WEBINARS - ENERGY SYMPOSIUM 2020

 Presentation 1 - The Phoenix: Exemplary Performance of a Zero Carbon Building

The Phoenix, headquarters of the Montreal architectural design firm Lemay, was awarded Zero Carbon Building certification – Performance (BCZ-Performance) – for its transformation of a neglected warehouse into a low-carbon work environment and a net-zero energy building that is home to its 350 employees. The project was an in-depth renovation of a three-storey industrial building 9264 m² in area, built in 1950. Located in the heart of Montreal's southwest sector, the building initially served as a distribution centre for department stores, then as a document warehouse before being converted into offices for Lemay's trans-disciplinary team.

The Phoenix was an opportunity for Lemay to design a unique work environment that serves as an experimental laboratory for testing new concepts and approaches in sustainability and workplace design. Greenery permeates the indoor space, improving air quality while also promoting well-being and a vital connection with the natural environment. The decision to focus on carbon has already brought benefits. The building earned an ENERGY STAR rating of 98 in Portfolio Manager, and has led to energy savings of 83% per year.

Through its adaptive reuse and various sustainability measures, the Phoenix is an impressive example of a refurbishment of an old building that meets the higher standards of sustainable development while also considerably reducing the environmental impacts of large-scale extraction of raw materials. The project shows that sustainable development can be a catalyst for rejuvenating under-utilized milieus by transforming them into healthy and socially responsible, low-carbon environments that also lead to a substantial reduction in energy costs.

Guest Speaker: Hugo Lafrance, Director, Sustainable Strategies.

Presentation 2 - Solar Energy in Commercial Buildings: Theory and applications

This seminar will outline how solar energy is captured and what factors influence annual producibles. We will examine the effects of technology on the financial and commercial strategy of operations. We will conclude with a look at the parameters likely to influence the decision to integrate this technology into existing or future projects.

Guest Speaker: Christian Dubuc, PhD, Innovation and development of solar products, Stace.

Presentation 3 - Achieving Energy Efficiency by means of Artificial Intelligence

Commercial real estate represents a major portion of energy consumption worldwide, and is a big source of greenhouse gas emissions. About 45% of the energy consumed in commercial buildings is for HVAC systems, 30% of which is generally wasted. In many cases HVAC systems are designed as fixed, or systems programmed for a fairly static environment, even though the weather, the seasons and building occupancy levels are fluid and dynamic. Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing building management by preventively modifying the behaviour of HVAC systems, offering an affordable, high impact solution for improving energy consumption management. AI techniques autonomously optimize the operational configurations of the HVAC system, thereby generating significant energy savings.

Guest Speaker: Jean-Simon Venne, Co-founder & chief technology officer, BrainBox Al.