The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) and its Green Building Technology Access Centre (GBTAC) are advancing sustainable and affordable housing solutions in Canada through applied research, collaboration, and innovative practices.
As demand for housing grows and material costs rise, there’s a rising need for building with speed and quality. Creating homes that balance rapid construction with quality, carbon reduction and long-term sustainability is crucial. Innovators around the globe are rethinking how buildings are designed, constructed and powered to meet human and environmental needs. At the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) is advancing this change by helping build better and more responsibly in an evolving housing landscape.
The Green Building Technology Access Centre (GBTAC), one of five research groups at ARIS, focuses on:
- Advanced Building and Material Science
- Energy Management Information Systems
- Environmental and Architectural Ecology
- Affordability and Carbon Impacts
Tackling a challenge of this scale requires more than just ideas. It takes evidence, collaboration, and innovation, which is where applied research comes in. It connects industry needs with technical expertise, helping builders and communities test new materials, validate performance, and adopt proven, sustainable methods with confidence. At GBTAC, this approach turns research into action, ensuring solutions are not only practical and affordable but measurable in how they improve energy performance, lower carbon emissions, and enhance the overall resilience of our buildings.
At GBTAC, that connection between research and real-world results comes to life through partnerships that tackle housing challenges head-on. Each initiative is designed to accelerate how we build, while improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon impact, and creating scalable solutions for communities across Canada.
“In our work at GBTAC, whether it’s advancing affordable housing or supporting meaningful Indigenous sustainability engagement, we’ve seen ideas grow into real, tested solutions,” said Melanie Ross, Research Chair at GBTAC. “The impacts these solutions have made show exactly why applied research and innovation are so critical. When proven, real-world outcomes are shared openly with industry and communities, they have the power to accelerate meaningful change.”
Making home ownership accessible
Systemic barriers, such as high upfront costs, limited access to flexible financing, and restrictive regulatory frameworks, can put home ownership out of reach for many Canadians. As part of the National Housing Strategy initiative, GBTAC is working towards providing practical, evidence-based tools to support policymakers, housing organisations, and financial institutions in developing more attainable home ownership models.
Applied research at GBTAC supports efforts to make home ownership more accessible by examining the financial, technical and energy performance factors that influence housing costs. Home ownership models are the financial and structural approaches that determine how individuals can build equity in a home. Through research, analysis and education, GBTAC helps buyers understand these models and reduce barriers.
Through research that integrates international insights with Canadian data, GBTAC is generating recommendations, such as proven affordable housing ownership mechanisms and approaches, that align with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) priorities to improve affordability, accessibility, and equity. These efforts lower acquisition costs, enhance financial resilience, and expand inclusive pathways to home ownership and wealth creation for underrepresented populations, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable Canadian housing system. Through analysis of home ownership models, GBTAC is working to improve affordability, enhance financial resilience, and promote long-term wealth creation for individuals in Canada and across the globe.
The Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHC) provides a model that is built on three foundational pillars:
- Strategic land acquisition at minimal or zero cost.
- Innovative financing mechanisms, such as shared appreciation mortgages and perpetual affordability agreements.
- Operational efficiency, enabling delivery at approximately 50% of conventional development costs.
The AHC model and others across Canada demonstrate the viability of alternative homeownership models, and GBTAC will share the research findings with Alberta municipalities to support the continued expansion of innovative, accessible home ownership pathways.
Climate action and affordability for housing
Residential buildings play a crucial role in meeting climate goals that call for higher energy efficiency, lower emissions, and more resilient, low-carbon environments, and energy use in homes represents a significant share of that. When we increase energy performance through better design, efficient materials, and integrated renewable systems, we lower the cost of living over the life of the building. At the same time, climate adaptation measures, such as improved insulation, durable materials, and smarter energy systems, help protect communities from rising energy costs and extreme weather impacts. Applied research plays a key role in this transition to energy-efficient homes, creating solutions for homes that are affordable and better for the environment.
