About the 2030 Challenge

Canada’s residential, commercial, and industrial buildings create a major demand for materials and energy, both of which produce greenhouse gases in extraction (of materials), manufacture, and operations. The 2030 Challenge is a program supporting design activities that will significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of new and renovated Canadian buildings.

The 2030 Challenge has been endorsed by the RAIC as part of its commitment to promote sustainable design as a recognizable skill of its members. The RAIC has been joined by the Canada Green Building Council, and other Canadian organizations within the design sector.

The 2030 Challenge addresses the energy use of buildings, and asserts that the creation of low-energy consuming buildings is primarily a design issue. By establishing a set of energy consumption targets and through the encouragement of institutions and businesses to adopt and enforce the achievement of those targets, the 2030 Challenge will enable every Building Owner to help to resolve the problem.

Targets

The 2030 Challenge proposes targets for the energy consumption of new buildings on the following schedule:

Immediately, all new buildings shall be designed to consume
50% of the fossil fuel energy for buildings of that type in the region.

The fossil fuel consumption will be further reduced to

By 2030 all new buildings will use no fossil fuels, and emit no greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Details and terms or reference for the 2030 Challenge, including US and participants from other countries are found at www.architecture2030.org.

The RAIC 2030 Challenge Task Force are the creators of this website, which is intended to enable Canadian architects to become leaders in the design of carbon-neural buildings.