Clayton Community Centre – Photo: Doublespace Photography
Guest Blog By HCMA
In 2019, the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) recognized the role architects can play in addressing the climate crisis. Like others in our industry, hcma is committed to doing our part.
Last fall, we supported 17 members of our team in their journey to become Certified Passive House Designers, enhancing their technical proficiency in support of low carbon and low energy buildings. Passive House – the world’s fastest growing building performance standard – focuses on reducing building energy demand and improving indoor quality. The Passive House training program offers the most comprehensive, relevant training available to design professionals. The curriculum focuses on fundamentals of building science, in particular the relationship between building envelope and active systems. Though we know not all projects will pursue formal certification, the program’s principles of design, construction strategies, and methods of assessing performance offer exceptional value to our practice.
Our first cohort of hcma-ers includes participants from across the firm from the most experienced senior leaders to early career professionals. This approach will help us build strong and consistent technical capacity quickly and support knowledge transfer within the practice so we can contribute meaningfully as leaders as low-energy city builders.
As we congratulate our first cohort on their designation, we encourage others who feel training may benefit their practice to inquire with Passive House Canada about their private delivery and customized training options.
To read more about hcma’s latest Passive House certified project, Clayton Community Centre, click here.
Clayton Heights Community Centre