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Building on a time-tested green reputation

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RND Construction a pioneer in providing a deep-rooted commitment to sustainable development

It’s no secret what RND Construction brings to the table.

Since 1990, the Ottawa-based company has been a pioneer in green building, cementing a reputation as one of their city’s foremost general contracting firms.

On their office walls, you will find a plethora of certificates and awards for innovative ecological building practices and other evidence of the company’s deep-rooted commitment to sustainable development.

The oldest of these, in fact, might be a framed certificate honouring RND President Roy Nadram’s completion of a Canadian General Standards Board course on insulating homes for energy conservation nearly 30 years ago, long before green became an industry buzzword.

In the intervening years, RND has thrived on the passion and skill it takes to build custom homes at the forefront of sustainability, energy efficiency and quality. By developing innovative construction methods, RND has established itself a trusted advisor and collaborator, building numerous Energy Star, R-2000 and LEED homes.

“We understand that your home is one of the most significant investments in life,” says Nadram, formally educated in engineering and economics, but also a Gold Seal Certified Project Manager, Certified Construction Superintendent and LEED Accredited Professional.

“We have worked with many homeowners, ensuring that their aspirations are successfully met by the homes we build for them. And we thoroughly enjoy collaborating with architects and our clients to provide support and advice at every step of the design and construction process.”

RND takes environmental sustainability very seriously, understanding that it’s crucially important to meet essential human needs for a healthy, comfortable indoor climate. So for each project, RND strives to meet those needs without compromising the future, ensuring that the three pillars of sustainability – economics, society and environment – are factored into the equation.
In short, RND takes on the challenge so homes can be designed and built to improve clients’ lives. As such, each of their homes is durable, saves energy costs, hedges against increasing energy costs and guarantees a higher resale value.
To show how these goals are reached, Nadram cited three examples of RND’s LEED Platinum Ottawa work – A Nelson Street home, with architect John Donkin, an Ivy Crescent home from architect Christopher Simmonds and a Wood Avenue home, with architect Linda Chapman.

Nelson Street

“This house began with a desire for self-sufficiency on a tight urban lot in the centre of Ottawa. Off-grid living was not expected, but maximizing green space and natural light and minimizing energy use were the owners’ top priorities.

“The site is heavily landscaped, with a vegetable garden, fruit trees and berry bushes in the front yard, green roofs on the garage and entry and a roof garden off the second floor. A trellis of galvanized steel and BC fir covering the south and east faces of the home extends the garden up three storeys.

“Hugging the north side of the lot, the house maximizes solar exposure and provides a private side garden sheltered from the street by a detached single car garage. Openings on the north are minimized and south glazing maximized, improving solar gain and providing a warm sunlit interior in the winter months. The environmental performance of the house is exceptional and has an EnerGuide rating of 85.

“Upgraded insulation, a sophisticated mechanical system including heat recovery systems, exceptionally airtight construction, good solar orientation and effective summer shading devices, green roofs, permeable low water usage landscaping and rainwater recovery all contribute to the technical performance of the home. The sunlit interior and the green, growing landscape at grade and above make the sustainable nature of the home more than a technical achievement. It is a living presence in the day-to-day life of the homeowners. They live in a garden.”


Ivy Crescent

Web / http://rndconstruction.ca

Web / http://rndconstruction.ca

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“The award-winning Zen Barn is built in a historic and eclectic Ottawa neighbourhood. The linear composition of the home is interrupted by the vertical volumes of light wells, the stairs, and the courtyard. The resulting inter-penetration of views, light, and space along the south side of the home creates strong indoor-outdoor connections.

“White lacquer and stained ash cabinetry flow through the interconnected kitchen, living, and dining spaces. The exterior is clad with reclaimed white oak barn boards. The building’s orientation allows passive solar exposure at the east, west and south sides during winter months. Concrete floors provide thermal mass, absorbing radiant heat throughout the day and then releasing it as temperatures drop at night.

“All of the features and design strategies result in a home that is energy-efficient and pleasant to live in. It is estimated that there will be a 19 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (compared to an average home) and an energy consumption reduction of 46 per cent. The home achieved an EnerGuide rating of 82, 10 points higher than what is required by the Ontario Building Code.”

Wood Avenue

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“Imagine being able to step into the past without sacrificing the present. That’s what it seems like at this home, that stands out as a tangible example of how a newly designed environmentally responsive and responsible building can still emulate the vernacular motifs of the past.
“Patterning itself after Georgian aesthetics, the home puts on a very regal face. It is clad in red brick with ornate corner quoins, and soldier courses with keystones above the majority of its windows. An arched entranceway is flanked on either side by bay windows with large colonial wood trim. The remaining multiple windows are punctuated with thin white mullions and black accent shutters. Combine that with the lawn garden inspired landscaping and the exterior result is spectacular.

