Oliver Lang

Understanding Global Warming Levels (GWLs) is crucial for today's architects and engineers. https://ow.ly/3qPQ50SYQ9J The newly released Future Building Design Value Summaries on ClimateData.ca not only provide future climate design values for 660+ locations in Canada but also align these projections with GWLs. 🌡️📈 This alignment offers a connection to global climate policy, for example the 2015 Paris Agreement which seeks to keep warming below 2 °C. Learn more about GWLs by reading our newest Learning Zone article on the subject. #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange #SustainableDesign #FutureReady

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Most of us in North America think of suburbs as places that must be car-dependent. The usual false choice we feel we must make is between an apartment in the busy city or a cheaper house with a yard in the suburbs that necessitates driving everywhere. This has only been true for the last 60 years — before the Second World War, suburbs were walkable and serviced by streetcars. They were mixed-use neighbourhoods designed with residential and commercial spaces. In this video, we get a tour of Riverdale, a neighbourhood in Toronto, which is a former streetcar suburb. While the streetcars are gone, the "stroads" (oversized roads that try to combine the commercial function of a street and the longer-distance travel function of a road) that replaced them are, in their turn, being rehabilitated for active transport and public transit. In this neighbourhood, you'll find a mix of housing sizes and types. There are many, smaller schools and shops. There's even a larger grocery store, but because you don't need a car to get there, the parking lot's footprint is much smaller than the typical suburban wasteland. Because it's so walkable, there's a strong sense of community and, as a result, the neighbourhood is in high demand (and the video looks at pricing and accessibility). This video, made by a former Riverdale resident, explores why we've effectively legislated neighbourhoods like this out of existence. I don't agree with every single point he makes, but I agree with most of them: https://buff.ly/3VkTWni #walkability #urbanplanning #liveable #cities #suburbia

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An #Architect recently asked how #accurate the Ontario Association of Architects new #TEUI3 tool is, and I've been thinking about the answer for days. (My first response was: "It is as accurate as 5+5=10", but this needs some explanation). ⚡/🏢 =TEUI The tool was developed primarily to show building energy performance from actual #utilitybills so in that sense, it is 100% accurate. Only secondarily did it attempt to parse these into subcomponents (gains and losses by category) in order to find things like what % of loads does #TEDI represent. By doing the second thing, the tool became useful for design, because if you know your inputs - you can take a reasonable guess at the outputs, and you can optimize your building design well before it gets passed on to your engineering team for #BEM (modelling). But guesswork, even from a #dynamic hourly energy modelling tool is still a fiction even when it is a close match to reality, and more detail does not necessarily equate to greater accuracy. The #performancegap between modelled and actual performance - across our industry - is wider than the Grand Canyon (those who know, know). So by starting with real-world performance, and always working backwards from that, the TEUI3 tool has been calibrated to be as close as 1% within **actual** loads. But here's the thing, it can also be 20-30% divergent! This isn't a fault of the tool, it's a feature of the complex nature of reality and the quality of inputs, user-knowledge, weather data and the variability of occupant behaviour. This is why #BEM or Building Energy Modelling should always keep both TARGETS (Fiction) and ACTUAL USE (Truth) in mind simultaneously - anything less is 100% fiction, 0% truth - yet for some reason Canadians seem perfectly happy with ratings of every flavour even when they bear little resemblance to utility bills. Why waste time and money on such an invalidated approach? #TEUI3 also makes it super-obvious when you are looking at a zero-emission, or net-zero-energy, or low-carbon (#wbLCA) building - you will see zeros in the header summary - and for most if not all buildings we have evaluated, this is about as rare as a literal Unicorn 🦄 You can download and try the beta version at: https://lnkd.in/g4c_CKPv So as #Canada sunsets the R2000 and EnerGuide for Homes programs, and embraces #EnergyStar as a voluntary pathway (still, over the NBC Tiers) going forward, please remember, actual, post-occupancy evaluation of utility-bill data is the TRUE proof of a design's excellence.

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We are so proud of designing the Marpole Community Centre project to reduce #embodiedcarbon by 40%, meeting the City of Vancouver's 2030 embodied carbon targets today. Read the #casestudy that we wrote on how we did it! Thanks to the City of Vancouver and the design team Diamond Schmitt, Fast + Epp, and RDH Building Science, Introba, and to the construction management of Heatherbrae Builders. This case study is a part of a larger work we completed with the City of Vancouver to provided feedback and inform and shape Embodied Carbon Guidelines. We consulted on questions that arose during the process, like: • What is a reasonable Baseline? • How can teams innovatively work together to generate a bill of materials for a project that would have been constructed in 2018? • What whole building life cycle assessment tools have limitations related to the Guide requirements? • Where does fire code limit design options for functional equivalence? • How can teams take credit for reducing the amount of parking? • Is it possible to achieve the ambitious carbon reduction goals set in the City's Climate Action Plan? At reLoad we take pride in advancing the industry through collaborative initiatives such as this project and sharing the results widely. Thanks to our friends at CLF British Columbia | Carbon Leadership Forum for the platform.

