Towards a more environmentally-sensitive architecture
Practiced for decades in Europe, ecological architecture continues to grow in popularity in North America. In conjunction with its goals of sustainable urban development and optimal resource management, the Master Plan recognizes the importance of environmentally-sensitive architectural practices as effective methods of supporting a healthier urban environment.
A more environmentally-sensitive architecture relies on consideration of the environment during the conception of the project, when certain strategic decisions are made. Six elements are particularly crucial in improving a project's environmental performance:
- Site choice;
- Design process and innovation;
- Choice of materials and resources used;
- Energy consumption and external air quality;
- Interior air quality;
- Efficient water management.
For each of these elements, a number of choices can be made. For example, improving energy efficiency can be achieved through the use of low-consumption appliances; solar, wind or geothermal energy, a green roof or simply through better insulation.
With so many options, it is important that the solutions chosen do not negatively affect other planning considerations, such as the integrity of heritage buildings or areas.
The practice of ecological architecture is governed by certain norms, performance standards which set different goals for different types of buildings. For instance, NovoClimat deals with residential buildings, while C-2000 applies to non-residential structures. Financial incentives for the use of environmentally-sensitive standards are also available from the Canadian government.
The LEED Standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the United States Green Building Council, has set the most stringent requirements to date for measuring buildings in terms of their ecological soundness and energy efficiency. The Canada Green Building Council has recently adapted it for use with Canadian and Québec building codes.
The Ville de Montréal intends to play a leading role in architectural quality, both through the example of its real estate assets and the review of private projects. In response to Montréal's changing commercial framework and to strike a better balance of commercial components and shapes, the City also intends to provide architectural and urban guidelines for the insertion of medium- and large-sized commercial projects.