“The interiors are just as spectacular, and if you weren’t told by someone about how FSC certified woods, EPA certified fireplaces, low VOCs components, roof rainwater cisterns, recycled contents glass, ceramics and drywall were used – and that all of the natural soapstone, marble and granite was locally sourced – they would still stand apart for their beauty alone.

“And there are more advanced building technologies apparent, but don’t think about that – just enjoy stepping into a Georgian Dream.”

 

Web / http://rndconstruction.ca

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

REINVENTING PARIS

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Planning Korea tackles sustainable challenge and chips in with futuristic egg-shaped pods

When you hear the words futuristic sustainable architecture mentioned, it’s a safe bet that the name Vincent Callebaut will come up as well.

That’s certainly the case, again, with the Belgium-based architect proposing 2050 Paris Smart City, where he envisions remaking the French capital into a city of green.

His ambitious idea was commissioned by the Parisian elected council, but he’s not the only thought-provoking architect to get in on the act – Planning Korea has also taken a stab at transforming Paris into a sustainable city.

Planning Korea, a Seoul, South Korea-based group of artists and architects, stepped up to the plate and created a concept entitled L’air Nouveau de Paris (New Paris Air), which takes sustainability considerations to a whole new imaginative level.

The initial artists’ renderings, submitted by Planning Korea, as part of its proposal, show how large, egg-shaped metallic spheres could be supported by long necks, or stems, of differing heights. Each “egg” unit tower would be made up of a grouping of office spaces, residential units, commercial spaces and commercial facilities. Connecting all of them would be bridges, so people could move freely between pods.

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Said a spokesperson for Planning Korea: “The concept of L’air Nouveau de Paris is a practice of consilience of space which suggests the air of Paris for the 21.5th Century.”

They went on to say that the architectural design did not follow any typical form or building context.

“As linked directly and indirectly with each other, spaces floating in the air have a unique organic structure, considering individuality and connectivity at the same time.”

In their proposal, Planning Korea provides vague descriptions of what sustainable features would be included, although the common theme of air quality is maintained throughout.

“The airspace that breathes into each other is the encounter between past and future, the conversation between society and individual, the moment between idea and creation and the medium that connects Paris and the world,” says the proposal. “The area around the architecture, society and environment then integrate as a point of view, making a consilience.”

Moreover, the proposal went on to describe the design motif for L’air Nouveau de Paris.

“It was dragged from the observation of a micro world of nature, with little organisms in the gardens and woods in downtown of Paris, co-existing within the macro world of artificial structures – the buildings.”

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Planning Korea’s description also maintained that micro-organisms in nature are quite different, generally, than man-made structures in urban areas, but that L’air Nouveau de Paris would change that.

“As these living complexes take a key role in sustainability and resource circulation, [we feel] L’air Nouveau de Paris will be crucial to sustainable urban revitalization of Paris.”

Should the plan come to fruition, it would reportedly be constructed at the Ternes-Villiers area of Paris, in a sprawling 3,891-square-metre space, sometime around the middle of this century.

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Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends, Uncategorized

VINCENT CALLEBAUT ARCHITECTURES – 2050 PARIS SMART CITY

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For a Sustainable, Dense and Connected City

04 - LOCATION OF THE 8 PLUS-ENERGY TOWERS
56 - ZOOM IN THE PANORAMIC VIEW A
57 - ZOOM IN THE PANORAMIC VIEW B

Following the Climate Energy Plan of Paris aimed at reducing 75 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the 2050 Paris Smart City project is a research and development project about the integration of high-rise buildings with energy-plus houses, working together to produce all the energy for the area.

In order to fight against the urban heat-island phenomenon, this study presents eight prototypes of mixed towers.

These towers repatriate the natural state in the heart of the city and conform to the rules of bioclimatism – the use of natural energy without conversion into another form of energy. There are then renewable and recyclable energies in a short loop through innovative systems.

Attuned to social innovations, they create new eco-responsible ways to provide a better quality of life for the city-dwellers in respect to the environment. This study was carried out for Paris City Hall by Vincent Cal­lebaut Architectures agency with the engineers of Setec Bâtiment in the summer of 2014.

The history and the evolution perspective in 2050 of the high-rise buildings in the context of Paris Climate Energy Plan and the eight plus-energy and/or energetically connected prototypes are:

1. MOUNTAIN TOWERS

HISTORIC PARIS – 1st district RUE DE RIVOLI

Solar, hydrodynamic and planted towers bio-air conditioning the urban heat-island phenomenon

07 - RUE DE RIVOLI - MOUNTAIN TOWERS C

Paris has always been rebuilt on itself. Because of a lack of political ambition and visions for the future, is it condemned now to remain a museum city or for gentrification? This is the question posed by the Mountain Towers to the historic Paris and, more precisely, to the rue de Rivoli.

