by Zosia Brown, Vice-president of Sustainability, and Sara Turner, Sustainability Analyst

Nexii Building Solutions is dedicated to sustainability across our operations and products. Our mission to build a vibrant future for people and planet catalyzes our goals to lower embodied carbon, improve energy efficiency, and achieve near-zero waste.

About Nexii

Nexii is a green construction company. We design, manufacture, and assemble green buildings and products that are sustainable, cost-effective, and climate resilient. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Nexii currently operates plants in Squamish, B.C. and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Nexii is scaling up to supply all North American markets with industrial, commercial retail, multi-story, and residential buildings, as well as EV charging infrastructure.

We collaborate with leading global companies to develop breakthrough products and services through our Integrated Technology Partnership (ITP) program. Nexii’s building technology partners include Honeywell, Trane Technologies, Siemens, und Pella.

Nexii buildings are occupied by major brands, including Popeyes, Scotiabank, Marriott, and Applegreen.

Nexii’s Commitments

Sustainability is core to Nexii’s mission. In 2022, we released our inaugural Sustainability and Impact Report outlining 14 commitments, three of which are tied to embodied carbon:

1. 50% less embodied carbon in Nexii products by 2025[1]

Nexii walls are estimated to have an average of 31% less embodied carbon than conventional construction, such as precast and tilt-up concrete equivalent designs. To get to 50%, Nexii is pursuing a suite of strategies including: zero emission manufacturing plants, innovative materials and panel designs, integration with mass timber, and design for reuse.

2. Net zero carbon across our operations and value chain by 2030[2]

Nexii has committed to the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard. We are taking active measures to decarbonize manufacturing plants through energy efficiency measures, electrification of equipment, and investment in renewable energy. Our commitment to responsible material sourcing, lean and low-carbon manufacturing, and engaging our supply chain on climate action helps Nexii deliver on our corporate Net Zero targets.

3. Zero Waste certified manufacturing within 2 years of opening each plant

Nexii is committed to embedding Zero Waste principles into our design and manufacturing process, achieving zero-waste certification at our plants, and eliminating waste on our construction sites. We are actively developing relationships with suppliers and local reuse markets for end-of-life materials we generate.  Nexii incorporates circularity principles into our approach by designing products for disassembly and reuse. This helps significantly extend the life of valuable building materials and reduce the landfill waste that is common from building demolition and conventional end-of-life practice.

Industry-Wide Innovation

High Performance Envelope

Prefabricated construction has historically been limited to low-to-mid-rise buildings. Nexii’s lighter weight, high-performance cladding panel can be applied to buildings of any height when supported by an internal structure.

The 9-storey Courtyard by Marriott hotel features 770 Nexii envelope panels. Our panels are precision manufactured using 3D software, enabling them to fit together like jigsaw pieces onsite, creating an airtight building envelope. This improves the building’s energy efficiency and significantly lowers operational costs and carbon emissions year on year.

Results:

• Reduced the project’s embodied carbon by 25% compared to a steel stud assembly baseline.
• Onsite waste reduced with Nexii’s portion of the build generating near zero waste.

Design for Reuse

Designing Nexii’s products for disassembly and reuse drives down embodied carbon and construction waste. All Nexii buildings are designed with flexibility and next life in mind.Our deconstruction and subsequent reassembly capabilities are showcased in our 2022 Discovery Centre project.

Results:

• Nexii panels designed for disassembly and reuse offset 68% of the embodied carbon associated with initial manufacture.[3]
• Over 99% of the materials were diverted from landfill through disassembly, with only 2 small buckets of waste (21kg) generated in total.
• Over 350 employment hours were created during this project, including Nexii staff.

Climate Change Resilience

In 2021, the town of Lytton, B.C., was devastated by forest fires fueled by climate change. Nexii will be supporting the Lytton town rebuild efforts by building two fire resilient, low carbon homes.

The homes will be built using our proprietary low-carbon concrete alternative material, Nexiite, independently verified as fire resilient by GHL Fire Engineers[4]. Donated mass timber will be integrated with Nexii roof panel technology to further reduce embodied carbon emissions.

Nexii’s Road to Success

Along with our partners, Nexii is committed to scaling sustainable building solutions to deliver low-carbon, healthy, and climate resilient buildings that are accessible to all.  We continually strive to drive down the embodied carbon of our projects, decarbonize our operations and supply chain, and provide future-ready net zero buildings to our clients. We value the work of the Carbon Leadership Forum and look forward to ongoing support of the CLF community toward the aim of a decarbonized, transformed building industry and vibrant future.

[1] Versus 2021 conventional construction baseline, such as steel stud and high performance tilt-up concrete.

[2] Value chain refers to the full range of activities required to create a Nexii product from start to finish.

[3] A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted by a third-party to compare the environmental impacts of the Discovery Centre compared to conventional construction designs (wood and steel-framed buildings).

[4] Fire Engineers at GHL Consultants Ltd have confirmed that appropriately designed Nexii exterior wall (nonloadbearing) panels can achieve a 1HR Fire Resistance Rating to resist wildfire as prescribed in the Canada National Guide for Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fires.