Sustainability + Resilience
At METAFOR, our simplified sustainability methodology supports our clients in adopting a balanced and thoughtful strategy towards prioritizing the wellbeing of occupants, while considering the performance of our diverse projects, in response to the changing climate, economy, and social fabric.
Where Wellbeing and Resilience Meet
At METAFOR, purposeful design guides our every endeavour, with the ultimate goal of building better and generating long-term value for our clients, through positive financial, social, and environmental impacts.
By simplifying sustainability, we strive to develop cost-effective solutions that optimize energy efficiency, minimize waste, reduce operational expenses, and seize potential investment and revenue generating opportunities.
We believe that sustainable architecture should prioritize the physical and mental health, safety, and comfort of occupants. Through thoughtful design, we strive to create spaces that support physical and mental well-being, enhance productivity and creativity, and foster social connections while considering the flexibility needed in spaces to evolve over time to changing conditions. We engage with communities to understand their unique needs and aspirations, ensuring that our designs reflect and respect their cultural, social, and economic context.
Recognizing the challenges posed by a changing climate and economy, We place a strong emphasis on economic and environmental resilience. We understand the urgent need to adapt to the impacts of climate change and ensure the longevity of our designs. We recognize that responsible design should also demonstrate economic feasibility for our clients and stakeholders.
Lessons learned from our extensive experience in a wide range of sectors across North America, including post construction phases for renewal and repairs, aids our process to better inform our designs and execution of new buildings.
Sustainability in Action
As an integrated team of architects, engineers, designers, and project delivery specialists, we achieve this by providing a broad range of services.
- Sustainability and Resilience Strategies: Establishing a sustainability strategy and performance goals in consultation with the Client to ensure it aligns with Client requirements and is considerate relevant environmental, social, and economic risks and opportunities. Includes energy performance analysis for decision making support and code
compliance. - Low Carbon Energy Analysis and Design Optimization: Building off the preliminary energy model for a building or a campus of buildings to identify and evaluate the costs and benefits of opportunities to introduce low-carbon energy sources, including renewable power, on-site sources of heat (ground source, water source, or solar) and the identification
of energy conservation and efficiency measures. - Climate Resilience and Adaptation Risk Assessments: In addition to supporting the identification of climate mitigation and net-zero emissions opportunities our resilience experts can execute a qualitative process to assess the risks and vulnerabilities of buildings, sites, and supporting infrastructure to current and future extreme weather events and climatic changes.
Integrated Sustainability Solutions
- Sustainability Design Report: Coordinating with the Project Team in ensuring the sustainability strategy and performance goals are reflected in design and report on project performance.
- Innovative Financing and Funding of Sustainability Measures: Identifying potential financing, funding, and incentive opportunities to support the implementation of the sustainability strategy and feasibility analysis, which includes charting the path to successful applications and identifying potential partners. We also support our Clients in the application and administration of funding and/or financing opportunities for the development of non-market housing, to deliver on building accessibility goals, and to achieve low-carbon/low emission buildings.
- Sustainable Design Certifications: Coordinating green building certifications, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Zero Carbon Buildings (ZCB) Frame Build Green, and others.
- Future Flexible Design: METAFOR's team of experts collaboratively support clients with the identification of opportunities to introduce flexibility in design so that buildings can be easily adapted to changes of use, functional program, and building demographics over time to best fit their targeted operational and return on investment objectives.
Building Enclosure Commissioning
The BECx standards require the BECxA to have a fundamental understanding of the building enclosure, METAFOR delivers the service with an experienced understanding of the building enclosure bringing more value to the building owner.
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) defines the Building Enclosure Commissioning as “a process utilized to validate that the design and performance of materials, components, assemblies, and systems achieve the objectives and requirements of the owner.”
Our services can be provided in relation to the pursuit of, or outside of LEED where the project seeks to ensure the performance of the building enclosure is verified and documented to meet the owner’s objectives.
- LEED V4 Enhanced Commissioning credits (2 Points)
- ASHRAE Guideline 0–2005
- National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Guideline 3–2012
- ASTM E2813 - 18 - Standard Practice for Building Enclosure Commissioning
- ASTM E2947-16a - Standard Guide for Building Enclosure Commissioning
