A pair of Canadian students has taken third in an international competition to develop affordable, energy-efficient housing solutions.

Leon Lai and Eric Tan’s Silo House design was awarded $5000 in Dow Chemical Company’s “Solar Design to Zero” challenge.

A new course by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) is being launched for the first time in Ontario.

Requiring no existing green building education or experience, the Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) program is a nine-month course with two in-class sessions each month.

The 2012 edition of Canadian Standards Association’s (CSA’s) electrical code is now available.

The Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), Part 1, is updated every three years to stay current with the speed and number of changes to technology and to keep pace with new developments in the sustainable use of technology, explained CSA’s Tim Pope.

A former hotel has been renovated to become an outdoor sporting store, and the Yukon’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building.

“This is very exciting for sustainable building and design in the Yukon,” said Craig Hougen, owner of Taku Inn.

Construction is underway on the section of Toronto’s new West Don Lands community that will be used as the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village.

Developed by Waterfront Toronto in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario (IO), all buildings within the 14.3-ha (35.3-acre) Athletes’ Village area will aim to achieve a minimum of Gold under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

In the five years following 2010, construction aggregates are expected to grow 5.2 per cent, resulting in 48.3 billion metric tonnes.

According to The Freedonia Group’s “World Construction Aggregates” study, the period between 2005 and 2010 had a slower growth rate, reflecting moderation in aggregates-intensive non-building construction activity.

Advances in technology, shifting work patterns, and greater desires for work/life balance and living sustainably are changing today’s workplace, according to a new survey.

“Workplace of the Future Survey,” by Canadian furnishings manufacturer, Teknion, indicates that by 2015, workplace use is expected to increase from levels between 35 and 50 per cent today up to 85 per cent.

New Canadian research suggests solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is cheaper to produce than generally believed.

A professor from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ont.) said PV assemblies have neared the ‘tipping point,’ meaning they can now produce energy for the same price as traditional sources.

With 88 buildings greater than 200 m (656 ft) completed last year, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) sees an ongoing trend in an annual increase in building completion.

In 2011, 17 new buildings were added to the list of the world’s 100 tallest buildings. For the first time, the number of office buildings has decreased to the 50 per cent mark, while mixed-use buildings continue to rise, increasing from 23 to 31.

Lafarge’s commitment and contributions to wildlife habitat enhancement in southern Manitoba have earned the company international recognition by the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC).

Most of the company’s 5.2-ha (1300-acre) Stonewall Aggregates’ surrounding property is farmed or mined for limestone.