Metro Vancouver Housing Retrofits

Metro Vancouver Housing has issued a request for proposals (RFPs) for detailed design and construction administration of two buildings in British Columbia whose deep energy retrofits were extensively workshopped in Pembina Institute’s Reframed Lab: Crown Manor in New Westminster and Le Chateau Place in Coquitlam. During the Reframed Lab multi-disciplinary teams devised deep retrofit solutions for six low-rise multifamily buildings in British Columbia, and the current RFPs are based on the schematic designs developed during the Lab for these buildings.

The schematic designs took a holistic approach to the building as an integrated system, combining wall, roof, and window upgrades with appropriately sized electric heating, cooling, and ventilation heat pumps. The design objectives aimed to reduce heating costs and drive down carbon emissions, while also making tenants’ homes healthier, safer, and more comfortable, year-round.

The Lab’s innovative process led to creative design solutions and ways to add value to and maximize the opportunities associated with a retrofit, such as adding rental units, improving seismic resilience, producing electricity with rooftop solar, and streamlining construction with prefabricated panels. Metro Vancouver Housing is considering field testing the advantages of prefabrication, such as reducing time on site and tenant disruption, during its retrofits.

Prospective bidders can download RFP documents from the Metro Vancouver Bid Opportunities website (search for Bid Number 23-104). Information on the schematic designs developed through the Reframed Lab is also available online.