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Building resilience ♤ New project for establishing new metrics and new design strategies. Environment and Climate Change Canada IPCC Sustainable Buildings Canada

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The public is asking more from architecture- after all, it’s the places we live, work and play. “ Who should be advocating for architecture in Canada, and how should that advocacy be focused? In my view, a core issue for local, provincial, and national architecture advocates should be raising the standard for architecture—as supported by fair fees, improved procurement, and decent working conditions for the next generation of architects. A business advocacy voice is needed for architecture.”

At CIMS (Carleton Immersive Media Studio) we advocate for buildingSMART International's openBIM standards. For the BIM viewer of Canada's Digital Twin platform, we are working to incorporate these standards as much as possible. In this example, we demonstrate how an IFC file, and its respective BIM Collaboration Format (BCF → https://lnkd.in/ewPqSuaC), can be visualized directly in the browser. The BCF feature allows users to focus the camera on the exact position where the BCF topic was created. The user interface enables users to filter fields and export a new BCF file with the desired information. Finally, the BCF can be exported as a PDF report for easier visualization. Every week at the CIMS lab, we expand the potential of Canada's Digital Twin platform with the goal of making BIM/GIS tools more accessible. Stay tuned for more updates! Big thanks to That Open Company for this lesson at #GetTheCode. #CanadasDigitalTwin #cimslab #openbim #openSourceSoftware

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Canadian #Architecture is in Crisis My latest article is below. It’s high time we advocate for ourselves, and seek a national voice for advocacy for the profession. At local, provincial, national levels, we need strong voices and need to work together to serve in the public interest. In most cases, there is little that regulators can do to stem the tide of continued devaluation of what we do; and in the absence of strong advocacy voices, we must work together, act collectively to further the business interests of our profession and create the built environment Canadians need and want. Raise the bar; do more than code minimum that doesn’t get you sued. Create better #PlacesForPeople Alexander josephson Andrew Reeves Arnaud Marthouret

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🌳 Discover the Benefits of Urban Green Spaces! 🌳 Urbanization in Western countries poses significant health threats due to factors like fast-paced lifestyles, social isolation, and pollution. Urban green spaces can mitigate these effects by providing areas for physical activity, social interaction, and mental restoration. This study explores the benefits of single green space visits in Vancouver, considering variables such as visit duration, type of activity, and visitor demographics. The research aims to inform urban planning and promote equitable access to green spaces for health and well-being improvements. 🌿 Dive into the research here: https://lnkd.in/guXGh2K9 Then Comment Below: What's been your biggest benefit from visiting urban greenspace?

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#TeachableMoment 🛑 #AODAfail With 377 days left until the AODA deadline to make Ontario fully accessible, it's long past time architects and interior designers started growing a pair and tell clients who don't know better and ask for hangout steps, "No." These are one of the most visible displays of ableism and discrimination a building or grounds can feature. In the US buildings have been sued over them (e.g. Hunters Point Library in Queens NY). They are the opposite of the Accessible Canada Act, ADA and AODA, etc. legislation to provide disabled people inclusion, equity, independence, dignity and respect. First of all feature stairs need feature elevators side by side. But hangout step segregation is wrong for the designer's and client's brand, a violation of Human Rights laws (even if the building code still hasn't been fixed to prevent them. But how is this not fixed seating?), doesn't align with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or sustainability goals or even employment legislation and workplace policies. It's a feature that only an abled thinks looks "cool" but is actually a big mistake that costs a lot to fix. Designers are creative smart people. Sell clients on something else that's exciting, inclusive and instead helps society and their space be better. Sadly this public library only recently opened in 2023. How embarrassing for all involved! Photo via Alex Bozikovic architecture critic at The Globe and Mail Photo description: A brightly lit grand central staircase that joins the 1st and 2nd floor (21 steps) includes hang out seating platforms in a light coloured wood that divide the stairs and take up half the width of the staircase. Stairs on each side only have a handrail on one side not both. The platform drop off edges provide no tactile warning or colour contrast. Each seating platform is level with the 3rd step. If this was to be used as a presentation area the only accessible seating options are to sit at the top or back farthest from the presentation or if usings an assistive seated device to sit also unintegrated in front of the first row. If the platforms are meant as landings to rest while climbing 21 steps they are hard and dangerous for many to get onto and off of safely. How much do you want to bet there's no assistive listening available during presentations? Or acoustic contol if people were sitting and talking on the platforms? See CBS News and Stations coverage of Hunters Point Library at: https://lnkd.in/gda8qVkw Also see David Lepofsky 's AODA Alliance crit video showing why hang out steps are bad design from Oct 2017: https://lnkd.in/gSuyTkF9 #AccessibleCanada #ADA #AODA #AMA #NSAA #ABCA #NLAA #ASA #disability #segregation #HumanRights #architecture #InteriorDesign #LandscapeArchitecture #UrbanPlanning #design #education #legislation #policy

