The ZEBx Mission
To rapidly accelerate the knowledge, capacity and passion for
zero-emissions buildings in Vancouver and British Columbia.
Our Roots
The Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx) was first conceived by the City of Vancouver’s Green Buildings Team. In 2016, the City launched its Zero Emissions Building Plan. Part of this plan included the creation of a Centre of Excellence to support industry in its efforts to comply with the City’s upcoming energy and emissions requirements for new buildings.
ZEBx was launched in July 2018 as a program of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA), with seed-funding from the City of Vancouver, the Bullitt Foundation, the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the Climate Neutral Cities Alliance. In June 2021, ZEBx was transferred to SFU’s Centre for Dialogue (Renewable Cities). In September 2021, with the support of the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro, ZEBx launched the Building to Electrification Coalition (B2E) - a specialized program to advance building decarbonization through electrification. In March 2022, ZEBx adopted Carbon Leadership Forum British Columbia as another specialized program focused on reducing embodied carbon in buildings.
In April 2022, ZEBx was adopted by the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC), one of six Low-Carbon Cities Canada centres across Canada.
Our Objectives
At its inception, ZEBx oriented its services around the City of Vancouver’s 2016 Zero Emissions Building Plan and its goal to eliminate operational emissions from new buildings. As the City’s focus expanded and building emissions began to be addressed more actively across the province (e.g., through the adoption of the BC Energy Step Code), ZEBx’s focus expanded in scope and geographically.
Today, ZEBx, in conjunction with the rest of ZEIC’s Building Decarbonization Team, supports the BC building industry and public sector staff as they work to reduce operational and embodied emissions from both new and existing buildings and from both Part 9 (small) and Part 3 (large) buildings.
Our work is influenced by:
Policies and plans like the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, the Metro Vancouver Climate 2050 Roadmap for Buildings, BC Hydro’s Building Electrification Roadmap and Five-Year Electrification Plan, to name a few;
Regulations, codes, and standards (by the City of Vancouver’s and the Province of British Columbia) that aim to reduce energy consumption and emissions from buildings in BC; and
The building sector’s drive to reduce its impact on climate change while also providing high-quality, safe, and resilient housing for generations to come.
Since being adopted by ZEIC, ZEBx has become a distinct program area that no longer needs to manage the other program areas (e.g., B2E, CLF BC, etc.). This has allowed ZEBx to direct more of its attention on reinvigorating its role as the building decarbonization hub for the province, identifying gaps in understanding and/or support across the industry (e.g., integrating more discussion about whole-life carbon, resilience, etc.), and more effectively synthesizing, communicating, and distributing the great work happening across the province to a broader audience.
How We Work
1
First Point of Contact
We are the first point of contact for those not already explicitly interested in electrification, reducing embodied emissions, or accelerating building retrofits to help them or their organizations navigate the complex world of building decarbonization and most productively contribute to it.
2
Main Platform
We are the main platform for distributing, sharing, and amplifying resources for ZEIC’s Building Decarbonization team. We produce capacity-building resources such as publications, podcasts, videos, webinars and in-person events.
3
Primary Convenor
We are the primary convenor of industry to host discussions that overlap specialist areas, identify synergies and co-benefits, and to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary solutions. We build a community of practice through our events, by reinforcing and connecting networks, and through our outreach and engagement work.
All of this results in growing confidence and enthusiasm for zero-emissions buildings in BC.
ZEBx is now a well-known and respected industry hub for building decarbonization. As a testament to its success, the Emissions-Neutral Building Information Exchange (ENBIX) and Building to Zero Exchange (BTZx) were launched in 2023 as localized and adapted versions of ZEBx in Alberta and Nova Scotia, respectively.
Gallery
Attendees of ZEBx’ 5-year anniversary in September 2023
The ZEBx Team
Natalie Douglas, BASc, MScPI, RPP Candidate
ZEBx Program Manager, ZEIC
Natalie brings to ZEBx an unwavering dedication to taking ambitious climate action and fostering inclusive, creative, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Despite being captivated by buildings (and the spaces between them) early in life, her path to urban planning and the construction industry has been deliberately unhurried.
