CaGBC certifies first arena to zero-carbon standard

Photo courtesy Modern Niagara Group.

Ottawa’s Amped Sports Lab and Ice Complex is the first arena certified to the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC’s) Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Performance Standard.

Modern Niagara Group, a mechanical, electrical, building services and integrated building technology contractor, retrofitted the facility through a variety of energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures, including building automation, on-site renewable energy generation and the removal and replacement of gas-fired rooftop units (RTUs), hot water heaters and the ice rink’s dehumidifier.

“What we have accomplished at Amped Sports Lab and Ice Complex represents a step in the right direction toward building a more sustainable future,” says Brad McAninch, Modern Niagara’s CEO. “While converting it into the world’s first arena to achieve the Zero Carbon Building Performance Standard certification did not come without challenges, I see this achievement as a great opportunity for Canada’s infrastructure more generally.”

The standard recognizes highly energy-efficient buildings that produce or procure carbon-free renewable energy or high-quality offsets for the carbon emissions associated with their materials and operations.