From waste to win: Roof experts specializing in smarter roof strategies, assessments, recovery, and renewal services

Canada | Thursday, 3 July 2025

Roofs are often overlooked - until they fail. Roof performance is crucial to building longevity in the face of climate change, aging infrastructure, and rising operational costs. Frequently replaced in full at the end of their service life, roof replacement represents a significant source of embodied carbon, and is also costly and disruptive. That’s where WSP’s approach to roof recovery and renewal provides an intelligent solution.

Sustainability meets strategy

WSP’s roof recovery and renewal services are a crucial step toward achieving net-zero targets, reducing environmental footprints, and future-proofing property portfolios, paving the way for a more sustainable and cost-effective future. Our strategy combines technical assessments with sustainability-focused design to transform routine maintenance into a strategic opportunity to save money and promote climate action.

Big roofs. Big opportunity for change

Oxford Properties Group, a leading global real estate investor, developer and manager, and one of Canada’s largest commercial real estate owners, was confronted with a common yet complex challenge: large industrial properties with aging roofs. The roof systems of these buildings were nearing the end of their expected service lives. For owners and property managers, roof systems must be more than just watertight; they must also deliver long-term value, reduce maintenance burdens, and help achieve sustainability goals.

Five of Oxford’s industrial buildings (~2.1 million square feet) located at Royal Group Crescent in Vaughan, Ontario have already undergone roof recovery; one is currently in progress (~1.2 million square feet), and two additional building roofs (~1 million square feet) will be completed over the next few years. Replacing these roofs entirely would incur significant financial and environmental costs and increase the risk of tenant disruption. Replacing the existing roofs also generates substantial embodied carbon due to demolition, waste transport, disposal, and manufacturing new materials.

Oxford sought a solution to preserve asset value, meet performance requirements, minimize tenant disruption, and align with its climate goals. They turned to WSP to explore a path forward.

Opting for roof recovery allowed us to achieve significant cost savings and minimize tenant disruption, while reducing construction waste. It’s a practical, future-ready approach to asset management.

Donny Baldassarra Senior Property Manager - Industrial, of Oxford Properties Group

Donny Baldassarra Senior Property Manager - Industrial, of Oxford Properties Group

Recover, renew, reduce

WSP applied a sustainability-first lens to Oxford’s roof recovery and renewal strategy, positioning roof systems as an opportunity to reduce carbon, conserve resources, and support long-term resilience.

Roof systems are often overlooked in sustainability discussions, but this project demonstrates how our roof recovery process supports decarbonization. At WSP, we’re helping clients make smart, sustainable decisions, one building at a time.

Milirsan Pugalendiran Project Manager, WSP in Canada

Milirsan Pugalendiran Project Manager, WSP in Canada

Low-carbon recovery solutions

We first conducted detailed assessments of Oxford’s buildings to evaluate the existing roof conditions, identify failure risks, and determine whether systems could be renewed rather than replaced. This allowed us to prioritize recovery strategies that avoided unnecessary tear-offs and minimized material use and disposal requirements.

We chose roof recovery assemblies that reused air and vapour barriers, insulation, and overlay boards, minimizing the need for new materials. We also enhanced details at transitions and penetrations to improve building efficiency and roof performance. This approach reduced demolition waste and the carbon emissions from transporting and manufacturing replacements. It also helped manage the project budget by lowering disposal costs and minimizing the need for new materials.

Recognitions: This design approach has earned WSP the following accolades:

Finalist (Top 3) at the 2024 Professional Engineers Ontario (York Chapter) Engineering Project of the Year Awards
Honorable Mentions (2nd Place) at the 2024 Ontario Embodied Carbon Awards presented by the Carbon Leadership Forum Toronto Chapter

Smart materials designed for the future

To support Oxford's long-term environmental objectives, WSP prioritized durable materials with low-carbon profiles, and a focus on proven performance. The chosen two-ply membrane system is durable, weather-resistant, and capable of supporting a resurfacing or overlaying strategy that can extend overall performance for decades. This membrane system offers a cost-effective and sustainable flexible approach.

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Environmental impact meets implementation

WSP managed the project's technical design and procurement processes and provided construction support. This approach achieved real environmental savings by reducing waste generation, limiting emissions from material manufacturing, and conserving the embodied carbon in the existing roof systems.

The most recently completed project for Oxford Properties realized the following savings:

480 tonnes of waste avoided

Approximately 480 tonnes of waste avoided from being sent to landfill.

500 tons of CO₂e

Embodied carbon emissions reduced by 500 tons of CO₂e, equal to the emissions of 117 homes powered for one year.

$6.1M in cost savings

Cost savings of ~$6.1 million compared to full roof replacement.

We are currently working with Oxford Properties Group to develop a roof recovery approach for the remainder of their portfolio, including ways to achieve additional waste, embodied carbon, and cost savings.

Canada has approximately 1.85 trillion square feet of industrial and logistic space. Interpolating our results and assuming an average roof replacement schedule of 20 years can result in ~7,500M tonnes CO₂e savings.

Rethinking sustainability begins overhead

Roofs are not static entities; they must be maintained and eventually replaced, and the waste, embodied carbon, and cost of this work are unavoidable. Using roof recovery instead of roof replacement, WSP helped Oxford Properties extend the lifespan of their buildings and reduce embodied carbon, environmental impact, and project costs.