Towards a first major carbon-neutral building?

A team wants to build the first large-scale carbon-neutral building in Quebec. The La Forest-Québec complex would include, among other things, 317 rental units, a pharmacy, a grocery store, restaurants, a hotel and a public square. A portion would reach up to 15 floors.

The project, which could see the light of day in the area of ​​Chemin Saint-Louis, at the head of the Quebec and Pierre-Laporte bridges, is still at a preliminary stage. The City of Quebec organized a first citizen participation session on this subject, at the end of November. In order to understand what is on offer, The Press spoke by videoconference with the six artisans of the project.

“Being carbon neutral is the only way to achieve Canada’s carbon neutrality goals for 2050,” says Nicolas Constantin, president of the Statera group, who wants to build the complex in consortium with the company Alaroy. The building, which would be located on the site of the Sillery car center and the La Forest center, is a starting point for changing ways of doing things.

“Many things exist to minimize our carbon impact, explains the engineer. Now we have to find the specific formula to design and build our building to be carbon neutral while being financially viable. We want to improve the process and bring it, thanks to the synergy between different technologies, to be deployed in industry, so that carbon-neutral buildings will be the norm in 15-20 years. 15 years ago, constructing a LEED building cost significantly more than a non-LEED building, whereas now the price difference is negligible. We got there. »

Two LEED certification pioneers are part of his team: Alain Roy, president of Alaroy, whom he met when they both worked at Pomerleau, and Josée Lupien, president of Vertima, an expert in sustainable building, which accompanies the consortium in the analysis of the certification process, according to the zero carbon building standards (BCZ) of the Canada Green Building Council. Caroline Guérard, architect associated with the Régis Côté et associés agency, as well as Jad Salem, founding architect of the Salem Architecture agency, are also part of the adventure.

“It’s a very ambitious innovative project,” says Alain Roy. LEED projects were first made by public bodies, then the private sector followed. Here we are ahead. I accompany Nicolas with regard to the financial aspect and the constructability, to see if everything holds together. Because it costs money, to be upstream. Materials cost more. You will have to be careful. »

“The various materials used to construct a building have an intrinsic carbon footprint. They will be analyzed to make comparisons and see how far this footprint can be reduced, in the concrete mix, for example. »

“During the design, the operational carbon will also be examined, in relation to the energy performance of the building, explains Josée Lupien. The performance of the envelope, solar gains, natural ventilation will for example be evaluated, while considering the viability of the project, in order to establish a strategy. »

“The goal is not just to buy carbon credits to compensate,” she continues. The goal is to minimize at the source, to reduce the quantity of materials used, if only by adding a floor instead of opting for spreading out. »

Two of the main issues are the densification and the height of the different portions of the building, necessary when carbon neutrality is analyzed from a very broad point of view. “When we set up denser buildings across existing infrastructures, our footprint is much smaller than if we had to build a stretch of road,” explains Nicolas Constantin. We try to touch on all angles, such as access to public transport and active transport. We make sure to reduce the carbon footprint of the occupants of our building and the neighbors because we will have local services. They won’t need to take their car to get groceries. »

The architect Jad Salem welcomes this desire not to make a banal, generic project. “Carbon neutrality should be part of all projects,” he says. What is essential in our view is also when the building is more than an architectural object and becomes a vector of the spirit of the community, which everyone appropriates. The idea of ​​the public square is that it becomes a gathering place for people in the area. »

Stéphanie Allard, urban planner and biologist, joined the team in anticipation of the meeting with the citizens. “There was already a lot of added value to the project for the community,” she notes. The sunshine study had already been designed to adapt the heights so as not to create shadows. People felt respected because we consulted them at a time when there is still some flexibility to adapt things. Not everyone will agree with the project, but most of the concerns of people in the sector will have been answered. By knowing each other’s sensitivities, we can go faster and further together. »

The architects of the project believe in sustainable development, but they remain lucid. “The project we are presenting at the moment has a certain densification and a certain height, because there is a cost to everything we want to offer to future residents and the surrounding community, indicates Nicolas Constantin. Our biggest challenge will be to convince everyone that this project is good for the environment and good for society, in a vision of urban densification. »

Editor’s Note: For clarity, Canada’s target year for achieving carbon neutrality (2050) has been specified in a quote attributed to Nicolas Constantin.