Sustainability Program Gets Green Light

A new pilot project provides developers with the tools to help make existing high density buildings more sustainable

By Jim Timlick, and courtesy of Construction Association of Rural Manitoba

Manitoba builders can now access a new tool that has been designed to help make it easier for them to develop more sustainable housing.

In September, Built Green Canada officially launched its High Density Renovation Program (HDRP). The pilot project provides builders with the means to renovate existing high density residential and mixed-use buildings in a more sustainable manner. The ultimate goal of the program is to provide both owners and occupants with healthier, more durable and more affordable living spaces by reducing operating and maintenance costs. It’s a complement to one of Built Green’s other existing sustainable building programs, the Single Family Renovation Program.

Built Green CEO Jenifer Christenson says the high density program was developed in response to demands by a growing number of Canadians for more sustainable options when it comes to older housing stock. The 2018 the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Home Buyer Preference Study indicated that 67 per cent of Canadian homebuyers say a high-performance home is a “must have” and 44 per cent said low-flow toilets are also a “must have.”