OnTrack: Our Journey to Net Zero
In the last few years, several ominous phrases have crept into our daily lexicon including “atmospheric rivers”, “quarantining”, “social distancing”, and “air-quality index.” Oxymorons are also taking over our headlines such as “stormy California” and “rainy Arizona.” Spurred by the pandemic and climate crisis, the world is changing faster than ever before – and our ...
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OnTrack | Whose Carbon Is It Anyway? The Structural Engineer’s Role
November 3, 2026 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series
Whose Carbon Is It Anyway: The Structural Engineer’s Role Quick question for the structural engineers in the room: is tracking embodied carbon part of your job? If your answer was “only when the client asks,” we have some news, and it comes with a document attached. PRACTICE ADVISORY: EMBODIED CARBON CONSIDERATIONS FOR STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS On …
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OnTrack | In Plain Sight: Embodied Carbon Tracking Built Into Drawings
October 21, 2026 GS Sustainability OnTrack Series
Most embodied carbon numbers live somewhere a structural engineer has to go looking for them — a spreadsheet, a one-off report, a slide buried halfway through a design meeting. By the time anyone outside the sustainability team sees the figure, the decision that produced it is already made. To make embodied carbon performance more visible …
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OnTrack: Beyond Conventional Practice: How One Inch Changed a Building
July 22, 2026 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series
A floor slab may look like one line item in a structural concept, but it influences almost every part of the building: from ceiling heights and mechanical coordination to embodied carbon and long-term performance. In Vancouver, the typical floor system is a conventional 8-inch reinforced concrete slab. This system has become the industry standard as …
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Cypress Challenge 2026: Riding for Progress
July 10, 2026 General
In 2025, a record 906 cyclists across 65 teams participated in the 18th Annual Cypress Challenge. Founded by Geoffrey Glotman and Myriam Glotman in 2008, the event has raised more than $6 million for research and care initiatives. Last year, participants raised an unprecedented $825,000 for BC Cancer, continuing the event’s legacy of community-driven impact. …
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Balancing Visitor Experience and Long-Term Resilience in Banff
June 1, 2026 General
Following a competitive international design process, six multidisciplinary teams were shortlisted for the Banff 200 Block Redevelopment. Glotman Simpson, led by Paul Raff and Kengo Kuma + Associates were named the winner of Parks Canada’s international competition. Our role as the structural engineers was to support the architectural vision with practical, resilient, and technically integrated …
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OnTrack: The Low-Carbon Sweet Spot: How This Hotel Leads the Way
May 7, 2026 General GS Sustainability OnTrack Series
What actually drives lower embodied carbon in high-rise buildings? In February’s post, we reviewed a dataset of 26 projects issued for construction in 2025 and one particular project stood out. Not because it used new materials or unconventional systems, but because of how deliberately it was refined. Across the dataset, three strategies consistently led to lower …
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