With its severe elegance and its grandiose neoclassic rigour, the rue de Rivoli, named as the wall-street, crossed the heart of Paris and stretches from east to west on almost three kilometres on the right bank of the Seine River. The urban constraints of the First Empire in the west, same as the Haussmann period in the east, are about the alignment and the size of all the buildings. They lead to Paris’ monumental appearance with strict lines and surprising effect of perspective; the kind that suited Napoleon, who wanted to build a prestigious street dedicated to luxury.

This ‘eternal stretching street that is elegant as an I’ as Victor Hugo used to say, was created in the 18th Century to resolve the traffic jams and the problems with hygiene in the overcrowded old districts by controlling at the same time the popular uprising of the capital city.

The model of the rue de Rivoli was extended to all the new Parisian streets leading to a standardization considered by some artists of that time, such as the architect, as stifling monotony.

The Mountain Towers project aims to control smog, making denser and naturalizing this type of hyper energy and space consuming urbanism by the construction of bioclimatic mountains integrating the renewable energies on the roofs and in the heart of the blocks.

The Mountain Towers with positive energies will enable this to triple the housing vertically in each Parisian housing block by distributing the structural loads through the old ducts of blocked chimneys.

Three types of renewable energies will be available in each tower: During the day, two huge photovoltaic and thermal solar shields inspired by the structure finely cut from dragonfly wings will produce electricity and hot sanitary water. At night, a reversible hydro-electrical pumped storage station will let an urban cascade flow out from the top of the tower between two basins of rainwater retention tanks located at different levels, preventing the need of batteries to store the electricity produced by the solar dragonfly wings.

Finally, the garden balconies will surround the inhabited storeys and filter in clean recycled waters rejected by the inhabitants by phyto-purification and bio-composting.

2. ANTISMOG TOWERS

HISTORIC PARIS – 14th district PETITE CEINTURE

An ecologic corridor of 23 kms in the heart of Paris punctuated by depolluting photocatalytic towers

13 - PETITE CEINTURE - ANTISMOG TOWERS C

The Petite Ceinture of Paris is an old double railway line that went around Paris inside the Maréchaux boulevards and that had a double interest: linking together the radial lines that leave from the main Parisian railway stations enabling the freight exchanges between the networks and to serve the fortifications of Paris from inside for strategic reasons.

Deserted by the Parisians because of the competition of the subway, the line is closed to the traffic of travelers for most of the route. Nowadays, 60 per cent of the line is outside (open trench, in backfill, or viaduct). The remaining 40 per cent are underground, in covered trench or in tunnel.

In 2014, there were 61 bridges: 36 are of rail type (where the railway line goes on top of the road) and 25 are of street type (where the road goes on top of the railway line). On this emblematic and historical place with a controversial destiny, the urban policy is to transform this space into a green ecological corridor by preserving the railway heritage and the triple multi-use of the site between the railways, cycle paths, and walkways. Wildlife, meadows, forests and vegetation are back on the urban land. In this context, the Anti-smog Towers plan to renaturalize the railway lines into green areas by the integration of community food gardens cultivated by the residents.

The cycle paths and the urban vegetable gardens will be implemented vertically around the cyclonic towers depolluting the grounds by hydroponic phyto-purification and filtering the atmospheric smog thanks to their photocatalytic structure in titanium dioxide.

These depolluting towers will offer a strong urban density of cultivated housings thanks to their minimal impact in the ground and their architecture in splay. They will be integrated at the geographical crossings between the radial Parisian boulevards and the PC and along the existing ecosystems such as the Buttes Chaumont, the Monsouris Park, the André Citroên Park, etc.

Energetically, these towers will produce electricity by the integration of Darrieus axial wind turbines in the strengthened facade and in photovoltaic flexible textile that enable storage of the rainwater and dew on the roof. Regarding the thermal part, the temperature differential with the tunnels of the Petite Ceinture will be used to create geothermal cooling/heating tubes enabling a bio-air condition passively surrounding the air inside the tower. These tunnels will be lighted by piezoelectrical promenades.

3. PHOTOSYNTHESIS TOWERS

MODERN PARIS – 15th district MONTPARNASSE TOWER

A piezo-electrical Central Park built in landscaped spiral shape covered by algae powered Bio-facades

19 - MONTPARNASSE - PHOTOSYNTHESIS TOWERS C

In 1970, the foundations of Montparnasse Tower were laid on the site of the former Montparnasse railway station. This project was supported by André Malraux, Minister of Culture, and Georges Pompidou, President of the Republic. Inserted in the extension of the axis created by the Palais de Chaillot, the Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, Champ-de-Mars and the Ecole Militaire parallel to the historical axis, the often denigrated Montparnasse Tower was the highest tower of Europe for more than 20 years until 1990.

In 1975, three years after the end of its construction, skyscrapers were no longer allowed because the municipality decided to forbid the construction of building of more than seven floors. The Photosynthesis Towers aims at improving the aesthetic and energy-consuming impacts of the Montparnasse Tower by transforming it into a true vertical Central Park open to the public and by adding new suspended gardens of green algae bioreactors with positive energy.

