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Through partnerships we can achieve Carbon Net Zero Buildings

Photo credit: Nexii

Nexii Join Forces with Siemens, Honeywell and Trane Technologies to Advance Rapid Delivery of High-Performance “Future Ready, Total Building Solutions”

Witten by Nexii Building Solutions

Editors Note: All photos in this article featured Nexii’s green construction technology.  

Global corporations are stepping up to commit to a net zero future as we finish up Climate Week in New York, look to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in October, and continue to feel the impacts of climate change with stronger and longer wildfire seasons on the west coast, and hurricane season on the east.  The commitment is clear, but the question of ‘how’ is still being tackled, and our buildings are a big piece of the puzzle.  Buildings and construction account for 39 per cent of global CO2 emissions (1) and, if cement were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world (2)!  On top of that, the waste from buildings is out of control – globally cities generate 2.01 billion tons of solid waste every year (3). 

And there are no signs of construction slowing down.  For better or worse; our lives, communities, and economies are built primarily around cities that require continual construction; both refurbishments and the development of new buildings.  It is expected that the volume of buildings on earth will double in the next 40 years (4), as urbanization continues to push people to move into cities.

Photo credit: Nexii

Nexii

Nexii Building Solutions is tackling the problem of carbon-heavy construction head on.  Nexii designs and manufactures innovative high-performance buildings and green building products that are sustainable, cost-efficient, and resilient in the face of climate change.  Its building solutions have a lower carbon footprint with 20-33 per cent (5) less embodied carbon and use approximately 33 per cent less energy overall, as well as 55 per cent less heating energy (6).

Using a breakthrough, proprietary building material, Nexiite, that has comparable properties to concrete but contains no Portland cement or lime, Nexii products significantly reduce end-to-end carbon emissions.  Nexiite is used in Nexii Panels that are precision manufactured in specialized facilities, then flat-packed and shipped to building sites where they are rapidly assembled with up to 75 per cent faster build time.  Nexii creates near-zero construction waste onsite and produces buildings that are airtight and energy-efficient, further reducing climate impacts.

But we want to go further.  It is only through partnerships in innovation and technology, can we develop a ‘net zero energy’ building.  Recently Nexii announced partnerships with Siemens, Honeywell and Trane Technologies, to combine their expertise to create ‘Future Ready, Total Building Solutions’ together. 

This Future Ready, Total Building Solutions directly addresses challenges faced by corporations and building and construction industries striving to meet net zero carbon commitments, such as balancing expansion business requirements with the carbon footprint of buildings, the required refurbishment to transform old buildings to become more energy efficient, and reducing the long-term heating and cooling environmental and economic cost.

The Future Ready, Total Building Solutions looks to deliver sustainable commercial buildings with significantly reduced carbon footprints.

Photo credit: Nexii

Siemens

The collaboration combines Nexii’s expertise in delivering high-performance green building products with Siemens’ digital power distribution solutions and eVehicle charging equipment.  This includes efforts to digitize Nexii’s specialized manufacturing facilities and create efficiencies that will speed the production of sustainable building products across the U.S. and Canada.

Siemens will also play a role in Nexii’s client projects, layering energy-efficient power solutions on top of Nexii’s sustainable products, and will help Nexii speed up the production of building products with digital factory solutions that maximize efficiencies in the deployment, operation, and extensibility at Nexii manufacturing facilities. 

Trane Technologies

Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator – so the partnership with Nexii was a no-brainer.  We are able to combine Nexii’s expertise in creating an airtight building envelope with Trane’s digitally enabled EcoWise high-efficiency climate comfort systems to further reduce energy usage and carbon emissions for our clients.

Trane will be the exclusive North America heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) supplier for new, sustainable buildings constructed by Nexii, including retail stores and restaurants.  Heating and cooling of buildings account for about 15 per cent of global carbon emissions, so by combining Trane’s leading connected heating, cooling and indoor air quality solutions with Nexii’s unique construction approach means our clients will be able to further drastically reduce their carbon footprint, and commit to even greater energy savings, as well as more significant sustainability commitments.

Photo credit: Nexii

Honeywell

The alliance between Honeywell and Nexii brings decades of building automation experience to Nexii’s innovative construction solutions.  Honeywell Small and Medium Building Administrator powered by Honeywell Forge, is an affordable and scalable building portfolio management system designed specifically for small- to medium-sized buildings. The Honeywell Small and Medium Building Administrator can save users up to 30 per cent  in facility energy costs (7), improve visibility into building portfolio performance, and help facility managers optimize occupant comfort, operational performance and safer asset management. Honeywell will also provide its industry-leading fire and security systems to support Nexii-constructed buildings.

More than 90 per cent of the U.S. commercial building stock consists of properties under 50,000 square feet, and most of these buildings lack a proper building management system (BMS) to manage energy usage (8).  Unlike competitive products that are either traditional BMS solutions built for large-scale, complex buildings or simple heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control systems designed for smaller scale use, the Honeywell Small and Medium Building Administrator enables multi-site businesses to drive smarter building operations and meet compliance requirements. 

Adding Honeywell’s expertise at saving energy through its powerful building management system as well as improving responses in the case of emergency with its fire and security products will enhance the value proposition for Nexii customers.  Now, we can increase the speed of delivery with a construction process that is less damaging to the environment while also providing systems that drive the building’s ongoing energy efficiency and safety after completion.

Through these partnerships and many more, we can combine the innovation and experience to create real solutions for the climate crisis and move one step closer to net zero buildings with our Future Ready, Total Building Solutions.

Through partnerships we can achieve Carbon Net Zero Buildings

About Nexii Building Solutions

Nexii Building Solutions Inc. (Nexii) is a green construction technology company that is committed to building a vibrant future for people and the planet.  Nexii designs and manufactures high-performance buildings and green building products that are sustainable, cost-efficient and resilient in the face of climate change.  The Nexii System also significantly reduces construction timelines, enabling the rapid development of green buildings across North America. Nexii is suited for industrial / commercial / institutional, mixed-use, multi-family residential and single-family homes, as well as for the green retrofit market. 

For more information, visit www.nexii.com, or connect with us on Instagram (@NexiiBuilds), Twitter (@NexiiBuilds) or on LinkedIn (Nexii Building Solutions).

SOURCES:

  1. UN Environment Global Status Report 2019; EIA International Energy Outlook 2019.
  2. The Guardian, Concrete: the most destructive material on Earth (February 2019); Chatham House Report, Making Concrete Change: Innovation in Low-carbon Cement and Concrete (June 2018).
  3. Transparency, Construction Waste Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 – 2025; The World Bank; What a waste 2.0 – A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2-5.
  4. UN, Time is running out for construction sector to cut energy use, meet climate goals; UN, World population increasingly urban with more than half living in urban areas.
  5. Nexii walls have 20-33 per cent  less embodied carbon than concrete walls, 43 per cent less embodied carbon than a steel stud wall, and ornamental panels can reach 63 per cent reduction in embodied carbon versus precast concrete
  6. Based on third party energy modeling, Nexii’s envelope system showed an average of ~33 per cent reduction in energy uses, and air tightness improvements resulting in reduced heating energy of ~55 per cent
  7. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Impacts of Commercial Building Controls on Energy Savings and Peak Load Reduction, May 2017 [Accessed November 17, 2020]
  8. Energy Star, ENERGY STAR for small- and medium-sized office buildings [Accessed October 23, 2020]