GBTAC looked at climate action impacts with the City of Calgary and the City of Edmonton, examining alternative cost-effective approaches to achieve higher-performance energy tiers while reducing overall energy use and emissions, and how they affect the capital and operational costs of homes. Research through this project indicated that higher performance tiers generally offered improved energy efficiency and utility savings, which significantly impacted overall cost-effectiveness. The building and retrofitting of residential buildings to a net-zero standard is a critical component of Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan. Both the cities of Calgary and Edmonton have taken several actions that support residential net-zero adaptation, including incentivisation of high-performance/energy efficiency and adaptation measures into renovations and new home construction, while moving towards those measures becoming mandatory over time.
As communities push for higher-performing, more resilient buildings, they’re investing in long-term affordability and lower emissions. Energy-efficient homes lower operating costs, reduce strain on infrastructure, support healthier living environments, and reduce environmental impacts — merging environmental responsibility with economic practicality.
The need for education and training
As building codes evolve to meet higher performance and sustainability standards, the need for education and training has never been more critical. Many in the construction and design industries face uncertainty about what new requirements mean in practice, how much implementation will cost, and what skills are needed to deliver high-performing buildings efficiently. GBTAC has worked with the City of Calgary and Real Estate Professionals to bridge that gap locally and across the province, from developing capacity-building resources and tools through energy modelling, physical mock-ups of various materials, cost analyses, and detailed roadmaps to support with tiered energy code adoption, to providing training materials and sessions. GBTAC is empowering professionals with the knowledge and confidence to build to modern standards while keeping projects practical, affordable, and aligned with an evolving market.
Housing strategies for extreme conditions
Across Canada and around the world, communities face increasingly wide temperature ranges, from extremely cold winters to extremely hot summers. During these extremes, homes must remain energy-efficient, comfortable, and resilient. Meeting this challenge requires innovative approaches — whether it’s materials, construction techniques, or building systems — to ensure reliable performance year-round while minimising energy use and environmental impact.
GBTAC assisted the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) in identifying housing strategies for the Arctic and northern regions of Canada. Many of the housing structures in these areas, historically and presently, are adapted from designs originating in regions that do not face the unique environmental and social conditions of the Arctic.
The high cost of housing and building materials, compounded by a shortage of housing across the Pan-Arctic region, often results in structures being designed and constructed with a primary focus on financial constraints rather than considerations of energy efficiency and occupant health. Further intensifying these challenges are factors such as unreliable shipping and supply chains, workforce shortages and the impacts of climate change, all of which compromise the quality and structural integrity of buildings. The changing temperature levels and extensive heat and cold climatic conditions also impact the community’s energy use, which makes energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources for the housing energy supply even more important.
Through research, GBTAC has created educational resources for residential energy conservation, training and knowledge transfer initiatives for the local workforce, and strategies on new housing types, forms and density.
A live example stands in the Arctic, showcasing how research and innovation can lead to resilient buildings anywhere in the world: Kuugalaaq, a first-of-its-kind pre-fabricated cultural workspace in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. This collaborative project brought together traditional Inuit knowledge with sustainable building strategies, resilient materials, and advocacy and implementation of grid-tied renewable energy systems in a challenging environment.
Collaboration leading to innovation
Efforts to build sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient infrastructure with a low-carbon footprint are more important than ever. Lasting solutions in accessible home ownership and energy-efficient housing come from approaches that are sustainable and resilient in the long term. Rising energy costs and long-term housing affordability are critical considerations, and the projects GBTAC advances in high-performance construction and housing innovation address challenges in sustainability, energy efficiency, and accessible housing. By cutting energy use, improving durability, integrating pathways for systems like solar and wind, implementing pre-fabrication strategies, and establishing alternative financing and ownership models, GBTAC is helping ensure that homes stay affordable not just while building, but also when operating long-term.
Progress at this scale grows from partnerships that bring diverse strengths to the problem. This work is strengthened by collaboration across borders. Canada’s climate and construction expertise, paired with opportunities to engage with international partners, creates a powerful foundation for shared learning and inventive solutions. Working alongside partners across Canada and beyond allows for solutions that support the global energy transition, reduce environmental impact, and make housing accessible for more people. In the end, this approach ensures building faster and better — creating housing solutions that are smarter, more equitable, and sustainable, advancing climate and affordability goals.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 25th edition of our quarterly publication.
