Transforming 240 Markland Drive, Etobicoke: A Blueprint for Decarbonizing Multiunit Residential Buildings

3:05pm – 4:05pm

Blair Gamracy, RRO, B.Arch Sci and David De Rose, MASc, PEng, BSS

Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Credits: This session has been approved for 1.0 IIBEC CEH. | This session has been approved for 1.0 AIA LU/HSW. | 1 hour (60 min) of Education is eligible for 1 BSS Credit | 1 OAA Core Learning Hour | Session may qualify for PEEK CPD.
Session Topics(s): Restoration: RS, Sustainability/Resilience: SUS, Case Studies: CST

Learning Objectives
At the end of this session, the attendee will be able to:

• Explain the concept of decarbonization in the built environment and its role as a model for community revitalization and benchmark for emulation.
• Discuss the pre-existing building envelope systems/condition, pre-existing and retrofitted performance parameters, and the evaluations required to upgrade performance of the presented case study building. 
• Recognize the challenges involved with implementing new wall over-cladding, roof, and window/door systems within an occupied building.
• Summarize the post-rehabilitation building performance, recognizing reductions in heating/cooling demands, energy consumption, and peak electrical demand. 

Description
Decarbonization within the built environment focuses on lowering greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) primarily through fuel switching building’s mechanical systems from fossil fuels to electric power.  The building envelope plays a significant role, as load reduction is often required to enable this change. This session explores 240 Markland Drive, Etobicoke, a 1960s building where deep retrofits to the existing building envelope were performed to optimize the building’s new mechanical systems.  The exterior masonry walls, windows, balcony slabs, roofs, joint sealants, and mechanical systems were in poor condition providing an opportunity for the developer to revitalize the existing building and provide a new rental building on the adjacent land. Both buildings are/will be heated and cooled by a ground source geothermal system. Wall over-cladding, roof assembly replacement, and window/door replacement significantly increased envelope thermal performance, decreasing heating and cooling demands, as well as reducing the number of boreholes required within the geothermal field. Peak electric demand was reduced as post retrofit utility bills show that energy consumption and peak electric demand dropped significantly compared to previous years.  This presentation will discuss 240 Markland’s sustainable design, demonstrating how future revitalization and development projects can help reduce the burden of the industry’s electrification movement on local infrastructure.

Presenters/Authors

Blair Gamracy, RRO, B.Arch Sci 

Project Director / Restoration Team Manager 
Synergy Partners Consulting Limited

With over 17 years of experience, Gamracy has worked on over 500 projects in new construction, building renewal, and enclosure design. A project director as well as restoration team manager, Gamracy serves as the president on the board of directors for the IIBEC Southern Ontario Chapter. 

In 2022, Gamracy received the Outstanding Committee Chair Award for the IIBEC Southern Ontario Chapter. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University, speaking on the topics of building enclosure restoration, retrofit, design and construction, building envelope materials, and building science.

David De Rose, MASc, PEng, BSS

Managing Principal / Project Director
Synergy Partners Consulting Limited

David De Rose has worked on over 500 projects over a 27-year career in building renewal and enclosure design. He is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario and is a certified Building Science Specialist (BSS). He is the chair of the CSA A440.6 subcommittee, which deals with high-exposure fenestration installation, and is a voting member for CSA-S478 Standard on Building Durability. He is currently a part-time professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he teaches building envelope restoration for the Master of Building Science Program. He is also a part-time professor at the University of Toronto where he delivers a course on building enclosures. He is a past president of the Ontario Building Envelope Council (2007 – 2008). In 2020, he was awarded with the Anthony A. Woods Career Achievement Award (The “Beckie”) for his significant contribution to the design, construction, and performance of the building envelope.