Her experience working in fields such as health education, law, and civic engagement has contributed to a nuanced understanding of the compromises, opportunities, and externalities that exist in the pursuit of climate action and building decarbonization. This perspective has also been shaped her experience getting to know the development process in BC and Ontario and in both small towns and big cities. Before taking on this role, Natalie worked for the City of Nelson where she worked to elevate the topic of embodied carbon emissions and help build industry capacity to pursue building decarbonization more collaboratively in the Kootenays.
She leverages her leadership and multidisciplinary expertise to help advance sustainable construction practices in a holistic and pragmatic manner and is deeply committed to fostering transformative change in the built environment.
Email: natalie.douglas@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Kim McClymont, B.A., LEED AP (BD+C)
Project Manager, ZEIC
Kim brings over a decade of experience in sustainable development that spans work in Germany, Scandinavia, Cuba and most recently Vancouver. Successes include international partnerships, leading market growth and effective multi-stakeholder project management. In her previous role as Sustainability Advisor for Integral Group she developed an in-depth working knowledge of high performance buildings across multiple technical disciplines including architecture, landscape and engineering design through to construction management and building operations.
She has a solid grasp of active engineering concepts; meanwhile, her passion lies in passive design solutions. She endeavours to pursue meaningful market transformation towards climate neutral development and is especially committed to the field at this critical time.
Email: kim.mcclymont@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
The Wider Family - The ZEIC Building Decarbonization Team
Roberto Pecora, P.Eng., CEM, LEED AP, SMT
Building Decarbonization Director, ZEIC
Roberto's journey through the building industry extends back over two decades and includes stops in Ottawa and Montreal before settling in Vancouver. In addition to his mechanical engineering degree, he has extensive experience in both new developments and existing buildings.
Roberto has successfully taken on project management roles for subcontractors, a general contractor and a national property management firm. In the eight years before joining ZEBx, he worked in the building science group of a national consulting engineering firm, specializing in building assessments, capital planning, asset management, energy studies and building performance. Roberto is a member of the Energy Step Code Council, some of its subcommittees and a number of other advisory groups in BC.
Through his various roles, he has become very well acquainted with the real estate, property management, consulting and construction industries. Most importantly, Roberto has a deep-rooted belief that the building industry has both a responsibility and a major contribution to make to address the climate crisis.
Email: roberto.pecora@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Stephan Baeuml, Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing, CPHD, CRE
Technical Manager BC Retrofit Accelerator, ZEIC
Passionate about creating sustainable and resilient communities, Stephan brings a unique blend of engineering expertise and project management skills to ZEIC and the ZEBx team. In his role he will focus on the development of Retrofit Accelerator program tools and the implementation of a concierge program.
Stephan grew up in Germany where he trained as mechanical and industrial engineer. His professional journey started in the design-build construction space for the arts sector. His roles ranged from hands-on project implementation to senior management, where he thrived on initiating and executing innovative projects and creating unseen magic behind the scenes. Motivated by a growing concern about climate change and its impacts on his young family, he redirected his engineering skills to retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency and sustainability after achieving Passive House Consultant certification.
He joined BCNPHA to provide energy audits and retrofit coaching in the affordable housing sector in BC. There he also led a multi-million-dollar retrofit pilot program for the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro, aiming for deep emission reductions and enhanced building resiliency. Stephan enjoys being involved in community service and staying connected to his roots; among other things, he founded and chairs a German language school. More than anything, he loves the outdoors and spending time with his family exploring the beauty of BC and beyond. With a deep commitment to sustainable practices and a track record in driving positive change, Stephan is excited to add his skills and passion to ZEIC and the ZEBx team — and to contributing to a healthy future for the planet and coming generations.
Email: stephan.baeuml@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Stephanie Dalo, P.Eng, MEL URSY
CLF BC Program Manager, ZEIC
Stephanie is a licensed Professional Engineer in British Columbia with over a decade of experience working in the engineering & design industry. She has worked with project owners to define their sustainability strategy and coordinated and facilitated communication between design teams to keep projects on track towards meeting the sustainability goals.