In 2050, Montparnasse Tower would then be a carbon neutral BEPOS ecosystem without fossil fuels built under the shape of a vertical public park on several floors overhung by sky gardens. Bannisters will meander around the reinforced structure and will offer helical piezoelectrical promenades in the sky of Paris in the shape of an almond around the 58 floors.

In the triangular openings located at both extremities of the tower, the public elevators with renewable energy will be integrated in order to separate visitors from the staff working in the offices of the tower.

The slab roof of the shopping mall will be transformed into a phyto-purification lagoon recycling the used water of the building.

This planted green space in the heart of Paris will cover Montparnasse Tower as well as other smaller towers (building C and Express tower) with an insulating bio-facade that produces biofuel. Green micro algae will be cultivated on curtain-walls in planar and triangular photobioreactors built in laminated glass.

They will capture the thermal solar energy and also generate biomass used to produce methane. The CO2 will be used as nutrients to the algae that proliferate under the solar radiation.

These bioreactors will allow for thermal inertia up to 50 per cent of heating and air conditioning savings, whereas the biofuel refinery will be directly integrated in the base of the building.

4. BAMBOO NEST TOWERS

MODERN PARIS – 13th district MASSENA AREA

Thermodynamic garden towers wrapped by a bamboo bio-mesh of vertical food gardens and orchards

25 - MASSENA - BAMBOO NEST TOWERS C

In the spirit of Le Corbusier’s Athens Charter, Italy 13 is the name of the huge urbanism operation carried out in Paris in the Sixties. From this partially implemented operation, there are many towers of the south of the 13th district and especially the Olympiades district and the Massena Area.

This innovative urbanism model of towers advocates more than even the saving of the territory and the urban density through the verticality, the multifunctionality and the multiculturalism. It’s the exemplary diversity of the residential offer and the services that led to this diversity, which is rare in buildings of comparable sizes.

The Bamboo Nest Towers project aims to renaturalize the 13 towers of the Massena Area built on the grounds of the former Panhard & Levassor plant along the way of the Petite Ceinture.

In 2050, this district (also called Villa d’Este) presenting the highest concentration of towers in Paris, will be the emblem of the repatriation of the urban vertical agriculture on several floors in the heart of the capital city.

Thus Puccini, Palerme, Rimini, Verdi, towers etc. will be enveloped by an ecoskeleton in plaited bamboo. On the one hand, this ecological 3D canvas will structurally support the overload of individual vegetable garden balconies and community orchards surrounding the existing housing.

On the other hand, the funnels shaped by the braiding geometry will accentuate the Venturi effect, accelerating the strength of the prevailing winds to increase the output of the three-blade wind turbines.

Besides the bio-air condition of the atmosphere provided mainly by the evapo-perspiration of the plants, and in addition to the electricity generated by the axial wind turbines implanted on the roofs-blade in the funnels, the main energy source will come from the concentrating thermodynamic plant.

This will be composed of a collector implanted on the Abeille Tower and parabolic helio-static mirrors planted on the Parisian zinc roofs, concentrating the sunrays towards the collector to increase the temperature of a heat transfer fluid. This liquid will be sent in a water heater transforming the water into steam.

The steam will make the turbines turn, which will pull the alternators producing this electricity even outside the solar irradiation time, i.e. 24/7.

The towers of Villa d’Este will be BEPOS whereas the inhabitants will cultivate their own organic food in this nourishing ecosystem, new social innovation ground.

5. HONEYCOMB TOWERS

PERIPHERAL PARIS – 20th district PORTE DES LILAS

A hive of honeycomb housing developing an energy solidarity cooperation 

31 - HBM PORTE DES LILAS - HONEYCOMB TOWERS C

Cheap housing was evident until 1949 as well as housing at moderate rent. They appeared during the industrial revolution and were inspired by the hygienistic and paternalistic reflections of the modernistic middle class of the Second Empire to accommodate labourers.

They are mostly implanted in non aedificandi areas of the old fortifications (Thiers wall) between the Maréchaux Boulevard and the ring road. In orange bricks, of six floors high generally, they are available for the modest and popular households of the capital city.

This ring is in the heart of the energy renovation issue of the old buildings in Paris. The thermal bridges and the phenomena of cold partitions coming from the heterogeneity of the materials (concrete – bricks) are true challenges of interior, thermal and hydrometric insulation.

In order to increase the offer of housings in Paris, the Honeycomb Towers propose to double the height of these housing complexes, leading to the construction of individual interlocking mini-houses.

Like a honeycomb with hexagonal alcoves, this urban implant will offer new inhabitants vegetable gardens and suspended orchards, allowing for the advantages of an rural home in the city.

Structurally, this hive would be supported by a steel structure that descends the loads vertically through the existing chimney ducts crossing the buildings.

