2025.05.29
ENFORM Deep Energy Retrofit Seminar | DER25
ENFORM Architects hosted our third annual Deep Energy Retrofit Seminar. Presentations focused on retrofitting technologies, project approaches, and materials that propel the deep energy retrofit sector. What made this night truly special was seeing both familiar faces return and new members join our community, all brought together by the shared commitment to advancing deep-energy-retrofits and the innovative people and technologies driving our industry forward.
Session 1 | Case Study
Galbraith Building Renewal
Adapting existing buildings for a future climate is an integral part of addressing today’s climate crisis. This session presents the Galbraith Building, an aging building on the University of Toronto Campus that is in urgent need of renewal and deferred maintenance. The report, prepared by UofT Post-Professional Masters and PhD students and supervised by Alistair Vaz and Ted Kesik, examines a subset of future possibilities for the Galbraith building with the intention of initiating discussions and explorations, specifically in the tools and processes for triaging existing buildings, assessing complex interwoven factors, and articulating a phased path forward in a clear and concise manner.
Session 2 | Materials
Retrofitting Masonry Systems
Masonry assemblies are a common enclosure system present in Toronto’s residential neighbourhoods and older factory buildings. In this presentation, the advantages and disadvantages of various methodologies for retrofitting masonry systems will be discussed – including recladding from the exterior, adding insulation to the interior, and in some cases doing nothing at all – as well as factors of heritage preservation, building performance, aesthetics, and zoning. The session will also provide a deeper understanding of how existing masonry is analyzed during the investigative phase and how these findings influence critical design decisions.
Session 3 | Technology
CO2 Heat Pumps
Deep Energy Retrofits are a highly effective way to reduce building carbon emissions whilst enhancing our urban environment – but they remain technically challenging in many respects. This session presents an innovative and highly promising technology to bring ultra-high efficiency heating and cooling systems to existing buildings via Air-Source-Heat-Pumps (ASHPs) that run on R744 (CO2) refrigerant. CO2 is a safe and extremely low GWP refrigerant that can run ASHPs at performance efficiencies equal to ground source heat pumps. The team of Matt Cameron, Kenny Smith and Kevin Stelzer describe the enormous benefits of such systems, the technical parameters of utilization, and how they can revolutionize existing building decarbonization.