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Call for Archi-Papers &/or Drawings on the 7th Frascari Symposium Theme(s): Flesh / Geometry / Shadow #Architecture #History #Theory

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As a profession grounded in evidence-based practice, landscape architecture relies on collecting scientific evidence to inform design decisions and demonstrate performance in the pursuit of sustainable development. The Landscape Architecture Foundation's Case Study Investigation Program fosters connections between education, practice, and post-construction evaluation, enabling researchers, designers, users, and investors to gain insights into the challenges and limitations of design concepts in real-world construction. We can’t wait to hear from Yiwei at #INCOLA2024 ! American Society of Landscape Architects Yiwei Huang

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A popular version of the research that I am presenting at Acoustical Society of America #ASA186 in Ottawa (2aNSb7) is available. "Soundscape augmentation can enhance the auditory experience, resulting in an improved interpretation of the environment. People with dementia experience changes in their perception, and a designed soundscape can support a better understanding of the environment and help in navigation time during the day. Dementia is a broad name for a degenerative disease. Different types of dementia result in different syndromes and diverse auditory scene analyses, such as auditory hallucinations, auditory disorientation, increased sound sensitivity, auditory agnosia (difficulty processing auditory input), agnosia for environmental sounds, amusia (tonal deafness), and Musicophilia. These different syndromes of auditory perception need more understanding when designing a soundscape augmentation for people with dementia." #Soundscape #Dementia #AuditorySceneAnalysis #SoundAugmentation

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In the works; stone veil facade, seven stories high. Environmental enrichment. Constructing heath. constructinghealth.ca #causehealth #constructinghealth #enrichedenvironments #architecture #salutogenesis

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Just Curious! When did on-time payment become a privilege rather than the norm? So this happened yesterday, I received an call from a client. We’re working on his turnkey residential project, and he had a new request. "Can you design an additional floor for us? We plan to construct it a couple of years down the line," he said. I promptly prepared a proposal and a quote for the extra design work and sent it over. Soon after, my phone rang again. It was the client. He started the conversation in a surprised tone, "So should we pay you again? We’ve always paid you on time," he said, "Can’t you do this design for free as a compliment?" I was taken aback. "Paying on time is just standard practice," I thought. Why should it warrant free work? But instead, I picked up the phone and called him back. "Hi, I understand your point," I started, "but let me explain. Designing an additional floor involves a lot of work hours. It’s a task that requires effort, expertise, and time. We have to be compensated fairly for the work we put in." The client listened quietly, then sighed, "I see your point, but you’re being very rigid with the payments. We’ve always been prompt with them." After a detailed conversation, he finally agreed to the quote, though not on a pleasant note. His parting words still rang in my ears: "You’re too rigid with the payments." This made me ponder, "When did on-time payment become a privilege?" It’s something every consumer should do. We don’t walk into a restaurant or a stationary shop and ask for free parottas or pencils just because we pay our bills promptly. So, why does this kind of negotiation happen in certain service industries? Maybe it’s time we all recognized that being prompt with payments is just fulfilling a basic obligation, not a favor to the service provider. Why should we expect free services for simply doing what we’re supposed to do? #architectlife #chennaiarchitect #architecture #fairpay

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“A single idea can have a butterfly effect in terms of climate adaptation architecture, engineering, and planning projects by inspiring and catalyzing a chain reaction of actions and initiatives that collectively create a global impact.” - Dena Prastos, AIA, Indigo River Founder and CEO Link to read the full article, “Evolving Together: Dena Prastos” in The Zweig Letter by Liisa Andreassen: https://lnkd.in/dQaYjHxS Zweig Group #IndigoRiver #ZweigGroup #Architecture #Engineering #ClimateAdaption

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