The 2nd Annual
Building For Sustainability Symposium
October 27th & 28th, 2024
The Malcolm Hotel - Canmore, Alberta
Sustainable Construction, Urban Planning, and Conservation Converge:
Shaping Tomorrow's Communities Today
Join us at the Building for Sustainability Symposium in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, a transformative event focused on sustainable construction, urban planning, and environmental conservation. This symposium aims to address the pressing need for climate-resilient and environmentally conscious building solutions while considering affordability and adherence to building codes.
From Industry Experts to Community Champions, Join the Sustainable Building Movement
Our audience spans a diverse spectrum, from builders, developers, suppliers, financiers, and insurers to government officials involved in planning, urban design, and transportation. We also extend our welcome to indigenous groups, youth, and community representatives from various backgrounds across the Bow Valley. Participants are anticipated to come from across Canada, not just Alberta; in 2023, we had delegates from British Columbia and even Ottawa!
Two Days of Workshops, Keynotes, Networking, and Field Trips
The Building for Sustainability Symposium offers a powerful and immersive experience that seamlessly combines education, information, collaboration, and inspiration.
Participants can expect a dynamic kickoff with pre-summit activities, fostering an environment conducive to networking and relationship building. This sets the stage for the knowledge-sharing and collaborative spirit that defines the symposium.
Throughout the event, diverse workshops, thought-provoking keynotes, and engaging panel discussions will unfold, providing attendees with insights from leading experts in the field. The program is designed to offer hands-on knowledge and opportunities for meaningful interactions.
Themed long-table dinners serve as a unique platform for networking and idea exchange, allowing participants to forge connections with like-minded individuals. Building upon the success and transformation of the inaugural event in 2023, this year's symposium promises to be even more impactful.
While specific details about the program are yet to be unveiled, anticipate new workshop formats, additional events, expanded networking opportunities, and more. The Building for Sustainability Symposium aims not only to inform but also to provide a distinctive and enriching experience that resonates long after the event concludes.
Our Workshop Themes
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What does Sustainable, Affordable Housing look like, and how can we deliver it?
We all care about reducing the environmental and carbon footprints of our current and future buildings - AND about affordability and attainability. What strategies and approaches help our communities accomplish all this as we support retrofits or new builds? What is the role of new construction and heating technologies? How do we better identify return on investment and minimize capital costs to developers AND future operational costs for end users? What must we do to uplift the entire industry on this front?
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Conserving Water, and other Natural Resources.
How can we be more efficient, move towards a circular economy, and reduce water use? How can we minimise construction, renovation and demolition waste? How will we deal with and respond to ever more scarce resources, be they natural or man-made - what needs to shift? How can we better predict how global supply chain challenges, weather patterns and lack of water will impact where and how we develop?
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Energy Use.
Our energy use decisions affect everything: our pocketbooks, building sales, and the future climate our children will face. What innovations and solutions can help us move from business as usual to lower-carbon energy sources that don’t cost us the earth - and how can we get there faster? What role do utilities play? How can we surface homes’ energy use for prospective buyers? How do we avoid bottlenecks as we electrify our systems?
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Moving beyond the current Building Standards and Codes.
Many builders build at a much higher level than the existing building code calls for. What is their rationale, and how can we get others to follow suit? How can we rationalize and incentivize more efficient buildings while ensuring the supply of housing at a reasonable cost? What would it take for Alberta to move beyond its basic Tier One Step Code? How do Codes impact cost, capacity, project viability and, ultimately, the delivery of much-needed housing in our community?
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The Resilient Community
What does it look like when we all row in the same direction as we address community needs, challenges, and opportunities? How do we retain and attract community members in the face of a high-cost environment, the need for climate mitigation and resilience, attainability and affordability challenges, and labour shortages? How do we balance the economic, social, and environmental demands and pressures facing the world in 2024? How will communities prioritize these often competing demands, given finite resources? Let’s connect the dots.
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Land Use and Infrastructure.
What does ‘highest and best use’ mean for us, given discussions that include updating municipal development plans, managing growth, increasing density, and preserving green spaces for people and nature? What infrastructure will be needed to support these changes, and how best to deliver it? What about transportation - What role will trains, bikes, gondolas and EVs play? How do we plan for ‘last mile’ considerations to trailhead transit? How will we live, move, service and sustain communities, districts and regions?
