Focal in the News
Ecostar Climate Action Award 2023
November 10, 2023
Focal is honoured to have won the Climate Action award at the Synergy Foundation’s Ecostar Awards Gala Night held on November 09th 2023 at the Laurel Inn Point.
The Climate Action award recognizes an organization actively measuring, mitigating, and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. As a company that specializes in energy efficiency and sustainability, we do not only talk the talk, but walk the walk by annually calculating and reducing our operating emissions.
This esteemed award strengthens our dedication to integrating climate awareness, mitigation and adaptation into our projects and communities.
Step Code Checklist Updates
August 28, 2023
Aligning with the recent changes to the BC Building Code and Step Code (BCBC 2018 Revision 5 in effect May 1, 2023), Focal has been involved in work to update the Step Code reporting tools for both Part 3 and Part 9 projects. Focal as enjoyed working with the BSSB and our colleagues at Bernhardt Contracting to make these updates, as well as working from excellent feedback from the advisory groups.
The new checklists and supplementary documents can be found on the Step Code website for Part 3 and Part 9. These checklists replace the previous tools for earlier BCBC versions and are applicable to projects where the Step Code applies.
Webinars and training videos on using these tools will be available this Fall, stay tuned to the Focal website and other industry news sources for more information!
Stepping Up
On May 1, 2023, significant changes to energy and emissions requirements in the BC Building code will come into effect. The changes will impact all building archetypes, from institutional, to warehouse, to multi-unit residential.
Join Focal Engineering for a free presentation to review the changes and understand how they will impact your next Part 3 project. We will discuss changes to the Step Code minimum performance levels as well as the introduction of the Zero Carbon Step Code. We will also provide some lessons learned from our growing database of 100+ Step Code energy model projects.
Sign up at our EventBrite link.
Gabion House PHC Certification
February 8, 2023
We are delighted to be involved with the Passive House Certified Gabion House Project in Saanich, BC. This exciting local project is paving the way for more sustainable and energy efficient living. The project will also be Living Building Challenge Petal Certified. Through this and other Passive House Projects, we are protecting our environment in the present and sustaining it for the future. Congratulations to the home owners, our team and our corporate partners on a job well done!
Passive Design and Resilience Interview
September 20, 2022
We were pleased to speak with Global News on the importance of passive design and resilience for buildings. Climate change can be a disheartening topic to read about, but this article highlights that there are organizations across BC committed to improvements across the building sector, along with positively impacting the economy. Read more below.
https://globalnews.ca/news/9126278/solving-climate-crisis-buidling-design-retrofit
Danny Taylor welcomed as Associate
September 2022
We are delighted to share that Danny Taylor has become Focal’s first Associate!
Danny has been with Focal since its start in 2015 and has been instrumental in shaping the organization into what it is today. He has a strong technical background, is a whiz at whipping up new scripts and tools, and is a great instructor and colleague. If you’ve been lucky enough to work with him, you’ll understand why we love having him on our team!
More on Danny and the rest of our fab team on our Team page.
Energy Efficiency in the Summer
June 2022
Focal was interviewed by Engineers Canada about how our “heating dominated” country can start to prepare for warmer summers.
Check it out here!
https://engineerscanada.ca/news-and-events/news/energy-efficiency-in-the-summer
Interview by Passive House Canada
March 2022
Thank you PHC for the feature!
https://www.passivehousecanada.com/member-spotlight-qa-with-susan-macdougall-focal-engineering/
eSIM 2021 Conference
June 2021
Wes presented on some of his recent research at Focal. This study examines the effect of Packaged Terminal Air Conditioning (PTAC) units on the energy performance of a building due to increased thermal bridging and air leakage.
http://esim2020.sala.ubc.ca
Susan was honoured to be the opening keynote speaker for the eSim 2020 conference (rescheduled to June 2021). She has been involved with the BC Energy Step Code since its inception in 2015, representing the energy modelling community at various committees throughout its development and implementation. Susan shared success stories, lessons learned and ongoing work, and discuss how the energy modelling landscape in BC has changed since the adoption of this progressive energy code.
Both thoroughly enjoyed the conference and the other sessions they presented, and want to express their gratitude to the conference organizers who did a fantastic job during a challenging time.
Ventilation and the Step Code
January 2021
Focal was hired by the Township of Langley to create and deliver a presentation for their Builder Forum Series. A recorded version and the presentation slides can be accessed at the following link.
New Publication: Builder Insight #19- Modelling the Future Climate in Passively Cooled Buildings
October 2020
We were pleased to author this Builder Insight for BC Housing, with the support of our friends at Integral Group.
This document outlines a methodology for assessing the risk of overheating in buildings as the climate warms. It uses the BC Step Code methodology for assessing overheating in passively cooled buildings, and future climate files created by PCIC, the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium.
