A step forward for alternative solutions

Current barriers to obtaining variances, or alternative solutions, can create delays in adoption, increase costs, and discourage the use of innovative, low-carbon building materials, products, or systems. Understanding and addressing these barriers is an important step toward enabling innovation while maintaining safety.  

Build Forward Alberta is the Safety Codes Council’s initiative to serve as a front door for innovation in the built environment. Through Build Forward Alberta, the Council works to reduce friction in the innovation journey by lowering the time, cost, and frustration innovators experience when navigating Alberta’s regulatory system for buildings and related equipment.   

Developing practical resources 

To help address alternative solutions barriers, the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) is conducting research to better understand the challenges innovators face when pursuing alternative solutions in Alberta’s safety codes system.  

This research is grounded in the provisions of the National Building Code – Alberta Edition and Alberta’s Safety Codes Act.  

Insights and data gathered during this research phase will inform the development and production of practical resources on alternative solutions, including a template and a written guide.  

These resources will help applicants prepare and submit alternative solution requests as part of their building permit applications while providing greater clarity around the process and expectations associated with obtaining alternative solutions in Alberta.  

Supporting innovation through partnership 

As part of this project, Build Forward Alberta is working directly with SSRIA to provide alternative solutions training materials and other educational resources, facilitate engagement with safety codes officers, review and validate project deliverables, and help distribute the final resource to safety codes officers and innovators across Alberta.  

“We’ve heard from various innovators about the barriers to obtaining alternative solutions, and this problem presents an opportunity for Build Forward Alberta to step in and support innovators by helping to reduce their costs, streamlining processes, and improving efficiency . We are grateful to SSRIA for this important undertaking and look forward to the growth of innovation in Alberta’s buildings and related equipment .” Mychele Joyes, AVP, Innovation Hub.

This project marks significant progress for Build Forward Alberta’s current research and development efforts to identify barriers to innovation and facilitate solutions through meaningful collaboration and partnership.