Platform to Decarbonize the Construction Sector at Scale

The Construction Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is addressing one of the biggest challenges facing Canada's construction sector: decarbonization.

The construction sector is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), from the production of construction materials to the heating, cooling and maintenance of existing buildings and infrastructure. To achieve Canada's emission reduction targets by 2050, new low carbon technologies and tools are needed to support further advancements in the construction sector.

Together with academia, industry and governments, the NRC is applying its R&D expertise to support the development and deployment of low carbon construction solutions through the new Platform to Decarbonize the Construction Sector at Scale.

Research areas

Low carbon regulatory solutions

The NRC will work with stakeholders to develop new low carbon requirements and implement them through standards, specifications, guidelines and publications such as the Canadian National Master Construction Specification (NMS) and the National Model Codes through activities such as:

• Supporting the development of new language for the 2025 and 2030 National Model Codes that will enable the regulation of operational GHG emissions and embodied GHG emissions, respectively
• Developing a low carbon guideline that considers life-cycle GHG emissions in federally funded construction projects
• Updating the NMS to include low carbon solutions
• Supporting the development and implementation of a new suite of performance-based requirements in the National Model Codes
• Enabling the digitalization of the National Model Codes and the NMS

New research and technical solutions to reduce carbon will support these requirements, including life-cycle assessment, life-cycle performance of buildings and infrastructure, digitalization, construction practices and materials.

Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program

A series of initiatives to support the development of low carbon construction tools, products and services.

Learn more about the Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge program.

Construction Sector Digitalization and Productivity Challenge program

A series of initiatives to support further modernization and digitalization of Canadian construction sector practices.

Learn more about the Construction Sector Digitalization and Productivity Challenge program.

Collaborate with us

Collaborate with us on strategic R&D projects to support the development and deployment of low carbon construction solutions at scale.

The NRC's collaborative R&D environment with flexible business arrangements provides opportunities for:

• Demonstrating and validating technology in large-scale pilots
• Developing innovative low carbon materials, systems and services
• Developing solutions for low carbon design and retrofit of buildings, bridges, roads and water infrastructure
• Developing solutions for low building operational greenhouse gas emissions
• Developing solutions for optimizing infrastructure asset management operation to reduce life-cycle GHG emissions