5 Lessons Learned from Materials that Matter: Sustainable Construction in Alberta

5 Lessons Learned from Materials that Matter: Sustainable Construction in Alberta

On November 26, 2025, Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) co-hosted Materials that Matter: Sustainable Construction in Alberta. Hosted at Platform Calgary, this one-day event and evening celebration brought together over 100 builders, innovators, and post-secondary experts to drive sustainability in Alberta’s built environment.

Topics ranged from finding and adopting greener materials to overcoming cost and performance barriers and embedding the circular economy and low-carbon materials into infrastructure.

Why it Matters

The construction sector plays a critical role in Alberta’s low-carbon future. From innovative materials to regulatory pathways, Materials that Matter highlighted how collaboration and technology can transform the way we build.

Here are just a few takeaways after a series of panels and conversations with SSRIA members, ERA-funded projects, and industry reps:

Investors must continue to support early adopters to pilot and scale technology in a risk-averse industry.
Sustainable construction starts with good design. From the beginning, builders need to integrate circularity into products used in residential homes or industrial facilities.
Alberta needs updated building policies, regulations, and codes for the upcoming housing and infrastructure boom.
Buildings need materials resilient to quickly changing economies, climate, and technology.
Doing nothing is easy… do something!

Photo Gallery

What We Heard From Attendees

“The event brought together brilliant minds from across Alberta’s construction ecosystem — builders, innovators, researchers, and leaders shaping the next chapter of our industry.”

“From start to finish, the conversations were buzzing with ideas about how we accelerate sustainability in the built environment. One of my favourite moments was hearing Adam Auer, President and CEO of the Cement Association of Canada, mix in some concrete humour while laying out the Concrete Zero roadmap to net‑zero by 2050.”

“I learned about clean tech and sustainable building, reconnected with industry peers, and met a few new people doing interesting work in the field.”