Program Overview

Online Micro-Certificate: Zero Carbon Building Solutions

The Zero Carbon Building Solutions Micro-Certificate is a flexible eight-week online program designed for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. This program provides a thorough understanding of zero-carbon buildings, outlining how to achieve zero carbon throughout the building life cycle, including embodied and operational carbon reductions and carbon offsets.

Program Overview

This micro-certificate offers a unique perspective through whole building life cycle assessment and provides hands-on practice for industry professionals to understand and pursue zero-carbon building designs, manufacture, construction, and management. The program is rooted in real-world applications, focusing on domestic and international case studies, and making strong linkages for architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers.

What Will You Learn?

The Zero Carbon Building Solutions program provides participants with the opportunity to understand:

1. The embodied carbon emissions from the manufacturing, transport, installation, use, and end-of-life of building materials.
2. The contribution of carbon emissions during building operations and how to reduce emissions through energy use and the release of refrigerants during regular building operations.
3. The negative carbon emission strategies that could be used to further offset building carbon emissions outside of the value chain or life cycle of a building.
4. The most appropriate solutions to achieve zero/low carbon building designs from their professional background based on the knowledge learned.

Who Should Apply?

This program is applicable to a wide range of potential applicants who are working in or will go on to work in architecture, engineering, and construction management positions in the private sector, government, non-governmental organizations, and industry. This program is applicable to those working in BC, across Canada, and in an international context.

Employment Opportunities

• Government departments – municipal, provincial/federal
  • Urban planners
• Architecture (e.g., zero carbon building standard, net zero carbon, BC Energy STEP Code, Passive House)
• Engineering (e.g., infrastructure, energy, low carbon project guides)
• Construction (e.g., material selections, construction methods, onsite management)
• Manufacturing sector (e.g., innovative materials with low embodied carbon, processing optimization, supply chain, low-energy manufacturing)
• Non-governmental organizations (e.g., bioeconomy, forestry protection, renewable energy, carbon economy, and environmental groups)
• Industry – many different organizations across sectors are being required to report carbon-related accounting and environmental reporting which requires carbon-related knowledge and practices

Program Details

• Duration: 8 weeks of learning
• Location: Online
• Commitment: 7-8 hours per week
• Completion Requirements: View full requirements
• Start date: February 2, 2026
• Price: $2400 (Full Certificate), $650 (Individual Courses)

This program is applicable for the StrongerBC future skills grant, which is open to British Columbians aged 19 years or older and covers up to $3,500 per person for eligible short-term skills training at public post-secondary institutions. Funding is limited and will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.