Environment
The contribution of design and architecture to climate challenges is undeniable. Better-designed buildings, sites and neighbourhoods can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. As such, all of the design disciplines are invited to be part of achieving objectives involving creation of carbon-neutral living environments and implementation of practices targeting sustainable urban planning and transportation.*
How can design and architecture help address environmental challenges?
By contributing to achievement of carbon neutrality objectives
- Reducing the project's GHG emissions both in terms of the embodied carbon of materials (e.g., reuse of existing buildings, use of low-carbon and/or green materials) and of operational carbon emissions (e.g., energy, water, waste, transportation, plant carbon sequestration), all within a life-cycle approach.
By making responsible use of resources
- Emphasizing reuse, restoration and repurposing of existing assets.
- Increasing the project's energy efficiency.
- Implementing a sustainable water management system (e.g., rainwater recovery, wastewater recycling, retention ponds, low-flow fixtures, soil permeability percentages, restoration of former surface watercourses).
- Developing a sustainable waste management system (e.g., zero-waste strategy, abolishing single-use products, sorting and redistribution, ecocentre, reclamation of organic materials).
By contributing to the richness of natural environments
- Modulating the project's volumes and siting to minimize its ground footprint and its impact on the existing natural surroundings.
- Greening vertically and horizontally to help ensure continuity of biodiversity corridors, implementing rich microclimates for animal and plant life.
By reducing environmental pollution
- Minimizing sources of pollution (including noise and visual nuisances).
- Contributing to air, soil and water quality (e.g., decontamination, non-toxic construction and operation).
- Enhancing the sustainable low-carbon mobility network or the logistical efficiency of an intermodal transit hub, or optimizing "last-mile" local deliveries.
By reducing environmental impacts over the full life cycle of projects
- Choosing a project site that offers the best perceived conditions over the long term (e.g., forecasting of bioclimatic forces, construction or expansion of a shared thermal loop).
- Minimizing issues related to obsolescence and wear and tear of materials and systems, to ensure sustainability of the project (e.g., materials and technologies life cycles, quality of building systems, architectural language, repairability).
To consult tools and case studies relative to the Environment dimension
To learn more about municipal objectives relative to the Environment dimension
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