Green pilot to “reframe” renovations

July 3, 2020

Meeting of the  Reframed Lab group shows priorities. | Submitted

The City of Vancouver is launching a five-project pilot program to “reframe” the home renovation industry to make homes “safer, more energy-efficient and less polluting.”
The initiative—which involves the province of B.C. through BC Housing, and the left-leaning Pembina Institute—plans to do retrofit demonstration projects on up to five multi-unit residential buildings in the city.
“While new homes must be built to high health, safety and environmental standards, there are significant opportunities to make existing buildings better places to live and reduce the energy they use. Building retrofits also create good, long-term jobs for people in the province and support the growth of B.C.'s sustainable economy,” according to a Reframed Lab release.
This summer, BC Housing will issue a request for proposals for partners to join Reframed Lab . Partners from all corners of the construction sector, including architects, contractors, engineers and manufacturers are invited to register as solution providers.
Selected teams will prepare designs for a specific building, with support from experts on climate change, energy and health. Their goal will be to demonstrate next-generation solutions that integrate seismic and fire safety, and energy efficiency and climate-adaptation upgrades, while dramatically reducing the buildings' carbon pollution.
BC Housing is funding the retrofits of selected buildings from a capital renewal fund—a 10-year, $1.1-billion investment to preserve and improve the province's social housing units.