Sheltair Group
The Sheltair Group Resource Consultants Inc. is a Vancouver-based consulting firm with extensive expertise in integrated resource management, building performance, and sustainable urban development. We can help you plan, design, and manage healthy, liveable, and affordable buildings and communities that minimise resource use and negative ecological impacts.
Our philosophy is that sustainability involves the integration of the social, economic, and ecological spheres. Like the legs of a stool, these three elements come together to form a functional unit that is much more than the sum of the parts. Our focus is on the synergistic relationship between these elements, particularly in terms of how economic development can occur as the result of enhanced ecological and social environments. The Sheltair Group is proud of the reputation gained by its 20 years of building science and community resource planning experience. The combined skills of our engineers, architects, and planners provide our clients with a team recognised as leaders in our field.
Our Firm offers three specialised services, Environmental Management Systems, Integrated Resource Planning and Sustainable Building and Site Guidelines. These services are of interest to planners, developers and design professionals that want to take a pro-active and balanced (i.e. triple bottom line) approach to accessing green markets and green technologies.
Environmental Management Systems: An Environmental Management System (EMS) is one of the most effective means available for improving environmental performance of your company and enhancing the value of building projects. An EMS quantifies each aspect of environmental performance, and integrates these concerns into every aspect of decision-making, similar to the new 'quality management' approach incorporated into the ISO 9000 and 14000 series.
For buildings and larger developments the process begins with a comprehensive review of the most important environmental impacts, and then establishes methods for achieving better performance through planning and design. An EMS includes a framework of goals, project-specific environmental objectives and performance targets. A monitoring system can be established to measure performance and to feedback results. Benchmarks can be used for comparison purposes. The results can be launched on your Web site, and used to provide key information to the owner, design team, city officials, and potential customers.
Benefits of an EMS System: easier project approvals; increased community goodwill, and fewer delays; improved satisfaction for workers and associates; much more effective marketing and sales campaigns; increased learning for your design team; reduced risk from new environmental legislation; and increased preparedness for new business standards like ISO 14000.
Integrated Resource Plans: An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a more creative and cost-effective approach to providing services to buildings. An IRP addresses all the resource sectors - energy, potable water, surface drainage, sewage, and solid waste ' and explores opportunities for reducing long-term costs and improving overall service. This involves identifying options for integration the potential for on-site solutions such as open drainage systems, water reclamation, high-rate composting of organic wastes, micro-cogeneration, renewable energy systems, and so on. This type of engineering work requires a broad knowledge of technical systems that cross disciplines.
Benefits of an IRP: overcoming constraints imposed by the carrying capacity of the surrounding ecosystems, or the limitations imposed by existing community infrastructure, avoiding major capital expenditures, and increasing business revenue, especially in cases where the project can be expanded to offer micro-utility services to occupants.
Green Building and Development Guidelines: Green Building and Development Guidelines are a powerful tool for project management and the achievement of environmental targets. Green Guidelines provide the detailed, practical and easy-to-read information that is required by the many participants involved in the design and construction process. Green Guidelines go beyond the usual architectural and aesthetic issues, adding a third layer of environmental goals to the project. They address each environmental goal, individually, in order to assist the design team in integrating the goals into the design strategy.
A single Guideline ('Using the site and form of a building to access daylight, views and natural cooling') might consist of a two-page fact sheet, including a rationale, illustration, case studies, technical explanation, estimated cost/savings, linkages to other guidelines, references, legal considerations and methods for establishing compliance or performance.
Benefits of Green Guidelines: efficient communications, management and learning; enhanced technical competence; reduced capital investments in infrastructure; cost-effective quality control; and a broader range of performance features than would otherwise be possible.
Clients: Natural Resources Canada B.C. Gas; B.C. Hydro; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Canadian Home Builders Association of B.C.. Town of Banff Resort Municipality of Whistler BC Buildings Corporation Federation of Canadian Municipality ECO-design.ca Architecture Parks Canada. Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute; Korea Housing Institute; Municipal Affairs, B.C. Greater Vancouver Regional District.
Company Details
Company Information
Sebastian Moffatt
Title:
President
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(604) 732-9106
Fax:
(604) 732-9238
Email:
Click Here
Jennifer Vlemmiks
Title:
Administrator
Telephone:
(604) 732-9106
Fax:
(604) 732-9238
Email:
Click Here
Products
Environmental Products And Services
Implement Integrated Resource Planning Strategies.
Develop a framework of environmental goals, objectives and targets. Outline a community energy plan that will serve as a template for the community to plan sustainable natural resource utilisation. Develop guidelines for growth and development that will assist in sustainable community planning. Develop monitoring systems that measure performance and feedback results.
Implement Integrated Systems And Full-cost Accounting.
Implement a community energy plan or integrated resource plan that will achieve energy and resource conservation, reduced environmental impacts and lower resource related expenditures. Use a full-cost accounting approach that considers the environmental and social costs of public and private policy. Employ de-centralised, on-site infrastructure components that have lower environmental impacts as well as lower capital and operating costs. Integrated system plans can generate savings, while using fewer resources by linking and reusing the inputs and outputs of various household and industrial processes.
Establish Guidelines For Achieving Environmental Targets And Goals.
Quantify the mechanisms by which environmental solutions are to be achieved. Compare environmental indicators of performance with entities that exhibit a similar set of criteria or constra ints. This will allow useful benchmarks and targets to be set that have direct application and implications upon existing constraints. Involve experts to find practical solutions to specific problems.
Services
Consulting