Actually, as of January 2015, wood combustion was totally forbidden in Paris and these ducts already drilled will now find a second use. The structure in honeycomb will allow for reinforcement of the tower to guarantee maximum lighting.

The single-family module will be standardized and prefabricated. The concepts of double-wall and double deck will be directly integrated for a maximal spatial flexibility, an efficient innervation of the fluids and an optimal thermal and sound insulation.

This great meccano toy with an organic silhouette will be transformed into a true suspended nourishing garden in the sky, inviting the Parisian fauna and the flora to thrive.

The roofs will be covered by thermal and photovoltaic solar panels whereas with the Sérurier and Mortier boulevards, the Phylolights (hybridization of a lamp and an axial wind turbine) will ensure the self-sufficient public lighting.

6.  FARMSCRAPERS TOWERS

PERIPHERAL PARIS – 19th district PORTE D’AUBERVILLIERS

A vertical urban farm repatriating the countrysidei n the heart of the city

39 - PORTE D'AUBERVILLIERS - FARMSCRAPERS E

The porte d’Aubervilliers is an important gate of the Parisian northeast, located at the junction of two districts of Paris. Whereas the north area located in Aubervilliers has been encountering important transformations since 2005 with the construction of Icade Headquarters, the Millénaire shopping Mall (2011), then Veolia Headquarters (targeted for 2016), the roundabout located on top of the ring road of Paris with a view on Aubervilliers city remains a true urban no-man’s land devoured by the pollution caused by the proliferation of vehicles.

The Farmscrapers Towers concept aims at articulating the Claude Bernard urban development zone and its linear forest with the new master plan of Aubervilliers. As urban articulation of ecological corridors: the three vegetable towers implanted on an urban forest in the shape of a huge manta ray.

This manta ray filtering the air of the tunnel pile up a mixed programming under the shape of vertical farms with floors of agriculture fields cultivated by their own inhabitants.

The objective is to repatriate the countryside in the heart of the city and to reintegrate the food production locally.

True city district piling up mixed blocks, these Farmscrapers make the urban space more dense by optimizing the quality of life for the inhabitants by the reduction of the transport means, the implantation of a domotic network, the renaturalization of the public and private spaces and the integration of clean renewable energies as the biomass, the methanisation, the photovoltaic and thermal solar energy and the wind turbines.

This pioneer project has eight objectives:

1/ The reduction of the ecological footprint enhancing the local consumption by its food autonomy and by the reduction of the transport means.

2/ The reintegration of the local employment in the primary and secondary sectors co-producing fresh and organic products.

3/ The recycling in short and closed loop of the organic waste by anaerobic compost, hydrogen fuel cells and phyto-purification lagoon.

4/ The saving of the rural territory, reducing the deforestation, the desertification and the pollution of the phreatic tables.

5/ The oxygenation of the polluted city centres where air quality is heavily polluted.

6/ The limitation of the systematic recourse to pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.

7/ Saving water by the recycling of the urban water.

8/ The protection of the ecosystemic cycles in the heart of the city. It’s a project of BEPOS living stones reintegrating the biodiversity.

7. MANGROVE TOWERS

FUTURE PARIS – 10th district GARE DU NORD

Photosensitive towers rooted on the piezo-electrical station platforms

45 - GARE DU NORD - MANGROVE TOWERS E

In Paris, the railway network of the seven SNCF trains (Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Gare Saint- Lazare, Gare Montparnasse, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare de Bercy et Gare de Lyon) represent a total surface area of several tens of hectares that will get more vertically dense by 2050. Gare du Nord gets more traffic than any other station in Europe and is third in the world after Tokyo and Chicago.

In the heart of this European multimodal crossroads, more than 700,000 travellers will travel every day on the 2,000 trains on the 32 rails. The Mangrove Towers will be built on this territory of iron and steel drawn by the forks of these intertwined rails.

They will join the modernist neoclassical architecture of the Gare du Nord, whose construction of the Great Hall dates from the universal exhibition of 1855.

As their name reflects, Mangrove Towers will be inspired by the mangrove trees of the maritime marshes with their pneumatophores and their stilt roots. They will be implanted directly on the platforms of the Gare du Nord and they will ramify as ecosystem resilient to the climate imbalance.

These towers will accommodate a mix of offices, hotels and housing dedicated to international and travelling customers. True forest of planted towers, this urban mangrove will be energy positive, which means it will produce more energy than it will consume (electrical, calorific or food).

The project would be eco-designed from state-of-the-art renewable energies to present a zero carbon footprint.

Indeed, the station platforms will be full of piezoelectrical captors polarizing under the action of the mechanical constraint generated by the travellers.

The tubular facades will be composed of Grätzel cells forming a photo-electrochemical skin inspired by the light (photons), will also produce the electricity by electrolysis. Finally, the towers will not only be self-sufficient in energy but they will be also depolluting thanks to their structure in titanium dioxide.

