FenMan to highlight high performance windows at breakfast seminar

Fenestration Manitoba will host a breakfast seminar with Chris Higgins, a green building planner with the city of Vancouver, on Sept. 27 in Winnipeg. Higgins will explain BC’s Step Code approach to driving higher performance in building envelopes.

The city of Vancouver has stepped forward with a very aggressive commitment toward achieving a 100% renewable goal.  In the process, the industry in Vancouver and other parts of British Columbia is seeing a large volume of Passive rated projects as well as various other performance-oriented products/building project results.  Additionally, the industry in BC is realizing that the brightest and most progressive businesses are benefiting very practically from this environmental commitment. Chis Higgins has been deeply involved in many different aspects of “green building codes” as well as Step Change development and implementation. Chris is also uniquely able to discuss the net results that are accruing to a greater number of stakeholders from the community to project owners to building industry suppliers.  Chris has also been close enough to the fenestration industry in BC to be able to provide some insights to the benefits accruing to the more innovative manufacturers.  Fenestration Manitoba is delighted to announce a breakfast seminar presentation on Sept 27th at the Norwood Hotel registration beginning at 8 am.“Winnipeg is one of the coldest cities in the world and a natural place for our industry to deliver very real improvements to the building envelopes of new and/or existing building retrofits,” says Al Dueck, President of Fenestration Manitoba, “We believe that this is the right to bring the BC Step Change experience to Manitoba – for the consideration of property owners and managers, policy planners and implementers, government officials, architects and engineers as well as the industry in general.  We have a world class window manufacturing industry with expertise in true high performance experience and they should have the best opportunities in the world to deliver extraordinary results/benefits!”

About our Speaker:

Chris works with the City of Vancouver as a Green Building Planner and his work is focused on making energy efficient building codes that help to achieve Vancouver’s 100% renewable goal. Chris also works on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through rezoning policy for new buildings and creating incentives for existing homes. Prior to working with the city, Chris worked with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) (www.cagbc.org/homes). Chris helped develop the Canadian standard, launch a national network of service organizations and when he departed the LEED Canada for Homes program had thousands of Certified homes. Prior to working with the CaGBC Chris was the New Store Planning and Project Manager for Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC). At MEC he managed and assisted in the construction, operation, maintenance, and renovation of MEC’s green building stock for a number of years. Chris grew up in Newfoundland before moving to British Columbia where he has resided for the last 16 years. Chris has a keen interest in how the built environment affects the natural environment and enjoys exploring this through his work.

Online registration available here. For further information, please contact breanne@fenestrationmanitoba.ca.