Can a Toronto-Based MURB Meet the Upper Tiers of NECB?

Six elite modelling teams. One Toronto-based mid-rise building. A must-see "Dragon's Den” style investigation on what it actually takes to meet Tier 4!

Join NRCan’s LEEP team, Canmet Energy and OHBA for a live, interactive MURBs Modelling Challenge, where six leading local energy modelling teams take on a mid-rise MURB and push it to the highest tiers of the National Energy Code for Buildings. In a fast-paced, Dragon’s Den–style forum, teams will pitch their technology pathways and design strategies to a panel of industry judges to assess the solutions prioritizing cost, construction, barriers, and opportunities for high performance multi-family buildings in the GTA.

The discussion will surface critical insights for both industry and NRCan: which code requirements create unintended barriers, which modelling rules may need refinement, and how upcoming code changes could reshape future building performance targets.

AGENDA  

8:30 - 9:00 - Registration & Networking Breakfast

9:00 - 9:10 - Opening Remarks

Miyoko Oikawa, Director of Training & Strategic Initiatives, OHBA

Sneha Bernard, Project Lead, Natural Resources Canada

Maxime St. Jacques, Project Engineer, Government of Canada

9:10 - 9:50 - Results of the MURB Modelling Challenge: What We Heard & Learned

9:50 - 10:25 Modellers Den, Round 1

10:30 - 10:40 - Networking Break

10:40 - 11:40 - Modellers Den, Round 2

11:50 - 12:20 - Lunch & Judges Deliberation

12:20 - 12:40 - Awards

12:40 - 12:45 - Closing Remarks

MODELLERS 

Entuitive

It’s a new way of thinking that’s driving our success as we strive to build the first choice engineering firm for exceptional clients in Canada and around the world. We are a group of purpose-driven engineers, scientists, designers, technologists, and city-building experts who deliver uncompromising performance through a comprehensive range of services for the built environment. Our culture, commitment, and passion enable us to achieve progressive solutions to the most complex challenges. Since our inception in 2011, we have been recognized as the firm that does things differently. Our organization is designed for agility and navigated using guiding principles that aid us in achieving uncompromising performance: always asking better questions, tackling every challenge as an opportunity, and a relentless pursuit in being better tomorrow than we were today. We are committed to a sustainable future.

RDH Building Science 

RDH is a leading building science consulting and engineering firm with offices in 13 locations across North America. We specialize in delivering climate-responsive, low-carbon, and energy-efficient building solutions. 

RDH offers interdisciplinary services that optimize the performance of both new and existing buildings. Our expertise spans building enclosure engineering and consulting, energy and climate solutions, facade engineering, structural engineering, and construction management. With Building Science Specialists located coast to coast across North America, we leverage a diverse skill set and extensive experience in architecture, design, construction, and operations. This comprehensive approach enables us to support and facilitate the creation of energy-efficient, comfortable, and durable buildings. 

S2S Environmental Inc.

S2S Environmental Inc. is a Canadian environmental consulting firm with over 20 years of experience supporting real estate, commercial, industrial, institutional, residential, and government clients. With offices in Ontario and Western Canada, the firm has completed more than 11,000 projects, delivering practical, cost-effective, and technically sound environmental and building performance solutions.

RWDI

RWDI helps clients address complex challenges in the built environment by combining innovative thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Over the past five decades, RWDI has grown from a respected Canadian firm with deep expertise in wind engineering into a global leader in building performance, climate engineering, and environmental consulting.

Today, RWDI brings together more than 700 engineers, scientists, sustainability specialists, and support professionals who work collaboratively to help clients meet their technical requirements while advancing broader business objectives. With offices across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, RWDI supports ambitious building and infrastructure projects worldwide—enhancing performance and efficiency while assessing and mitigating environmental impacts. In Canada, RWDI has extensive experience providing Energy Modelling, Sustainability, and Climate Resiliency consulting across a wide range of development projects.

EQ Building Performance

EQ Building Performance is a collaborative consulting firm committed to making buildings better. We bring together architects, developers, and building owners to create high performance buildings and communities. We believe that measurement informs design. Our professionals apply integrated design methods and computer simulation to influence project designs, and use post-occupancy utility metering and performance data to test and validate our design tools. Our core services include energy modelling, sustainability consulting, advanced energy system feasibility studies, building certification, commissioning, and utility metering & verification services.

Pratus

Pratus Group is a sustainability, building performance and commissioning consultancy. Our team specializes in creating smarter, more sustainable buildings that deliver confidence and long-term value.

