New Buildings

Build your next building as a “High Performance Building” with low energy needs and carbon emissions.  Smart design and operational strategies will help you achieve net-zero energy, net-positive energy, low carbon operations.

Performance Engineering addresses energy performance and indoor environmental quality at the pre-design, design and verification phases of the project.  We use energy modeling in a series of cost and performance optimization exercises to assist the developer in determining where their investments in energy conservation have the most impact.  Furthermore, through comprehensive commissioning, the high performance is verified and the owner is equipped with the knowledge to maintain the building at optimal performance.

Our real world experience, anchored in design engineering, construction and consulting informs our approach to analyzing the cost and benefits of energy conservation measures. This facility engineering experience ensures that the analysis we deliver is relevant and pertinent to actual building conditions.

Our energy modeling portfolio includes over 700 energy simulations, verification and technical assistance deliveries.  We work with National Research Council and Natural Resources Canada in the advancement of building energy codes and have built a library of modeled technologies and strategies with quantified performance results.

Integrated design processes (IDP) offer design and project cost optimization through the use of energy simulations to test scenarios until the balance of cost and energy performance are optimized.  The IDP follows a path of passive load reduction to reduce the size of the systems required to heat and cool the building.

Our experience is well known.  Arborus has been engaged by Sustainable Buildings Canada to deliver Integrated Design Workshops for the Savings By Design program since 2013.

New buildings present the greatest potential for low energy consumption starting with a high performance envelope.

The Architecture 2030 Challenge charts our path to low carbon buildings to carbon-neutral buildings in the next 14 years.  Our research has shown how you can reduce the heating demand by almost 60% and switch to off-peak electricity in Ontario and achieve a 90% reduction in greenhouse gases.

Service Offerings

• Energy Modeling
• Integrated Design Workshops
• Design & Cost Optimization
• Green Building Certification
• Commissioning
• Measurement & Verification

Commissioning

Commissioning is the only method available to verify that a building performs according to the design specifications.

Arborus commissioning experience started with mission-critical remote arctic-based military facilities in 1996 and is considered among Canada’s most experienced building and systems commissioning authorities, with certification from the Building Commissioning Association.  The company has acted as fundamental and enhanced-level commissioning agent on a number of high-level green building and hospital projects.  Arborus includes commissioning as a fundamental component of our project engineering services.

Savings By Design Program

Arborus represents Sustainable Buildings Canada to deliver the Savings By Design Integrated Design workshops to developers and stakeholders in eastern Ontario.  The workshops include a visioning session and full day Charrette designed to assist the developer and designers in achieving a minimum performance of 15% better than the Ontario Building Code.  Prior to the Charrette, we prepare an energy model to set the baseline case for which to compare a series of energy efficiency measures.