Study: New construction of municipal and community buildings

What we fund

We fund feasibility studies that assess in detail the approaches needed to implement a new construction of an energy efficient community or municipal building. This funding helps Canadian cities and communities of all sizes undertake sustainability projects that reduce emissions, accelerate energy savings and keep energy dollars in the community.

Your feasibility study should demonstrate and validate the project’s environmental, social and economic benefits, in line with GMF’s thresholds for capital projects.

The study must also account for the following:

• Meeting best practice energy targets, respective of climate zone.
• Community buildings (non-office primary) must meet an energy threshold of 25 percent below the 2020 National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings.
• Zero operational GHGs (emergency back-up energy excepted, grid electricity emissions excluded).
• Reduction of indoor potable water consumption by 20 percent or greater.
• Climate risk assessment (required for projects studying new infrastructure valued over $2 million; optional for other projects).
• An equity assessment by answering, at minimum, the following questions:
  • Which equity-deserving groups might benefit the most from the project, and/or be burdened, directly or indirectly, by the project or decision? How are these groups positively or negatively impacted by the project or decision?
  • What strategies can be used to address barriers or mitigate negative impacts?
  • What data sources, reports, or mapping resources can help illuminate equity issues in your local context?

What your project needs to achieve

All projects that meet the criteria on this page are eligible. Please note that we consider several factors in making a funding decision. We strive to fund the most innovative and impactful initiatives, so not all eligible projects will be approved for funding.

Further information regarding the offer can be found in the Sustainable Municipal Buildings application guide.

Best practice energy targets

For the new construction of sustainable municipal buildings, applicants should strive to meet best practice energy targets. These proposed targets are based on:

• Energy Use Intensity (EUI): Performance requirement for building energy consumed per year per unit area (square metre) for a new building (with adjustments for buildings that do not fit office typologies).
• Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI): Performance targets for the heating demand per year per unit area (square metre) for a new build (with adjustments for buildings that do not fit office typologies).

Targets are to be established based on climate zone and building typology.

Energy Use Intensity target

EUI targets are established for administrative building types by climate zone as shown in the figure below. In the municipal context, administrative buildings would be equivalent to the office typology target.

Climate zone	Office (EUI)
4	100
5	100
6	100
7 & 8	.0078 x HDD18 + 78

Table 1: EUI targets for office and multi-unit residential buildings by Canadian climate zone, adapted from the CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard.

Climate zone adjustment of TEDI targets

The following TEDI thresholds are based on Canadian climate zones:

Climate zone	TEDI target (kWh/m2/yr)
4	30
5	32
6	34
7	36
8	40

Table 2: Canadian climate zone TEDI targets adapted from the CaGBC Zero Carbon Building Standard.

Contact us if you need assistance determining climate zone.

Community building typologies (recreation centres, ice rinks, swimming pools)

For the new construction of community buildings whose primary use is not office-related, targets are based on meeting TEUI targets which meet or exceed a benchmark of 25 percent better than National Energy Code for Buildings (2020) for their unique heating and cooling demand.

This includes the heating of a swimming pool or maintaining the surface of an ice rink. The remaining heating and cooling demand in the building must adhere to the best practice TEDI/EUI targets.

The retrofit of community buildings will be funded under the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative.

Optional: Embodied carbon analysis

It is recommended (not required) for applicants to consider embodied carbon in their project. An embodied carbon analysis can be included within the scope of the feasibility study and should conduct a whole building cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment.

If you choose to conduct this analysis, it is recommended to develop a baseline for your building and materials, and compare the results to a proposed model. Upon completion of the study, you should be able to confidently measure your project’s embodied carbon in GHG emissions.

It is highly recommended that an appropriate professional conduct this work, not limited to a professional engineer or architect. 

Resilience

Projects must meet minimum requirements related to climate resilience:

• Capital projects that include new infrastructure assets must be built outside the current 100-year floodplain of the most recent floodplain map, unless evidence can be provided of protection to safeguard the asset.
• Projects with new infrastructure assets valued over $2 million must conduct a Climate Risk Assessment (i.e., Infrastructure Canada Climate lens, ISO 14091, PIEVC High Level Screening Guide or equivalent) and address risks identified. A Climate Risk Assessment must be included in study workplans (where relevant) and is submitted as part of the pre-application for relevant capital projects.

Equity considerations

GMF recognizes that many urgent social issues are interrelated, and that climate action and sustainability initiatives need to be designed to ensure fair distribution of benefits and burdens, across all segments of a community and across generations. Projects will be assessed on their potential to result in improved socio-economic outcomes and a more equitable distribution of benefits and burdens among the community, for present and future generations. While projects can be eligible without incorporating these considerations, preference is given to projects that:

• Integrate principles of anti-racism, equity, inclusion and reconciliation.
• Apply inclusive community engagement practices.
• Implement social procurement.
• Generate significant socio-economic benefits, such as increased accessibility, improved outdoor spaces, and inclusive employment and apprenticeship.

As you develop your project approach, consider the following questions:

1. How can you design an engagement approach that would enable you to consider the diverse needs, experiences and voices of all stakeholders and rights holders in this project?
2. Which equity-deserving groups might benefit the most and/or be burdened, directly or indirectly, by this project? How are these groups positively or negatively impacted?
3. Are there opportunities to address or mitigate negative impacts?
4. Are there opportunities to rectify existing or potential biases, discrimination or exclusionary practices in your project planning, design, funding and implementation?
5. How can you maximize the socio-economic benefits that your project generates?
6. How can you leverage your procurement practices to generate more positive social, economic and environmental outcomes within your community and region?

Multi-solving

GMF seeks to fund the very best examples of municipal initiatives that achieve a multitude of benefits for the environment, communities and local economies. Higher application evaluation scores are given to projects that demonstrate excellence in one or more of the following areas:

• potable water conservation
• sustainable materials management
• biodiversity
• socio-economic benefits
• meaningful engagement and collaboration with rights holders and stakeholders