CMHC Housing Design Catalogue /
Materials GuidePolicy, Strategy
The Materials Guide provides practical support to housing providers, designers, and builders using the CMHC Housing Design Catalogue. Developed by Ha/f Climate Design, it outlines guidance for selecting materials that are cost-effective, durable, and aligned with low-carbon construction goals.
The Guide emphasizes strategies to reduce embodied and biogenic carbon while supporting climate resilience and compliance with emerging codes and certifications. Material choices are grounded in whole-building life cycle assessments and tailored to the Canadian context, offering a balance of affordability, constructability, and performance.
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Education
Working with Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and National Research Council of Canada, Ha/f developed and delivered a one-year program of hands-on, case study-based Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment curriculum.
Ten one-day sessions, held across the country, introduced over 1,500 architects, landscape architects, engineers, and procurement professionals to fundamentals of embodied carbon and assessment.
City of Toronto /
Urban Design Guideline Embodied Carbon StudyPolicy, Strategy
The Urban Design Guidelines study was undertaken to understand the impacts of the current Guidelines on embodied carbon emissions.
Working with the City of Toronto, Ha/f provided life cycle assessment and analysis of ten recently completed projects ranging in scale across the city. These recommendations subsequently informed revisions to the Midrise Guidelines.
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University of Waterloo Mathematics Building Strategy, Certification
The UWM4 Life Cycle Assessment, conducted by Ha/f for Moriyama Teshima Architects, quantifies the embodied carbon of the University of Waterloo’s new Math 4 building. Focused on structure and envelope, the report identifies key emissions drivers—structural steel, concrete, and curtain wall systems—and outlines strategies to halve total emissions. With Toronto Green Standard alignment, it highlights opportunities in low-carbon material specification, circular design, and reuse, offering a replicable model for low-carbon institutional buildings.
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