2026 MURB Modelling Challenge
S2S Environmental is proud to announce that our team has been selected to participate in the 2026 MURB Modelling Challenge, an industry event focused on advancing high-performance residential building design in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area.
The challenge is hosted by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through its Local Energy Efficiency Partnerships (LEEP) initiative in collaboration with the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) and CanmetEnergy. The event brings together leading energy modelling firms to test the technical and financial feasibility of achieving advanced building performance targets under the National Energy Code for Buildings 2020 (NECB).
The event will take place on March 11, 2026, where participating teams will present their modelling result to a panel of industry experts.
The MURB Modelling Challenge focuses on Mid-Rise Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs). Through this challenge, participating teams explore how real world building designs can achieve Tier 3 and Tier 4 performance levels as per the NECB 2020. These tiers represent some of the most ambitious efficiency targets in Canada's building codes and are intended to move the industry towards net-zero-ready residential buildings.
The competition highlights key questions facing the industry including:
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How can high-density housing meet increasingly ambitious energy targets?
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What technologies and design strategies are most effective?
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Where do cost or constructability challenges arise?
Insights generated through the challenge will help inform builders, consultants and policymakers working towards more efficient and sustainable housing across Canada.
S2S Environmental has assembled a dedicated team to participate in the challenge. Over the past several months, the team has developed a comprehensive modelling approach to evaluate design pathways capable of meeting Tier 3 and Tier 4 NECP targets for a Toronto based mid-rise residential building. A special thank you to our project team Dhruvin Kagdi, Chintan Patel and Mohammed Hosseinirahdar on all of their hard work! We wish our presenter Dhruvin Kagdi good luck at the challenge!
The event will feature a fast paced presentation, similar to Dragon's Den, where each participating team has a limited time to present their modelling strategy and defend their approach before a panel of expert judges. The audience will include representatives from federal and provincial governments, developers, builders, consultants and sustainability professionals.
S2S Environmental is honoured to be selected among a small group of consulting firms invited to participate in this challenge. As Canada continues to expand its housing supply while reducing building energy consumption and emissions, collaboration between designers, builders and policymakers will be essential.
We look forward to sharing the outcomes of the competition and continuing to support the development of sustainable, energy-efficient multi-unit housing acorss Ontario and beyond.