To learn more, download Builder Insight #19 from the link below.
https://www.bchousing.org/research-centre/library/builder-insight/builder-insight-19
International Women in Engineering Day 2020
June 23, 2020
Women make up 50% of our society yet are under-represented in the engineering and geoscience professions. Check out this graph (1st graph of link below) from Engineers Canada that looks at the % of female engineering students in Canadian universities since 1991. Although there is a noticeable upwards trend, the percentage has only increased from 16% to 22% in 27 years.
https://engineerscanada.ca/publications/canadian-engineers-for-tomorrow-2018#female-students
Engineers Canada, along with the provincial and territorial associations, post-secondary institutions and organizations across Canada have set a goal of reaching 30% women in the profession by the year 2030. As you can see from past trends, we have some work ahead of us!
The good news is that there are some amazing people taking on this challenge, and lots of role models out there for girls, young women and professionals at any stage in their careers.
In celebration of INWED2020, we are sharing some profiles of Focal’s women engineers:
Sarah Shepherd, EIT
Susan MacDougall, PEng, FEC
Focal Turned 5!
On Feb 13, 5 years to the day after we first incorporated, we were delighted to celebrate with our extended Focal family and friends. Thanks so much to all who came! (And sorry for the lack of group photos- after setup we were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures.)
EcoCity Greenest Office Award!
Focal is honoured to have won the EcoStar 2019 Award for Greenest Office. We’re grateful to the Synergy Sustainability Institute, Monk Office the award sponsor, and the selection committee for the time and enthusiasm they put into the award and encouraging local businesses to go the extra distance for sustainability.
https://douglasmagazine.com/ecostar-awards-honour-the-environmental-achievements-of-2019/
Step Code Design Guide Supplement
Overheating & Air Quality
2019
As the climate warms, buildings are experiencing more overheating in the summer months. What temperatures are too warm? How can designers incorporate energy efficient cooling strategies? And how do we plan today for tomorrow’s climate? These topics and more are discussed in the Step Code Design Guide Supplement on Overheating and Air Quality produced by BC Housing, and co-authored by Focal.
EcoCity World Summit
AC - Session 02A: Urban Design Safe and Affordable Housing: A Basis for Health and Sustainability / October 7, 2019, 11:30 am
Focal will be presenting in BC Housing’s session discussing the future climate analysis completed on a project in Vancouver, BC. http://ecocity2019.com/pre-summit/#event-16
Wood Design & Building Article
Fall 2019 Issue
Check out this article where our colleagues at TransSolar and Fast & Epp discuss the innovative project, The Arbour, at Toronto’s George Brown College. Thanks for featuring some of our energy modelling results (on page 42!). It’s always a treat to see our work in print!
EGBC INNOVATION MAGAZINE: Project Highlights
June 2019
Every year we enjoy reading about what our professional colleagues are working on in the Project Highlights issue of Innovation Magazine. It’s always great to see the diverse range of projects that BC engineers and geoscientists are involved in. This year, we were delighted to highlight a Focal project; check it out on Page 33!
Creating Connections Conference 6.0 Tall Poppies: Maintaining your Confidence
May 4, 2019
Focal’s partners and staff frequently present and contribute articles on various topics related to energy efficiency and engineering. Here, Susan joins a panel to talk about how to maintain your confidence through your career, at the SFU Creating Connections Conference.
Check out some of our most recent articles below, and come join us at our next presentation (see Calendar for upcoming events)!
https://www.sfu.ca/wwest/creating-connections-6-0/program/look-within/tall-poppies.html
Queen’s Engineering Excellence: 125th Awards
March 29, 2019
Susan was honoured to be included among 125 award recipients by Queen’s University Faculty of Engineering, celebrating as many years of engineering education, research and learning at the university.
BC Energy Modellers discuss impacts of future climate conditions
October 8, 2018
It’s always a pleasure when energy modelling events and discussions make it into the larger news cycle!
Professional Practice Guidelines: Whole Building Energy Modelling
October 4, 2018
Focal’s Susan MacDougall participated as a reviewer on these Professional Practice Guidelines, that are intended to help raise the bar in the energy modelling industry through more consistent modelling, results and reporting. Learn more by attending the session below, where she’ll speak about recent findings from the new BC Energy Step Code, along with other presenters sharing developments in the energy modelling industry.
30 by 30 Initiative in 30 Second Sound Bites
September 11, 2018
Why are we aiming to have 30% of new professional registrants be female by the year 2030? Learn more by meeting some of the volunteers who make this program happen, including Focal’s Susan MacDougall.
https://blog.ospe.on.ca/community/30-by-30-initiative-update/
International Women in Engineering Day 2018
June 21, 2018
Why are you an engineer? What do you love about it? Record your own video and check out some that have already been shared!
AIBC Spaces Between Conference
Energy Modelling & the BC Energy Step Code
May 7, 2018
Susan and Riley were delighted to be asked to speak at this conference on the topic of the new BC Energy Step Code, and what it means to architectural design. Their session was attended by over 100 participants, and resulted in some great follow up conversations during the subsequent breaks and networking sessions.
Introduction to the Energy Step Code as an Amendment to the BC Building Code
April 27, 2017
Susan co-authored
https://www.egbc.ca/News/Articles/Introduction-of-the-Energy-Step-Code-as-an-Amendme
