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Vancouver to Copenhagen Learning Tour

17 local leaders, policymakers and businesses went to Copenhagen, Denmark to learn about the Danish approach to building decarbonization, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation.

Participants of the VEC Copenhagen Learning Tour on a green building site visit wearing safe vests and hard hats.

Copenhagen Learning Tour

In 2022, we went to Copenhagen, Denmark with a delegation of local green building leaders to learn about Danish green building innovations and build new market connections.

Here’s what we learned ↓↓

  • Overview
  • Attendees
  • Learnings
  • Resources
  • Funders

Watch the summary video

Overview

In August 2022, the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) organized 17 local leaders, policymakers and businesses into a delegation to Copenhagen, Denmark to learn about the Danish approach to building decarbonization, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation.

Delegates from Vancouver learned about strengths of Denmark in these areas, particularly related to their ambition and public-private integration, and some of their challenge areas, particularly resilience related to cooling.


Objectives

  1. Build Canadian understanding of Danish policy and private sector best practices
  2. Develop new connections and sales channels from Denmark to Canada

VEC and delegates will carry forward these learnings into a variety of activities going forward, particularly in support of the BC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Strategy and VEC’s Zero Emissions Economic Transition Action Plan.

Attendees

Public Sector

  • BC Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovations
  • City of Vancouver
  • City of Richmond
  • Metro Vancouver
  • Vancouver Economic Commission

Education & Capacity Building

  • BCIT
  • Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx)
  • Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC)

Financial Institution

  • Vancity Credit Union

Non-profit

  • Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA)
  • Building Owners and Managers Associations (BOMA) of BC
  • Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)

Private Sector

  • Axiom Builders
  • Cadillac Fairview
  • Dynamic HVAC Systems
  • SES Consulting
3

Government meetings

Danish Energy Agency, State of Green and City of Copenhagen 

2

Utilities

Frederiksberg and ARC

3

Architects

GXN, SHL and Arkitema

1

Business exchange

BLOXHub

4

Project tours

Nordhavn, Resource Rows, Danish Technical University and Framehouse

Learnings & Next Steps

What we learned

  1. Denmark and Copenhagen have a deeply rooted sense of urgency on climate action and strong alignment between business and government – the net zero economy race is theirs to lose
  2. Denmark, through its energy agency, has a streamlined and flexible way to regulate both operational and embodied carbon (often called “whole lifecycle carbon”)
  3. Denmark’s approach to regulating whole lifecycle carbon is generating innovations in the private sector, both in the adaptive reuse of existing buildings to preserve their embodied carbon, and in advancing circular approaches to new buildings

Actions that were identified

  1. Create new relationships between BC and Danish public entities, especially regulators, to share policy and best practices
  2. Help build commercial linkages between BC and Denmark through reciprocal business delegations
  3. Work with local capacity builders and industry associations to profile building decarbonization leaders from Denmark and BC, including those active in adaptive transformation

Resources & Opportunities

  • Policy
  • Technology
  • Design & Planning

Policy Opportunities

  • Explore and adapt Danish regulator’s integrated approach to regulating whole-lifecycle carbon as part of BC’s future energy codes.
  • Collaborate with Denmark on learnings and practice with regards to energy transitions, especially for domestic energy production but also in major industries.
  • Collaborate with Denmark to communicate shared policy trajectories on building decarbonization and demand for technologies, especially heat pumps.

Resources

Danish Energy Agency

The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) is Denmark's public agency in charge of building code updates and initiatives to ensure compliance and private sector buy-in.

DEA presented to delegates on the regulatory regime for buildings, which integrates embodied and operational carbon.

▼ Energy Efficiency in Danish Buildings [PDF] ▼ Danish Energy Requirements Regulations [PDF] ▼ National Strategy for Sustainable Construction [PDF]

State of Green

State of Green is a public-private partnership between the Danish state and leading Danish businesses, which together lead Denmark’s global collaboration towards green transition.

State of Green presented information on Denmark’s historical energy transition and efforts to continue growing their green buildings sector.

▼ State of Green Presentation [PDF]

City of Copenhagen

The City of Copenhagen presented an outline of the City’s sustainability goals with a focus on energy efficiency and carbon reductions, along with collaborations in the private sector.

Technology Opportunities

  • Develop partnered industry-to-industry events and projects between BC actors and networks with relevant Danish groups, such as the Sustainable Buildings Alliance, the Danish District Energy Network, and Danish Industry, to share ideas and build commercial connections.
  • Work specifically with the Danish District Energy Network to explore applications of their technologies and approaches in BC, including retrofits of existing systems and amalgamating heating and cooling across existing building-scale plants.
  • Connect Danish expertise to existing innovation challenges and other collaboration platforms in BC, such as VEC’s Project Greenlight program or the BC Innovation Commission’s work, or ZEBx’s work to develop case studies and other informational resources.

Resources

BLOXHUB

BLOXHUB is the Nordic hub for sustainable urbanization. It was founded on the belief that the challenges of global urbanization and climate change require partnerships and new ways of collaboration.

This workshop connected Danish solution providers with Vancouver business leaders who were seeking both ideas and intelligence, as well as opportunities to import new products or services that support building decarbonization. Both groups shared knowledge and best practices, while creating new connections between the two countries.

