The federal government has committed to carbon neutral new buildings by 2035 and retrofitting existing buildings to be carbon neutral by 2050. The goalposts may be different locally, and may change in the coming years, however it is *highly highly unlikely* they will disappear.

We have extensive knowledge of clients’ existing building systems (across many market sectors) and designing low carbon and carbon neutral buildings. Our area of expertise is the “how” – planning upgrades/replacement of systems that allow clients to achieve their immediate targets, while setting out the steps to transition their buildings to meet longer-term environmental goals. It’s not just about replacing old equipment with the same. Instead, we ask are the systems being installed well suited to support low carbon technologies in the future?

This is particularly important in a healthcare setting, says Principal Kurt Monteiro. When S+A was engaged to design a mechanical system to support additional operating rooms for minor procedures for North York General Hospital (NYGH) in Toronto, the site, a commercial office building built in 1971, did not have the appropriate gas venting options to accommodate the new healthcare tenant. The team came up with an innovative solution (and an option not so well known in cold climates): hydronic air source heat pumps. Not only are they at least twice as efficient as electric boilers, they’re also aligned with the sustainability requirements that have now been set forth in Ontario. A win-win for the client and the team.