Ontario Embodied Carbon Awards: 2023 Winners Series (Part I)

CLF Toronto is proud to bring deeper insights to two of our 2023 Ontario Embodied Carbon Award Winning Projects:

Innovation in Industry 2023 Award Winner: TGS Embodied Carbon Caps

On May 10, 2023, the City of Toronto updated the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) energy and emissions building design requirements to include mandatory embodied carbon intensity caps for new City agency, corporation, and division-owned buildings and private high-performance developments built within city limits. The TGS is a market transformation tool that sets out mandatory and higher performance sustainable design requirements for new developments in Toronto, which significantly improve upon the requirements of the Ontario Building Code. Toronto is the first jurisdiction in North America to establish whole-building embodied carbon intensity caps for new developments, which highlights Toronto’s leadership and investment in reducing embodied carbon emissions from building construction. Compliance with these caps will result in direct reductions in embodied carbon emissions from construction materials used in Toronto and have informed the industry of the importance of embodied carbon accounting in Toronto and surrounding areas.

Major Retrofits 2023 Award Winner: 25 St Clair Avenue East

DIALOG will be presenting a case study of the 25 St. Clair Avenue East project, recipient of the CLF Ontario 2023 Award in the Major Retrofit category. The project represents a pioneering example of a deep carbon retrofit, transforming an aging structure into an all-electric, high-performance building. The project, a major renovation of an existing ten-storey federal office building, was selected by the Government of Canada as the flagship model to demonstrate their commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral building portfolio by 2030 as part of its Greening Government Strategy. The project employs reuse of existing structure, energy efficiency, electrification of heating/cooling systems and promotion of occupant wellbeing through biophilic design, while emphasizing sustainability and waste reduction.

About Our Speakers

Lisa King, M.A.

Senior Policy Planner, City Planning Division

City of Toronto

Lisa King has been a senior policy leader in the City of Toronto’s Planning Division for over 17 years. Her tenure has been marked by significant contributions, particularly in leading the establishment of Toronto's Zero Emissions Buildings Framework and the Toronto Green Standard. These initiatives, focusing on new construction, aim to reduce energy use and emissions in the building sector.

Zac Zandona, P.Eng

Project Lead, Environment & Climate Division

City of Toronto

Zac is a Project Lead with the City of Toronto’s Environment and Climate Division. With an engineering background, his work has been focused on decarbonizing new developments through the implementation of the Toronto Green Standard Energy and Emissions requirements for the last 5 years.

Charles Marshall, PEng, MBA, LEED® AP BD+C

Partner, Engineering & Sustainability

DIALOG

Charles is an influential leader in the sustainability practice area, known for his expertise in translating complex ideas into cohesive solutions. He takes a holistic approach to sustainability, considering the well-being of individuals, communities, and the environment. Based in DIALOG’s Toronto Studio, Charles's impact extends nationwide as he actively engages in projects across Canada, reflecting his dedication to achieving exceptional levels of performance and sustainability.

As a Licensed Engineer and a LEED® Accredited Professional specializing in Building Design and Construction, Charles brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He has played a pivotal part in realizing the sustainability and energy efficiency goals of numerous building owners, developers, and designers. His proficiency spans all phases of green development, from integrated design and engineering to construction, optimization, and retrofits.  As the Studio Chair for DIALOG’s Toronto studio, Charles is responsible for advocating for sustainability and wellbeing to all of DIALOG’s clients and ensuring that sustainable design principles are embedded throughout our practice.

Noteworthy achievements include overseeing the LEED® certification of several large projects, executing energy retrofits, and implementing renewable energy systems. His recent accomplishments include coordinating the Living Building Challenge certification for the Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre—the first Living Building in Canada. Additionally, he led the 25 St. Clair Avenue East project, which underwent a major rehabilitation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 80%, serving as a flagship model of the Government’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Neel Bavishi, PEng, CEM

Associate, Building Performance Analysis

DIALOG

Neel is deeply passionate about leveraging the art and science of building performance simulation and data-driven design to achieve positive outcomes in the built environment. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, he possesses expertise in whole-building energy modeling for both new and existing developments, as well as in lifecycle costing analysis, design optimization, and data visualization. His approach focuses on delivering comprehensive solutions that not only minimize the ecological impact of building assets but also enhance value for stakeholders, including building owners, developers, policymakers, and designers.

Neel's commitment to sustainability is evident in his work, which aims to improve well-being and reduce the total cost of ownership. His diverse experience encompasses developing energy models for green building certification programs, conducting carbon-neutral retrofit studies, and designing district energy strategies. Moreover, he has contributed to the formulation of net-zero energy and emissions policies for various governmental bodies at municipal, provincial, and federal levels. Neel's portfolio spans a broad spectrum of asset classes, ranging from recreational facilities and commercial high-rise towers to multi-unit residential buildings, hospitals, data centers, and transit facilities.