OAA

Knowledge Centre

ARTICLES

Sustainability - Definitions and Criteria

BY DANNY HARVEY Human civilization and societies, with their accompanying needs for energy, water, materials and nutrients, can be regarded as “sustainable” they can continue indefinitely, the ultimate limit being set by the expected remaining lifespan of a habitable Earth, which is about 1 billion years. It practical...
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CASE STUDIES

New OAA Case Studies Now Available

The OAA Sustainable Built Environment Committee (SBEC) is excited to announce the release of two new original case studies on the OAA Sustainable Design Webpage: + HOUSE and The House on Limekiln Line. Check out these amazing projects by OAA members.

New T.O. Guidelines: improve Green Roofs

Toronto's City Planning division has produced a new resource called Guidelines for Biodiverse Green Roofs, detailing best practices for promoting biodiversity on green roofs in Toronto.
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SUSTAINABLE EVENTS

2013 CaGBC National Conference and Expo 2013

June 4-6, 2013 Without staying informed, expanding traditional thinking, and adapting to new ideas – no real change is possible. Our industry is constantly pushing itself forward with new thinking that is changing..

Carbon-Neutral Architectural Design

This full-color book presents strategies and methods to achieve CO2 reductions, with an emphasis on control of energy flows through the building envelope and passive heating and cooling strategies.

Sustainable design aspires to create a common future where impending generations ability to meet their own needs are not compromised. This hinges on our ability to protect environmental quality, and thus quality of life. This is a future dependent upon making decisions today that protect or improve environmental quality. Building ecologically sensitive, highly efficient, sustainable buildings and communities is an enormous part of this challenge.