ENFORM’s second annual Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) Seminar

2024.05.08

ENFORM Architects with the support of Facade Systems Inc., U-kon Systems, Soprema & Ceraclad, hosted a seminar focused on Deep Energy Retrofit Technology. The arc of the seminar was focused on how Toronto’s building stock of affordable housing can be improved by combining high-performance with affordability.

SESSION 1 - EMBODIED CARBON DESIGN TOOLS:

The impact of operational and embodied carbon emissions throughout the life cycle of a building will be examined in the context of deep energy retrofits and building enclosures. Reusing the existing structure is a substantial step towards reducing carbon emissions in the construction process, but what about the building enclosure?

Alex Lukachko setting the stage for how Deep Energy Retrofits can help decarbonize our climate crisis

Kelsey Saunders showcasing how to use the free-to-use pubicly available Embodied Carbon Design Resource Tool by RDH and TMU

SESSION 2- DER CASE STUDY: 50 TORBOLTON:

TCH 50 Torbolton is a deep energy retrofit pursuing Passive House EnerPHit and CAGBC Zero Carbon Certification. The project is a two-story existing building owned by Toronto Community Housing and located in Toronto’s Rexdale neighbourhood. The project includes a major upgrade to the building envelope, ultra-efficient mechanical and electrical systems, and remediation and stabilization of ongoing water penetration issues.

Adam Pelissero presenting a fantastic case study of TCHC's take on deep energy retrofits through the the holistic Passive House renewal at 50 Torbolton

Kevin Stelzer walked through the Passive House principles and methodology behind the 50 Torbolton retrofit design

SESSION 3- ENCLOSURE AND RETROFIT TECHNOLOGIES:

There is a steep learning curve in retrofitting existing buildings. As designers, we need to understand the risks and the opportunities inherent in upgrading our existing (and aging) building stock to high levels of performance. This presentation discusses effective approaches to retrofitting existing building enclosures – including intrusive investigations and condition assessments – and how this information is used to understand the suite of potential retrofit solutions. This presentation also included a survey of proven, and innovative cladding technologies.

Steve Murray presented various examples of unique findings through intrusive investigations and the technologies available to mitigate and design around existing conditions for new high performance enclosures

Blair Davies doing a show and tell of U-kon's thermally broken structural cladding support framing system that can span slab-to-slab, thereby significantly lowering the total number of required anchor points for deep energy retrofits

Thanks to our sponsors!

FSI, U-Kon, Soprema & Ceraclad

We had an impressive turnout and an outstanding panel of speakers who shared their knowledge and insights on deep energy retrofit technologies. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our esteemed panelists, who generously shared their expertise and experience in the field. Their presentations were informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring. We would also like to thank all the attendees who participated in the event. Your presence and active participation made the seminar lively and engaging. As well as Facade Systems Inc., U-kon Systems, Soprema & Ceraclad for the generous support.

One of the best aspects of this event was the interdisciplinary nature of the participants. We had students and professionals from different fields, including architecture, engineering, construction, and sustainability. We believe that this diverse range of perspectives helped enrich the conversations and led to meaningful connections between the attendees. We hope that the discussions sparked during the seminar will continue and lead to impactful change in the industry. At Enform, we strongly believe in the power of collaboration, and this event was a great example of that. Once again, thank you to everyone who came out, you made the event such a success. We look forward to continuing the conversation and hope to see you all again soon!

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