JUDGES

Patrick Andres, MASc., P.Eng., CBCO

Patrick Andres, MASc., P.Eng., CBCO, is a building science and energy efficiency specialist with over a decade of experience advancing high-performance building design in Canada. As the Technical Lead for Resource Conservation and Mechanical Systems at the City of Guelph, Patrick is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Ontario Building Code’s energy efficiency requirements. Patrick serves on the National Research Council’s National Model Codes Committee on Climate Change Mitigation, contributing to the development of Canada’s netzero energy ready and low carbon Building Codes. His background includes work in energy modelling, netzero energy evaluation, HVAC system design, and building envelope performance testing, gained through roles in consulting engineering and sustainable construction.performance building design in Canada. As the Technical Lead for Resource Conservation and Mechanical Systems at the City of Guelph, Patrick is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Ontario Building Code’s energy efficiency requirements. Patrick serves on the National Research Council’s National Model Codes Committee on Climate Change Mitigation, contributing to the development of Canada’s netzero energy ready and low carbon Building Codes. His background includes work in energy modelling, netzero energy evaluation, HVAC system design, and building envelope performance testing, gained through roles in consulting engineering and sustainable construction.

An active educator and speaker, Patrick has delivered numerous workshops and webinars on building code energy requirements, passive design strategies, and the future of lowcarbon buildings. He is also a Certified Passive House Consultant, a Professional Engineer, and a Certified Building Code Official, bringing both deep technical knowledge and practical field experience to his evaluation of innovative, energyefficient design solutions.

Jenny McMinn

As Partner of Communications and Impact at the Windmill Development Group and former Managing Director of our advisory arm, Urban Equation, Jenny has been providing real estate development and sustainability advisory services across North America for over 15 years.

Jenny consults with private developers and all levels of government agencies to deliver award-winning, high-performance green building and community projects. These include those targeting the highest levels of social and environmental innovation, including One Planet Living, Zero Carbon Standard, The WELL standard, and LEED Platinum. Her expertise in delivering One Planet Living projects was recently recognized through her One Planet Living Integrator designation.

Jenny is Vice-Chair of the Canadian Green Building Council’s Board of Directors. She is an active mentor for both the Schulich School of Business and the Urban Land Institute, and she is past member of the City of Toronto’s Design Review Panel.

Before joining the Windmill Group, Jenny spent 10 years at Halsall Associates (now WSP) helping developers, municipalities and building owners create high-performance building and community projects. Before that, Jenny worked with Foster + Partners, the internationally-renowned London, England-based architectural firm.

Jenny is a LEED accredited professional, and Jenny holds degrees in architecture and environmental studies from the University of Waterloo.

Robert Molinaro

Robert Molinaro is a native of Winona, Ontario, born to immigrant parents originally from Calabria, Italy.  He and his wife Andrea are proud parents to three amazing children: Cristiano Domenic, Evianna Virginia, and Raffaella Josephine. The whole family pursues a multitude of activities, chief among which are skiing and world travel.

Robert himself is an avid tennis player and muscle car enthusiast, who loves to cook and spend quality time with friends in the great outdoors.

Robert’s interest in the homebuilding industry was instilled from an early age when he and his brother Vince would work on Molinaro construction sites, developed by their father Domenic, the founder of the Molinaro Group. Working as a labourer, in carpentry and framing, and even as a site foreman, Robert’s passion for building has been a key motivator throughout his life.

A member of HHHBA for over 20 years, Robert has served on numerous committees and has been a strong supporter of the Association’s advocacy for the home building industry.

He is honoured to have been president of the Association, and he continues to be active in the association’s efforts to become a relevant, trusted and positive organization in the development and building industry and in the communities where they build.

As an owner of the Molinaro Group, with his brother Vince Molinaro, brother-in-law Sam DiSanto, Robert has been instrumental in the growth of the Group as it continues to redefine quality condominium living in the Burlington and Stoney Creek area.

In addition to the Group’s stellar development achievements, Robert and his family have been consistent and generous contributors to a multitude of charities in Burlington, Hamilton and beyond.

Meaghan Macdonald 

Meaghan Macdonald has worked in the affordable housing sector for over 20 years. She started her career working for Habitat for Humanity as a Canada Summer Jobs student. Through the years she had the opportunity to work in various roles, and various Habitat organizations, until ultimately serving as the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Northumberland for over 11 years. In 2023 Meaghan joined the Region of Durham as a Manager in the newly established Affordable Housing Development and Renewal Division. Meaghan is passionate about ensuring there is adequate supply of the right type of housing for all Canadians. In her spare time, she serves as the Chair of Board of Transition House, an emergency shelter in Cobourg. 

Iain MacDonald

Dr Iain A Macdonald is a senior researcher and team lead of the Integrated Building Performance group at the Construction Research Centre of the National Research Council (NRC), Canada. He has researched and published widely in the area of building simulation on such aspects as daylighting, renewables integration, IAQ, ventilation and building energy use. Iain’s main research activities are on the assessment of uncertainty in building simulation with a focus on high performance building design support. He is currently the technical lead for the Net Zero Energy Research project which is developing the supporting evidence to enable net-zero (energy and carbon) building codes for Canada.

Prior to joining NRC in 2006 Iain was a Senior Research Fellow at the Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU) in Strathclyde University, Scotland. Iain was responsible for the delivery of the IBPSA Scotland technology transfer project which supported engineering and architectural practices in developing in-house simulation capabilities, thus increasing the impact on design through the use of advanced building simulation tools by design professionals. Additionally, for ESRU he managed many consultancy projects principally in the area of daylighting and natural ventilation.