City of Vancouver: Passive Design Toolkit for Large Buildings

Overview

The City of Vancouver’s Passive Design Toolkit for Large Buildings presents best practices for the application of passive design in Vancouver. It is intended to establish a common vision and definition of passive design and support decision making for new developments1 that will maximize occupant health and comfort and minimize energy use by relying less on mechanical and electrical systems. Furthermore, it is intended to move the Vancouver design community toward a new, higher standard of energy efficiency without sacrificing thermal comfort.

This document is not prescriptive, but rather discusses and analyzes recommended design approaches and the energy saving opportunities each presents. Additionally, the modelling results shown are useful and valid but do not replace project- specific modelling.