Their branches’ structure (imitating the bark of mangrove trees) will utilize X-rays in the presence of oxygen and humidity, the decomposition of the organic, solid, liquid and gaseous matters in the urban smog (through self-cleaning, destruction of COV, destruction of NOX, anti-mist, UV absorber, etc.).

8. BRIDGE TOWERS

FUTURE PARIS – 16th district PONT AVAL / 12th district PONT AMONT

Green inhabited amphibian bridges across the Seine river upstream and downstream of Paris

49 - PONT AVAL - BRIDGES TOWERS C

Will the capital one day have 39 bridges across its river instead of the 37 contemporary crossings existing in 2014? As illustrated in the beautiful painting of Nicolas Jean-Baptiste Raguenet, all the bridges of the Middle Ages were inhabited and created a functional, cultural and merchant urban continuum between the right bank and the left bank.

With the objective of making the city more dense by inhabited vertical ecosystems, the Bridge Towers project proposes the construction of two green bridges at the river gates of Paris. These two bridges with jellyfish silhouettes emerging from the water will link the 15th and the 16th arrondissements in the west to the 12th and 13th district in the east.

They will be twin towers molding and re-customizing both existing ring road bridges extraordinarily in order to enhance both river entrances to the city.

Perforated by wide funnels, the towers will be supplied by electrical energy thanks to multi blades wind turbines replaced by hydrokinetic turbines (hydro electrical turbines) which will use the kinetic energy (river motivity). The conveyors of these water wheels will allow for the reestablishment of the rotary movement of the axis from the linear movement of the river. The heat pump will be able to capture the water calories of the Seine to heat the towers. By this use of renewable energies, the towers will be BEPOS building, i.e. with positive energy.

The bridge will create a new territory/urban form linking two towers of more than 200 meters.

Its junction will reinforce the urban continuum by affirming in the same time its particularity, which is to be linked to the river that it crosses and to the ground it reconnects.

This inhabited bridge, these two amphibian towers across the Seine, will meet the housing crisis of the city of Paris by including dense and mixed program facilities, but also hotel-apartments to meet the needs of the world city.

The inhabited bridge will reinforce the symbolism of the city and will refer to a new form of urban and social innovation in terms of clean collective housing with zero carbon emission and zero waste.

 

55 - PANORAMIC VIEW FROM NOTRE-DAME TOWARDS THE EIFFEL TOWER

Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

Reid’s Heritage Homes

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Reid’s Heritage Homes first builder to break ground

in national Net Zero Energy homes demonstration project

 

On September 29, 2014 Reid’s Heritage Homes hosted the first groundbreaking ceremony for a national Net Zero Energy (NZE) homes demonstration project.

Present to mark the occasion was Harold Albrecht, Member of Parliament for Kitchener—Conestoga (Ontario), on behalf of the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. He was joined at the podium by City of Guelph Mayor, Karen Farbridge, executives from Reid’s Heritage Homes and representatives from Owens Corning Canada and The University of Guelph.

The project involves five Canadian homebuilders constructing a total of 25 NZE homes. The project will be active in Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia and is funded in part by the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII), with contributions from each participating builder, industry suppliers and Owens Corning Canada. NZE homes are designed to consume less energy than they generate on-site from renewable sources.

“Our government is proud to invest in programs like the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative which create high-quality jobs and further strengthen Canada’s reputation as a worldwide leader in energy innovation,” said Mr. Albrecht. “We remain committed to supporting companies that are finding solutions to protect the environment and lower energy bills for all Canadians.”

The project’s 25 homes, five from each builder, will increase the total number of NZE houses in Canada. While many people agree that net zero is the future of the home building industry, a barrier has been that many current NZE homes are custom-built projects, using elaborate designs, with complex and expensive heating, cooling and generating technology. This project aims to make NZE homes accessible to more consumers than ever before, using existing, often “off the shelf” high-performance equipment, insulation and building materials.

“Reid’s Heritage Homes has accepted this exciting building challenge with the goal of advancing the awareness and science behind sustainable building practices, by determining optimal innovative systems that will work in the ultra-efficient Net Zero homes,” said Blake Seeberger, Senior Vice-President of Residential, Reid’s Heritage Homes. “Most importantly, we have taken on this challenge so that we can provide Canadians with homes that will improve their lives. These homes will be healthy, safe, comfortable and durable, and will hedge against increasing energy costs.”

Reid’s Heritage Homes has a long history of building energy-efficient homes. The home builder constructed Canada’s first and second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum-level home in Canada (Guelph and Waterloo Region), was the first home builder in Canada to receive the ENERGY STAR ® participant of the year award, and built Ontario’s first Built Green home.

“Owens Corning Canada is proud to be associated with this project. The project’s success is a product of the group’s vision and dedication,” said Andy Goyda, Canadian Builder Lead and Marketing Development Manager for Owens Corning Canada. “Net-Zero homes no longer need to be one-off projects; they can be built by production builders. This groundbreaking is an important milestone in our quest to prove this.”