Joining us from her previous role as Sustainability Specialist at an integrated design firm, she brings along her experience in conducting Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments and guiding design teams towards implementing low-carbon design solutions that can reduce building GHG emissions and create positive impact.
Stephanie is an advocate for implementing circular economy strategies in the design and construction of the built environment as a means for reducing embodied carbon and C&D waste and achieving social equity.
Email: stephanie.dalo@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Mariko Michasiw, CEM
B2E Program Manager, ZEIC
Mariko Michasiw is a green buildings professional who manages B2E, Canada’s first building electrification coalition—a program of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre. She works closely with the coalition’s members to achieve B2E’s mission to reduce BC’s building sector climate impacts and reliance on fossil fuels through electrification.
As a Certified Energy Manager, Mariko has over a decade of experience planning and implementing energy-efficiency and decarbonization projects. Leading B2E, she has developed a keen understanding of the real-life challenges and solutions related to commercial and residential building electrification.
Email: mariko.michasiw@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Darla Simpson, BSc, CEM
BC Retrofit Accelerator Program Manager, ZEIC
Darla wrote in her grade 5 journal that she wanted to be an environmental lawyer. While the details changed, the drive to create a more sustainable world has not. She has spent her entire career working in energy and sustainability, first as a Program Coordinator for Destination Conservation, then growing into the Executive Director role at the host organization: the Elements Society.
For the last 12 years, she has been working with SES Consulting as their Director of Sustainability. Through her work, Darla has led the development of sustainability programs on a broad range of topics for K-12, post-secondary, utility, and government clients. With a blend of change management, behavioural economics, and technical knowledge, she is able to balance the need to address structural barriers to low-carbon retrofits while supporting individuals and communities to adopt sustainable practices.
Through her involvement in the BCorp community, she has also developed a deep understanding of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and works to incorporate a better understanding of these issues and how they show up in the built environment and sustainability community.
Email: darla.simpson@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Gordon Patrick Newell, MA, PGCert, BA(Hons), ACC
Communication Manager, ZEIC
Gordon has more than a decade of experience in executive communications, media relations, public relations and crisis communications. He has a proven track record in a full spectrum of international organizations and diverse industry sectors, including North American start-ups, military and government departments, and with BBC News, ITV News and Guardian Media.
He kicked off his career by reporting live for the BBC from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and with Guardian Media, Gordon was a key member of a UK first; his team pioneered bringing multimedia news together into a single branded entity by aligning web, TV, radio and print, in what is now common practice. More recently, he has worked with multiple San Francisco based start-ups to IPO, Swiss fintech and with the Vancouver building sector.
Gordon previously lived in the UK and Germany, he is an alumnus of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and former British military officer, is an ICF ACC leadership coach and has an MA in Journalism. Gordon is passionate about green building development and he also has a wider knowledge of sustainable transportation and renewable energy issues.
Email: gordon.patrick.newell@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
Anna Henderson, BA(Hons), HCert
Communications Coordinator, ZEIC
Anna brings over 7 years of experience in communications and digital media spanning various industries. Previously, she worked at a SaaS press release distribution agency responsible for maintaining Ireland’s online media contacts database alongside a brand storytelling agency.
She worked on behalf of a multinational building materials company developing an online newsroom and collaborating with stakeholders to create brand stories that focused on tackling climate change and redefined building methods. Transitioning to the legal sector, Anna focused on website development, internal and external communications and social media management at The Bar of Ireland, the representative body of barristers in Ireland.
With a BA(Hons) in English and Digital Media and a Higher Certificate in Supervisory Management, Anna is committed to implementing sustainable practices to combat climate change across various domains, including the building industry.
Email: anna.henderson@zeic.ca
Call: 604-330-2017
The ZEIC Organization
ZEBx Founding Partners
ZEBx was founded through seed funding from the City of Vancouver, with additional financial support provided by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, the Bullitt Foundation, and the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance.