Sam Lane
Associate, Discipline Lead – Sustainability + Performance, Entuitive
Biren Singh
Senior Building Performance Analyst, Entuitive
Entuitive recognizes the role existing buildings can play in helping Canada hit its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Entuitive, an engineering firm known for their creativity, is approaching the topic of retrofitting existing buildings with bold, forward-thinking solutions aimed at significantly reducing carbon emissions while enhancing the value and utility of properties for owners. Rather than treating retrofits as mere energy updates, Entuitive views them as opportunities to transform buildings into high-performing assets that also align with the owner’s sustainability goals.
“Existing building retrofits are the nut the industry has been trying to crack for the last 15 years. Everyone recognizes that there is an incredible amount of work to be done to our buildings to meet our climate goals, but actioning retrofits at scale has proven to be a challenge. Energy savings alone won’t cut it; the financial case isn’t strong enough to drive the deep, transformative changes our buildings desperately need. As engineers, we’ve had to completely rethink our approach — aligning with bold, strategic thinking that goes beyond ‘because you should’ sustainability. How do our clients truly value their buildings? And how can we radically improve that value for them?” says Sam Lane, discipline lead for Sustainability and Performance at Entuitive.
For some buildings, this means improving aesthetics with a reclad facelift. For others, it could mean completely reimagining the space uses. Entuitive is an established leader in office to residential conversion projects, helping owners with low lease rates unlock value by pivoting to a new and in-demand sector.
Existing building retrofits are the nut the industry has been trying to crack for the last 15 years.
Restoring housing affordability is a major concern for Canadians. CMHC estimates that Canada will need an additional 3.5 million housing units by 2030. It is a challenge for the architectural, engineering, and construction industry that seeks to build enough housing to fill the housing gap while at the same time reducing the carbon impact of their work. Entuitive is currently helping several residential portfolio owners increase housing units, extend the life of existing housing, and leverage government grant and incentive funding to pay for the work in parallel, drastically improving the performance of their buildings.
On the commercial side, the things tenants or occupants are looking for now in office space have evolved. In this work-from-home age, employers are looking to procure space that attracts staff back into the office — and that means updating commercial spaces to appeal as much as one’s own home. Additional amenity space can be incorporated into retrofit programs, as can recognized certifications that appeal to tenants who are increasingly sustainability-minded or beholden to report on ESG progress.
Carbon is not the only impact to consider. Adapting to a changing climate is also a challenge for building owners. Many residential owners are worried about cooling — how do they add it without driving operational and capital costs too high? Areas in Canada that traditionally did not need air conditioning are finding that increasingly challenging, particularly for buildings with seniors, children, or other heat-vulnerable populations. In addition to overheating, the impact of increasingly common wildfire smoke, power outages, flooding, and hailstorms can all be mitigated through building updates.
“The Entuitive team has a list of best practices we review with building owners to evaluate how the building can be future proofed to limit risk and improve occupant comfort and safety. It can be as simple as offering to have a chat with their insurance company to talk about premiums and how our work can lower risk to operations and people. A building isn’t just an energy utility bill — it’s an ecosystem of people, priorities, and infrastructure. Improving that whole ecosystem is our goal,” says Lane.
To learn more, visit entuitive.com.