“Congratulations to Reid’s Heritage Homes for being chosen as one of just five builders across Canada to construct Net Zero Energy homes,” said Guelph’s Mayor at the time of the groundbreaking, Karen Farbridge. “Not long ago, the idea of a Net Zero home would have been thought of as a pipedream. Yet today we are breaking ground for one in our city. Reid’s Heritage Homes has a well-earned reputation for innovation and sustainability, and together with their project partners and sponsors, is helping Guelph distinguish itself on a national scale.”

Reid’s Heritage Homes expects all five homes to be fully constructed by 2016.

About Reid’s Heritage Homes

A modern approach to traditional homebuilding. Built on a solid reputation of quality, integrity and service, Reid’s Heritage Homes is one of Ontario’s leading builders, with a history of homebuilding that dates back to 1947. The same enduring values that motivated our founder, Orin Reid, inspire our many diverse communities today. Our commitment to these values applies across the Reid’s Heritage Homes’ family of companies, including Williamsburg Homes with a community in Kitchener, and Sherwood Homes, with communities in Collingwood.

About Owens Corning Canada

Owens Corning Canada is part of Owens Corning, a US$5.2 billion company with 15,000 employees worldwide, including 654 in Canada. Owens Corning and its family of companies are a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements, and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune® 500 company for 60 consecutive years, the company is committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions, transforming markets, and enhancing lives. Owens Corning operates 4 plants in Canada, manufacturing PINK™ insulation and other energy-saving products.

The ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII), announced in the 2011 Budget, is a $268 million program searching for long-term solutions to eliminate air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from energy production. Eligible projects must be demonstration or research & development.

 

Architecture, Building Envelope, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

GEHRY – Museum under glass

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Designed by icon Frank Gehry, the Louis Vuitton Foundation marries the past with the future

There is no way around it – the much ballyhooed Louis Vuitton Foundation, a sprawling museum for contemporary art in France, dazzles and bewilders at the same time.

A daring design by internationally-acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, it’s not your run-of-the-mill building – not by a long stretch. Since opening recently, the museum has already made a mark as a structure bold in concept, including a glimpse into both the future and the past.

Gehry is known for his non-conventional approach to design and he doesn’t disappoint with his use of glass, glass and more glass. Says the innovation & design writer for Bloomberg Businessweek: “The structure seems to alight on the earth like a spaceship from the future.”

That may well be the case, however Gehry incorporated sentiments from the 19th century, right from the start of the design process. His original rough sketches showed a transparent cloud that tied in with cultural calling of old France.

It was from that time period that Gehry looked at the lightness of glass and traditional culture, but then eventually enhanced the treatment with the innovation of modern technology.

From a sustainable standpoint, the structure of the glass roof allows the building to collect and reuse rain water and enhances its geothermal power capabilities. And the building (Fondation Louis-Vuitton) has been given the equivalent of a LEED Gold certification. In France, that is called Haute Qualité Environmentale (HQE), with a Très Performant classification.

Early on, it was apparent that an envelope of glass would cover the building, combined with an assembly of blocks referred to as “the iceberg”. Situated in a basin created for the project, the building complements the natural environment, between garden and woods. Simultaneously, there is a light and mirror effect.

Interestingly, the foundation has served as a catalyst for innovation in digital design and construction, according to reports. In fact, Gehry set a new standard for the use of advanced digital and fabrication technologies. In all, more than 400 people contributed design models, engineering rules and assembly constraints to a common web-hosted 3D digital model.

It’s been noted elsewhere that more than 3,600 glass panels and 19,000 fibre-reinforced concrete panels that form the façade were simulated using mathematical techniques and molded using advanced industrial robots, all automated from the shared 3D model. In fact, new software was developed specifically for sharing and working with the complex design. The final model was then scanned to provide the eventual digital model for the project.

Photos credit: Iodd Eberle

The 85-year-old Gehry, who lives and works in Los Angeles, was commissioned for the project knowing that it was the first privately-funded major cultural institution in France. Built in a public park, the museum and its ostentatious design are part of a public relations campaign to reshape the image of Louis Vuitton (LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), which is often seen as an entity that preys on family-run luxury businesses. In an agreement with the city for the plot, ownership of the museum will revert to Paris in 55 years. The museum is, in essence, a gift to the city worth a reported $134 million, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.

Architecture, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

MVRDV – THE VERTICAL VILLAGE

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Folie Richter Montpellier

Since the 18th Century, the follies of Montpellier have been markers for the architectural history of the city. The Follies helped to add new ways of living, new features, new programs in the city, giving it a significant value and broadening its appeal for both residents and visitors. Follies of the 21st Century are an opportunity to affirm the centrally metropolitan Montpellier while reaffirming its commitment to creativity, innovation and architectural audacity, forming new urban landmarks whilst providing added value to the city. They are objects that are therefore used as reflections of the innovative attitude of the city. What Follie should be built in the 21st Century? What story shall it tell and how? How could this form react with the site, with its neighbourhood and its territory? Could we reflect, in some way, the current state of urban Montpellier?

