Greening Real Estate
How might a building owner improve environmental outcomes of their portfolio of assets?
2 minute read
Challenge
Buildings play a major role in our day-to-day lives. Research shows that buildings can affect our mental and physical health, and also make up 17% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. For a real estate company that owns multiple types of buildings—ranging from hotels and malls to offices and multi-unit residential buildings—how might they improve the environmental, health, and social outcomes of their buildings?
Solution
The Canvas team first identified the priority outcomes that the client wanted to achieve with their buildings. We situated the issue in the national and global context—laying out the scientific, engineering, economic and policy perspectives related to addressing those outcomes in the built environment.
Canvas identified 10 strategies to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sustainability and resource usage efficiency, mental and physical health improvements.
Then, we assessed the universe of solutions and technologies available for procurement and/or investment. Using an evaluation criteria that analyzes impact potential, installation costs, feasibility, and adoption rates, we identified several “baskets” of solutions that the client could install to begin achieving their desired outcomes.
Results
We created a database of 117 possible technologies and solutions, and assessed 78 of them in-depth, providing technological reviews, economic assessments, policy and incentive program scans, and feasibility evaluation.
Combining both macro-level data to assess financial savings and GHG emissions reductions, as well as micro-level insights on the technologies, the Canvas team created clear strategies towards achieving a more environmental and health-friendly building portfolio for the client.