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Toronto's Tower Renewal Initiative Aging High-Rises Rife with Energy Saving Potential
September, 2008
The City of Toronto has designated six high-rise apartment buildings, encompassing nearly 2,300 units, for a pilot project renewal program aimed at delivering a 50% reduction in energy consumption. The pilot marks the launch of an ambitious initiative spearheaded by Toronto Mayor David Miller to encourage the rehabilitation of aging concrete residential towers across Toronto. The following is Mayor Miller's report to the City of Toronto's Executive Committee outlining the goals of the program - Editor.
By David Miller
With more than 1,000 high-rise residential concrete buildings located throughout the City of Toronto, there is a tremendous opportunity to reduce costly energy use and the associated release of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Built between the late 1950s and early 1970s - in many cases with incentives from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) - the majority of these buildings do not make use of modern insulation materials or other energy efficiency measures. Huge amounts of energy are wasted on heating and cooling.
As a deterrent to urban sprawl, the original CMHC incentives to construct the concrete high-rise buildings linked height of the buildings to surrounding green space - the more open space associated with a building, the greater the height allowance resulting in the tower-in-a-park sites found across Toronto. Decades later, much of the space associated with the concrete towers lies vacant, while residents are forced to travel away from their neighbourhoods for food, services and amenities such parks and ravines. Access to major public transportation routes is often poor and inconvenient, as is the environment for walking or cycling.
The distinctive concrete towers have a high number of rental apartments that are often home to new Torontonians who arrive from across Canada and around the world. The average apartment size in the concrete high-rises is larger than the bachelor and one-bedroom condominiums being built today. It is common to find units with two or even three bedrooms providing space for larger families seeking affordable rents.
PILOT SITES
The purpose of Mayor's Tower Renewal pilot sites is to demonstrate a wide range of tower renewal opportunities in different neighbourhood contexts. The pilot sites will consist of projects of varying scales and mandates appropriate to site conditions and the geography of each particular apartment neighbourhood. Taken together, the combination of pilot projects will demonstrate and test a full range of tower renewal objectives and actions, setting the stage for a subsequent citywide roll out of Mayor's Tower Renewal.
Mayor's Tower Renewal will tie together existing City of Toronto initiatives including the Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan, the Agenda for Prosperity, Transit City and the work of the Neighbourhood Action Teams in communities with poor access to services and widespread economic challenges. It will combine the efforts and resources of all City Divisions and Agencies with the Mayor's Tower Renewal Leaders in public, private, and non-profit sectors.
Anticipated benefits include:
( A cleaner and more healthy environment through significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, zero-carbon goals for new buildings and site features, improved public transportation, cycling and pedestrian options, applications of renewable and district energy, green roofs, greening of public spaces, urban agriculture, on-site waste management and best practice water efficiency measures and wet weather flow management.
( Stronger communities through local job creation, enhanced availability of local food and services, safe and enjoyable community interactions, improved green space and outdoor recreational space, and the engagement of tenants in the planning and implementation of the pilot projects.
( Greater cultural awareness and activities through a focus on collective and individual heritage, on-site public art, aesthetic qualities of external building insulation, and landscape heritage.
( Enhanced local economic activity through on-site retail and services, commercialization of green technology, new employment and business opportunities.
PARTNERSHIPS SOUGHT
Working with partners of all types is a key component of Mayor's Tower Renewal. The City of Toronto can develop the framework for action, but must work with property owners, residents and other business and community partners to expand, support and implement Mayor's Tower Renewal. The Mayor's office will work with the Mayor's Tower Renewal Leaders, a group of individuals who want to make significant contributions to the project, as well as with the Clinton Climate Initiative, which continues to provide expertise to the project.
A central coordinating office during the start-up stage of the work is critical due to:
· the project complexity
· the breadth of divisional and agency input required
· the civic engagement value of the project
· the strong need for centralized, authoritative coordination and leadership
· the need for exceptionally strong understanding of the links among divisional responsibilities related to Mayor's Tower Renewal
· the need for tight timelines to realize significant financial and other benefits that are currently untapped.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SPINOFFS
Research conducted by E.R.A Architects and the University of Toronto indicates that energy use for individual apartment units in the buildings is often higher than nearby single-detached houses. Using best practice in building cladding and related retrofits, demand for heating and cooling the high-rise residential buildings can be reduced by at least 50%. The reduced energy costs create a revenue stream to pay for the improved energy technology and on-site improvements while reducing energy-related greenhouse gases emissions and air pollutants.
The concrete frame high-rise buildings constructed during the late 1950s through to the early 1970s were produced using large quantities of energy. Current energy costs and the City of Toronto's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions favour upgrading existing building stock over demolition whenever possible.
The majority of the high-rise concrete frame residential towers provide rental accommodation that, in many cases, is affordable and not available in other types of housing. By improving existing high-rise buildings, residents can remain in place during retrofits and will benefit from a more comfortable environment inside and outside their apartments. The installation of energy efficiency retrofits will allow property owners to enjoy decreased energy costs thus allowing rents to remain affordable even as the building stock is upgraded.
Inefficient energy use at high-rise residential buildings is wasting huge amounts of energy and money and delivering massive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Residential concrete tower building retrofits could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 1 million tonnes. Site improvements are long overdue in many areas that currently have poor access to transit and other services and amenities.
There is a high correlation between location of many buildings that fit the Mayor's Tower Renewal profile and Toronto's priority neighbourhoods. By acting quickly, we can multiply the benefits of the community development work already underway by Neighbourhood Action Teams and community development work in other areas.
QUALITY CONTROL
A review panel to oversee consistency with tower renewal objectives is essential to maintain a high standard of practice during the pilot project phase of Mayor's Tower Renewal. Early vigilance will also ensure that the first projects provide high quality examples of the best way to do Mayor's Tower Renewal across Toronto.
Clear guidelines for what does and does not constitute Mayor's Tower Renewal will be available at www.towerrenewal.ca, from the best practice guidelines developed by the University of Toronto and associated practitioners and presented in the Mayor's Tower Renewal Opportunities Book.
For more information, see the web site at www.towerrenewal.ca.
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