The reuse of buildings has the potential to unlock significant savings in the upfront emissions associated with construction. How can we make the case for this work, and by going down this route, what sort of savings can we unlock? 

In this presentation, we’ll hear two case studies of success, as well as the carbon savings associated with this work.

Elisabeth Baudinaud, Principal at Carbon Wise, will share the results of a Life Cycle Assessment performed on a Net-Zero home renovation in the District of North Vancouver. She will present the comparison of operational and embodied emissions savings of this project compared to a business-as-usual scenario. 

Zahra and Javaria will present findings from a recent study by Mantle Developments for CSA Group, comparing the whole-life carbon impacts of deep retrofits with demolition and new construction in Canadian commercial office buildings. The study emphasizes the significance of deep carbon retrofits as a vital circular economy measure and a crucial solution to meet climate targets, leading to reduced whole-life carbon emissions. Regions with low-carbon electricity grids, such as British Columbia demonstrate the strongest case for adopting retrofits. The session will also address gaps in research, guidelines, standards, and data access.

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Speakers:

Elisabeth Baudinaud, Principal, Carbon Wise

Elisabeth is the founder and principal of Carbon Wise. After working in the Energy Efficiency field for years, she noted that there was a missing piece to how we build our homes: Embodied Emissions. Carbon Wise is the result of her passion and desire to find tangible solutions for design teams that strive to make a positive impact.

Outside of Carbon Wise, Elisabeth is a Senior Lead, Built Environment Initiatives with the Community Energy Association and guides efforts related to embodied emissions, Step Code, and Zero Carbon Step Code. Her responsibilities include providing support to local governments in developing and implementing policies that advance low-carbon solutions and foster community resilience.

She also volunteers with the Carbon Leadership Forum – BC Hub and is part of the educational and training committee with the Homebuilders Association of Vancouver (HAVAN). 

Zahra Teshnizi, Senior Embodied Carbon Planner

Zahra is a Senior Green Building Planner at the City of Vancouver, where she leads the development and implementation of the City's embodied carbon policies and initiatives. With over a decade of experience in sustainable and zero-carbon development, Zahra is highly knowledgeable in embodied carbon design, policy, and life cycle assessment (LCA).

In 2017, Zahra led the creation of Vancouver's embodied carbon requirements under the Green Building Policy for Rezoning, which was the first of its kind in North America. Additionally, she developed a conceptual roadmap for future steps based on the early submissions' analysis.

Prior to rejoining the City of Vancouver in 2023, Zahra worked as a Senior Advisor at Mantle Developments. During this time, she collaborated with various stakeholders, including developers, governments, and financial institutions, to assess, disclose, and reduce carbon emissions at the building scale. She also played a key role in developing zero-carbon strategies and plans at a portfolio scale.

Javaria Ahmad, Advisor, Mantle Developments

Javaria is an Advisor at Mantle Developments, where she contributes to a range of projects including projects on low embodied carbon buildings design and policy. Javaria has a Bachelor’s in Architecture Design from Pakistan, a postgraduate in green architecture from Algonquin College, and a Masters in Environment and Sustainability (MES) from Western University. She has seven years of experience in research, analysis, consulting, and building design.

Javaria previously worked as an analyst consulting on federal and city-level climate action policy for material embodied carbon in residential construction with projects in Ontario and BC. She has led sustainability initiatives, developing and implementing corporate sustainability policies. She studied urban and building-scaled carbon emissions throughout her post-graduate education. Javaria is an accredited LEED Green Associate with proven knowledge of policy consulting, building design, and embodied carbon analysis.