The Honourable Marc Garneau, Canada’s Minister of Transport, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a $1-million investment to help Lemay, a Montreal-based architectural firm, convert an abandoned industrial building into an energy-efficient office building dubbed The Phenix.
Once complete, the ongoing project will result in net-zero annual energy consumption through the integration of renewable energy, energy storage and advanced control technologies that ensure optimal operation of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electric lighting systems. According to the federal government, energy efficiency is the quickest, cleanest and most cost effective way for Canada to meet its international climate change commitments and our future energy needs.
Buildings and homes contribute approximately 17 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. As part of Canada’s commitment to transition to a low-carbon economy, the Government is working with provinces, territories and industry on energy code development, data sharing, research and development, and market transformation strategies for the building sector.
This initiative builds on the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF) and Canada’s Buildings Strategy, developed in partnership with the provinces and territories and through broad consultations with Canadians, key experts and industry stakeholders. Over one-third of estimated greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the PCF are from energy-efficiency measures.
“Lemay wanted the Phenix project to prove that net-zero real estate projects, even on a standard budget, are eminently doable. The firm also wished to serve as an inspiration to other major renovation and construction projects in surpassing the net-zero carbon footprint for positive community change,” said Louis T. Lemay, Architect, FRAIC, and President and Excellence Facilitator at Lemay.
Through Canada’s national energy dialogue, Generation Energy, Canadians made it clear that clean energy solutions are not a luxury but a necessity for Canada’s low-carbon future. Canada will continue to support clean energy projects that create jobs, support investment and industry competitiveness, advance our clean future and help realize our global climate change goals.
At The Phenix, existing and upcoming eco-features include the following:
- Roof-mounted solar panels and a heat recovery system inside the Phenix’s curtain walls
- An indoor green wall to improve air quality and offer employees access to nature
- Plants inside the open workshop to ensure privacy and absorb sound
- Natural lighting and ventilation
- An “eco-machine” to filter the building and site’s water, using a bio-retention basin and sophisticated planting strategies
- Artificial light provided by low-energy LED lightbulbs; lighting fixtures activated by motion sensors
- A host of policies emphasizing active living, waste reduction, the use of public transit and each employee’s responsibility for sustainable development.
Images via Lemay. More information about the project is available via Lemay’s website, linked here.