How the SSRIA is turning complex permitting roadblocks into a shared playbook

The Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association’s (SSRIA) Codes Acceleration Fund (CAF) project, titled Low Carbon Building Approvals Guide, seeks to address barriers for variances (alternative solutions) in building permit applications for Part 9 buildings in Alberta.

These barriers may slow down the adoption, increase the cost or prevent the use of innovative, low carbon building materials, products or systems. In order to identify and understand these barriers, the SSRIA team conducts research conversations with safety code officers (building officials), the Safety Codes Council, Alberta Municipal Affairs, as well as manufacturers, builders, developers, engineers, and evaluation organizations. SSRIA’s work is grounded in the provisions of the NBC (AE) and the Alberta Safety Codes Act.

Based on this research, the team develops (i) a template to support applicants with their requests for variances in their building permit applications; as well as (ii) a written guide that provides explanations and contextual information about various aspects to be considered in requests for variances in building permit applications in Alberta.

“When a builder wants to use a better wall assembly or a lower-carbon material, the code and permitting path is rarely the blocker on paper. It’s the time, the uncertainty, and the back and forth that quietly kill the decision.” Shared Daniel Benner, Manager of Industry Relations at SSRIA. “This guide is about giving builders, designers, and authorities having jurisdiction a shared playbook for those calls, so the better choice doesn’t have to be the harder one.”

This project is funded by Natural Resources Canada’s Codes Acceleration Fund (CAF). The CAF is a federal initiative designed to advance the Government of Canada’s action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, helping to fight climate change while strengthening the green economy. By supporting projects like the Low Carbon Building Approvals Guide, the fund aims to accelerate the adoption, implementation, and compliance of higher-performance energy codes and innovative low-carbon solutions across the country.