▼ BLOXHUB Introduction [PDF]

ARC

The ARC is a is a waste-to-energy combined heat and power plant. Materials that cannot be recycled are incinerated at the ARC and used to heat 150,000 nearby homes. The ARC also houses a ski hill and rock-climbing wall open to the public.

The ARC team gave a site tour to the delegation and discussed plans to decarbonize the facility, as well as broader efforts to decarbonize heating in Copenhagen.

▼ ARC Decarbonization Plan [PDF]

Frederiksberg Utility

The Frederiksberg Utility is a publicly owned combined heat and power plant that supplies a significant amount of heat to a Copenhagen suburb.

The delegates toured the facility, then attended a presentation about the plant’s future expansion plans and decarbonization pathway.

▼ District heating in Denmark [PDF] ▼ Frederiksberg District Heating [PDF]

Sustainable Buildings Alliance

The Sustainable Buildings Alliance (SBA) is a cluster of Danish cleantech organizations focused on tapping into the sustainable building renovations market within North America. The alliance aims to support North America in reaching its energy efficiency goals through the renovation of existing buildings.

The SBA will be focusing on upcoming redevelopment projects that need assistance in technology solutions and facilitating multi week digital brainstorming workshops surrounding the development with key local stakeholders including building managers, developers, city staff, local industry and supply chain partners.

▼Danfoss Decarbonization of Cities [PDF] ▼Short overview Ubiqisense [PDF] ▼Solar Lab [PDF]

Danish District Heating Association

The Danish District Heating Association (Dansk Fjernvarme) is a national association representing over 400 members all over Denmark, which collectively provide 64% of Danish households with district heating.

Delegates heard presentations from four different district energy companies, ranging from components suppliers to systems designers.

▼ Aalborg CSP – Harvesting Energy from Renewable Sources [PDF] ▼ ABB – Sustainable District Heating [PDF] ▼Danfoss [PDF] ▼Logstor [PDF]

Design & Planning Opportunities

  • Support learning exchanges and partnerships between leading Danish and British Columbian architects (many of whom are based in Vancouver) to increase proficiency and sophistication on issues related to adaptive transformation, circular economy building design, and the use of mass timber.
  • Continue to promote BC’s expertise in mass timber to Danish designers and builders.
  • Support learning and sharing of specific technical tools or practices that are used widely in either market, such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs).

Resources

Resource Rows presented by Lendager Group Architects

Lendager Group Architects is an innovative Danish firm working on advanced circular economy practices, in both new and existing buildings.

Resource Rows is a residential multi-unit housing development that will be known as the first housing development in the area that is made of materials from old houses. The development boasts upcycled brick walls and wood carefully curated from past buildings.

Arkitema

Arkitema Architects is a Danish architectural firm headquartered in Aarhus, with branch offices in Copenhagen. They are doing advanced work in adaptive transformation and embodied carbon.

The delegates attended a tour provided by Arkitema Architects of Arkitema Dipylon and Hotel Ottiia. Arkitema Dipylon is the Copenhagen office of Arkitema, which was transformed from malt silos from the old Carlsberg brewery into an office building. Hotel Ottilia was formed by joining two historic buildings built in different centuries.

▼ Arkitema Circular Design Presentation [PDF]

Technical University of Denmark Presented by Christensen & Co Architects

The Technical University of Denmark was established in the 1970’s and has recently undergone a transformation that is more aligned with the university’s sustainability ambitions with a focus on clean energy.

The transformation included the construction of new buildings and retrofits of existing buildings, led by the Danish architecture firm Christensen and Co, which the delegation toured. There was a particular focus on integration with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

3XN / GXN

3XN is a globally recognized Danish architecture firm specializing in cutting-edge sustainability projects. GXN is their in-house innovation arm that routinely develops research while they work.

The delegates received a tour of the GXN offices, followed by an overview of the firm’s most innovative retrofit projects, with a special focus on the Quay Quarter Town case study and GXN’s innovation work.

▼ 3XN Carbon Driven Design Presentation [PDF]

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) is a global architecture firm located in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Shanghai, with a distinguished track record as designers of international high-profile architecture. They are some of the world’s foremost Nordic leaders on the use of engineered wood.

Delegates heard presentations from SHL about mass timber projects around the world, and the work the company is doing towards adaptive transformation of existing buildings.

▼ SHL Timber Projects and Framehouse [PDF] ▼ SHL sustainable process _SBA [PDF]

Nordhavn presented by Ramboll and SolarLab

Nordhavn is a massive public-private development site in Copenhagen located on the site of an old military base. The land is publicly owned via the Port Development Corporation and the City of Copenhagen.

Currently home to 5,000 residents, Nordhavn is known as a “five-minute city” with the goal that residents are able to reach shops, offices, and community spaces using public transport and walking in five minutes from any point. This 3.6-million m2 neighbourhood has received platinum certification from German Sustainable Building Council.

Funders & Partners


Why this trip, why now?

At the VEC, we work to support Vancouver’s businesses to transition to net zero by growing their competitive advantages and supporting innovation.

VEC recently released the BC Heat Pump Investment Attraction Strategy to help accelerate building electrification and support businesses and homeowners to buy high-quality, affordable equipment to reduce emissions and make their spaces cleaner and safer. Drawing on a decade of international investment experience, in particular an investment mission to the EU in 2019 related to heat pumps and other green building materials, we are pleased to be able to follow up on that experience with this strategic learning exchange.


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