We are pleased to release our fifth annual corporate sustainability report to share some of our successes and insights from 2022. Every year we strive to be transparent about the work that we do and highlight our work with peers, clients, and design teams to better the industry we work in.
2021 CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
We are pleased to release our fourth annual corporate sustainability report to share some of our successes and insights from 2021. In spite of the challenges we’ve encountered, we have continued to work with our industry partners, clients, and colleagues to progress our advancement of responsible buildings towards a low-carbon future.
Balconies - How Do They Impact Wall Performance?
With version 4 of the Toronto Green Standard coming into effect this May, understanding the impacts of thermal bridging is more important than ever to meet TEDI targets. We conducted a study looking at how balconies impact opaque wall performance.
Making informed decisions about balcony design (whether that involves thermal breaks, externally supported balconies, or reducing the total slab balcony perimeter) is imperative to minimize thermal bridging and improve the effectiveness of your clear wall insulation. EQ can help you navigate these impacts on your projects.
Building Construction Phase Commissioning Case Study - Building B
This case study presents the analysis and quantification of the results of whole-building commissioning (Cx) services provided by EQ Building Performance Inc. (EQ) through the construction phase for a single project - Building B. The analysis described herein and in other such case studies informs on the overall value of building commissioning in terms of utility consumption, cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.
2020 CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
We are thrilled to be able to release our third annual corporate sustainability report to share our successes and insights from the past year. While 2020 was certainly an unforgettable year for many, we hope this report can offer a unique perspective on the importance of disrupting the status quo and the changes we'll need to facilitate to achieve a circular and low-carbon future.
Building Construction Phase Commissioning Case Study - Building A
This case study presents the analysis and quantification of the results of whole-building commissioning (Cx) services provided by EQ Building Performance Inc. (EQ) through the construction phase for a single project - Building A. The analysis described herein and in other such case studies informs on the overall value of building commissioning in terms of utility consumption, cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.
2019 Corporate Sustainability Report
We're so pleased to be able to once again share a summary of the impact of our work in our annual sustainability report. We hope this report provides valuable insight on year-over-year changes and the current progress of the local building design and construction industry as we approach a low-carbon future.
Toronto Green Standard Version 3 - Expectations versus Reality
Back in 2018, EQ wrote an article titled ‘TGS v3 – How do MURBs stack up?’. Starting January 1, 2020, all archetype buildings must comply with the TGS v3 absolute targets and meet Tier 1 at a minimum. Prior to this, compliance modelling was done primarily as a ‘reference percentage better than’ approach, which is still the case for the Ontario Building Code and many other certifications. In continuing this series, as we are now 2 years in to TGS v3, EQ has conducted a technical analysis on business-as-usual multi-unit residential building (MURB) design in a new-age building code.
2018 EQ Corporate Sustainability Report
At EQ, we are committed to reducing human-kind’s negative impact on the environment by making buildings better. We are thrilled to be able to share this summary of the impact of our work over the course of 2018, and some additional information about our own operations. We hope that this report will serve to not only document the improvements made on these projects, but also to provide some insights on the progress of the local construction market towards a low-energy and low-carbon future.
Energy Use and the Performance Gap
In February 2018, Sidewalk Labs Toronto engaged EQ’s team and Urban Equation to investigate how multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) in Toronto use energy.
In particular, Sidewalk Toronto wanted to understand how energy models differ from actual building energy performance, and how current energy modelling practices contribute to setting realistic building energy performance targets. Ultimately, Sidewalk Toronto is looking for ways to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve precedent-setting levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.
For this study, EQs team and Urban Equation had unprecedented access to six major MURB datasets of modelled and metered energy readings as well industry standards and guidelines. By analyzing this data at various levels, the team was able to determine the performance gap – the difference between a building’s actual energy usage and the energy model prediction.
This report is a special collaboration between EQ’s team, Urban Equation, and Sidewalk Labs, born by a shared understanding of the lack of available data and studies completed on the topic. Sidewalk Labs helped guide the topics of study and utilizes the report for widespread interest and applicability. Learn more about the groundbreaking results in the link below.
