuing education course, was entitled “Green to Green: Opportunities for more Energy-Efficient Building Retrofits.” It focused on integrated design. Similar or related courses on sustainable design will likely continue to be offered. Reviewed by Moishe Alexander.

3 Apr 2009, Comments Off

CFC Reviews CMHC Design Report: IDP — Motivation

Author: admin

The Ground: Sustainability Imperative

A host of ecological impacts resulting from human activity, have produced ecosystems degradation that directly threatens our society. In the words of the UN’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, competed in 2005:
We are spending Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.
At the same time, the assessment shows that the future really is in our hands.
We can reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice required are substantial and not currently underway.

This is a report worth taking the time to read to understand the scope and scale of the global challenge. Closer to home, building design, construction, operation and demolition account for a significant share of the problem—about 30 per cent of the energy use and 38 per cent of the greenhouse gases in Canada.5 Buildings are the source of about 40 per cent of all waste6 worldwide. As building designers, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to do something about it. Reviewed by Guiseppe Strazzeri.

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AIR Alexander Building Canada Canadian Funding Corp. Canadian Funding Corporation CFC cmhc construction Design IDP integrated design Moishe Alexander performance report Reviews Window Window Installation
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