Ha/f Climate Design

"To understand how we might incorporate circular development practices today, it’s essential to recognize that the redevelopment of sites did not always involve the demolition and landfilling of older structures as the norm. Up until the 1910s, deconstruction was the primary method for dismantling buildings at the end of their life." Ha/f's Juliette Cook and Rashmi Sirkar make the business, climate, and culture case for building and material reuse in this month's Canadian Architect magazine. The article builds upon their research at the University of Toronto - John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and the reuse work we've been a part of with City Of Guelph, Ouroboros Deconstruction, and Haley Anderson. Please reach out if you're interested in working together on Material Audits and Reuse Strategy.

Never imagined that we’d be presenting at the Department of National Defence/Ministère de la défense nationale. Thank you National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada for the opportunity to share our RAIC - IRAC LCA workshop with Canada’s federal departments today. And never has there been a more important time to think about where our building materials come from, and how we can be sourcing them from Canadian suppliers that sit on the lowest-carbon grids in North America. Buy 🇨🇦, build 🇨🇦. Ha/f Climate Design w/ University of Toronto University of Waterloo C.Scale One Click LCA Preoptima Architecture 2030

Last week in Vancouver, we had the privilege of kicking off the CAHP Codes Acceleration Fund Workshop: Exploring the Intersection of Existing Buildings, Carbon, and Code. A huge thank you to CAHP for convening such a thoughtful and dynamic conversation, and to our collaborators Giaimo and WSP in Canada for bringing their expertise to the table. The workshop bridged perspectives between heritage conservation and sustainability, exploring how embodied carbon conservation can serve as a shared language for action. We left inspired by the discussions had (and the stunning venue), and excited to deepen the dialogue and advance policies that support low-carbon, existing, and heritage buildings.

Single stairs = less cost + less carbon + more density. Ha/f is honoured to be a part of the fantastic list of speakers assembled by Janna Levitt and Conrad Speckert. Ryan Bruer will be presenting our study into the cost and carbon of constructing exit stairs on Day 2 of this three-part event.

Ha/f has been so fortunate to be working with architects across Canada on the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL)'s Housing Design Catalog. Looking through the final designs is so inspiring - uniquely regional approaches to introduce affordable, liveable, beautiful density to communities across Canada. Thank you Janna Levitt for the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible team! LGA Architectural Partners, MGA | Michael Green Architecture, KANVA 5468796 Architecture Inc., Dub Architects, Abbott Brown Architects, Taylor Architecture Group, Urban Strategies Inc., ReHousing

Ha/f has been so fortunate to be working with architects across Canada on the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL)'s Housing Design Catalog. Looking through the final designs is so inspiring - uniquely regional approaches to introduce affordable, liveable, beautiful density to communities across Canada. Thank you Janna Levitt for the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible team! LGA Architectural Partners, MGA | Michael Green Architecture, KANVA 5468796 Architecture Inc., Dub Architects, Abbott Brown Architects, Taylor Architecture Group, Urban Strategies Inc., ReHousing

We’re so proud to be part of this incredible group.

How can natural materials shape the future of the built environment? "Building with natural materials," an exhibition opening at Corridor Gallery in Toronto on February 25, explores innovative and sustainable approaches to building with nature. This knowledge sharing event brings together contributions from KPMB, SvN Architects + Planners, Toronto.Biobuildcollective, Zachary Mollica, Ha/f Climate Design, Etienne Issa, and Krista Ross, who share explorations and present the potential of bio-based materials in architecture and construction. More information here: https://lnkd.in/gFHh7Kz8 #biobasedbuilding #sustainablefutures #sustainabledesign #sustainablearchitecture

Vancouver and BC friends! Join us March 4 for an in-person half-day workshop exploring the intersections of existing building retrofits, heritage, sustainability, carbon, and building code. If you have expertise in any one of these areas, we'd love to have you participate in this collaborative cross-disciplinary workshop: https://lnkd.in/evuyrRtk The workshop is part of the Canadian Assoc. of Heritage Professionals | Assoc. canadienne d'experts-conseils en patrimonie Existing Buildings Carbon Code Analysis project, funded by the Code Accelerator Fund, led by Giaimo and Ha/f Climate Design, with WSP and A.W. Hooker Associates Ltd.. We're just starting this new exciting project, so this is a great opportunity to share your ideas and collaborate towards national policy and code recommendations. If you have questions or want to learn more feel free to reach out, hope to see you there!

What is the cost and carbon of an exit stair? The initial release of our first draft of the Single Exit Stair study with LGA Architectural Partners received a lot of interest. Over the past two months we've been working to incorporated feedback and further expand the study to include a precast stair option, updated product EPDs, and costing information to provide a wider perspective. Thank you to the Cement Association of Canada , Concrete Ontario, Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association, Canada Masonry Design Centre, Stubbe's Precast, and the Canadian Wood Council for your engagement, feedback, and guidance. Updated report available via our website. Architecture 2030 RAIC - IRAC CAGBC | Canada Green Building Council Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement(SCHL)