In EllisDon’s ongoing commitment to decarbonize the construction industry, there is one big proponent: Sustainable Building Solutions (SBS). This small but mighty cross-Canada team drives many of our sustainability initiatives and ensures our project teams are empowered to meet our sustainability targets. They adhere to the guiding principle: ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure’, constantly searching for new and innovative ways to gather and refine data, and ultimately driving down our carbon emissions.

“We’re currently working on or have completed $70 billion dollars' worth of work that have specific sustainability targets, are or will be certified to different Green Building standards,” said Navisa Jain, Senior Project Manager, Sustainable Building Solutions, EllisDon. “That is not possible without a clear mandate for the SBS team and collaboration across EllisDon.”

It’s collaboration our team credits with our position as a leader in sustainable construction. The team works with all major business units in EllisDon to help navigate increasingly complex sustainability requirements, codes, and regulations.

“What we’ve found, is every department across EllisDon is passionate about environmentally conscious construction and the decarbonization of both our industry and our construction practices,” said Jain. “We find there’s a lack of information in the industry around how to, for example, analyze and reduce carbon emissions in the built environment, but also a corresponding commitment to working together to address it.”

Our clients are equally as passionate about sustainability and concerned with future-proofing their assets against climate risk. This is where SBS takes on the role of EllisDon’s navigators, supporting project teams and clients in finding practical ways of providing sustainable solutions, even when our teams or clients aren’t sure how to ask for it.

“We don’t consider ourselves experts per se,” explained Jain. “One of the things we work towards is educating and empowering our teams and departments so they can incorporate sustainable solutions into their work with accurate knowledge and confidence.”

EllisDon continues to be committed to Net-Zero Carbon in our construction by 2050 and our SBS team is integral in ensuring we do so. For more on our incredible SBS team, and a highlight of key projects and initiatives, check out our 2024 Impact Report here!