CaGBC Annual Conference | Building Lasting Change

The 10th annual CaGBC conference was held from the 5-7th of June in Toronto with the theme of "building lasting change". There were approximately 500 attendees exchanging views and best practices on a variety of topics.

Three of the interesting questions that were explored during the conference were: how to incorporate Net Zero into building standards, what role buildings and building portfolio management play in helping governments meet their aggressive international carbon emissions targets, and what building designs and retrofits tend to be the most beneficial over time, from both a building performance and GHG reduction standpoint.

On the final day of the conference, there was a presentation by Piers McNaughton of Harvard University, who presented some of his findings and data that concentrates on finding data to demonstrate that green and sustainable buildings have a direct positive impact on workers’ cognitive function. In essence, prioritizing health and wellness benefits while maximizing GHG emission reductions should be key priorities in the design and management of green buildings. Through Piers’ work, this is the first time the link between green building and health, wellbeing and productivity have been made and backed up with case studies from around the world.