Through our project, we try to answer all of these questions, The Vertical Village is the result of a meeting between the Montpelliér Follies (existing and future) and surrounding areas. Situated between the historic district of Antigone and the new neighbourhoods of Port Marianne, it represents a link between the two. The architectural composition will unify and bring together the different lifestyles and urban characteristics of Montpellier. From its low density housing in the suburbs, to its densely populated areas such as the Port Marianne district.

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How can a building reflect this mixture? The architecture must express this richness and diversity of neighbourhoods in the image of the city of Montpellier. To achieve this composition, it is necessary to create a collection representing qualities and intrinsic values of each: social, formal, relational. A series of neighbourhoods is imagined: patio homes, houses on the street, collective houses with communal areas and gardens houses.

One can imagine one, two or three levels, of different sizes, from one to twenty houses. And they may have different appearances, different facades and different gardens. A true collection that can adjust to market demand and to attract different people. This collection of neighbourhoods is also programmatic – the developed program is a mix of activities; student halls, medium to high price housing, all catering to a mixture of generations and social groups.

The program is organized into clear and recognizable entities forming neighbourhoods and promoting social and community cohesion. The tower expresses the individuality of each volume and diversity (shape, surface, different orientation). The building becomes a multifaceted image of the city of Montpellier, which is also composed of various cells.

Stacking these neighbourhoods with each other, creates outdoor spaces, gardens, squares and terraces. The overall result is a vertical village. Breaks between volumes bring in natural light and views which sometimes lead to collective terraces. The different neighbourhoods are articulated in different colours ensuring that each programme is visually enhanced and easily identified.

The integration of the building into its environment is a decisive factor in the creation of public space. The tower is anchored to the neighbourhood by its ground floor which focuses shops, activities and inputs of housing.

Different entities of the foot of the tower have their own courtyard / gardens extending their gateways to the site boundaries. These courts express and emphasize the programmatic mix within.

The housing supply for the area must be improved to meet the growing needs of the population. As part of a process of innovation in housing and quality of life, the Vertical Village project reveals the individuality of each unit and induces a greater freedom in the approach to housing. It offers quality and attractive environments, both unique and suitable for all types of users, both young and old, singles and families. The collection allows districts to focus on the quality of each housing typology by including shared communal spaces. Unique and recognizable housing, housing and more comfortable with private or communal outdoor spaces naturally take place in the pits induced by the changing shape of the volumes of these neighbourhoods.

To reinforce the concept of accumulation of neighbourhoods and identities, a set of typologies was proposed: the apartment balcony – more confined and are arranged around a common loggia, the terrace apartment – which have an outdoor terrace beside each room of the house, and the Penthouse – apartments with a real outdoor garden opening up to the surrounding landscape.

The top of the tower is occupied by a Sky bar enjoying the panoramic views of the city and its surroundings for everyone, whether resident or neighbour. The richness and quality of the project in terms of diversity and openness is part of a long-term vision. The accumulation of various neighbourhoods emphasizes individuality. At the same time, this pure stack turns into a coherent sculpture, its silhouette forming a true landmark within the skyline of Montpellier.

Images: MVRDV – Antonio Coco

 

Architecture, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

MINTO COMMUNITIES

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Minto: After 60 years in Canada, it’s not a coincidence. It’s a plan.

 

What does it take to win the coveted title of Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA) Builder of the Year twice in three years? Try innovation, ingenuity and community engagement. With a company-wide commitment to all three, it’s no surprise Minto is about wrap its most successful year yet.

For the second time since 2012, the OHBA awarded Minto the Builder of the Year award, recognizing outstanding professionalism and integrity within the business, industry and community. The result of a culmination of an incredible run of success for the family-owned business, the award also recognizes outstanding green innovation leadership.

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With record-breaking sales and an ever-expanding portfolio of leading edge green communities, Minto is proving that a focus on sustainability is fundamental to building a better business.

“We want to change the way that people think about building communities. We want to deliver products that the customer can depend on, that are more sustainable, and have great value. A record-breaking year of sales, and the honour of being named OHBA Builder of the Year, tells us that we’re on the right path,” says Daniel Bélanger, Senior Vice President, GTA.

In a year full of noteworthy high-rise and low-rise projects, the highlights begin with the unprecedented launch of Minto Longbranch. With over 330 sales and 8,000 registrants in less than one year, Longbranch is the most successful debut in the company’s history. The numbers are a testament to Minto’s decision to re-introduce affordability along Toronto’s iconic Lakeshore West in the Long Branch neighbourhood.

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In North Oshawa, Minto Kingmeadow was singled out as the Community of the Year by The Durham Region Home Builders Association, and new releases were ramped up to keep pace with surging demand. Minto Orchard Park was another notable success, selling 262 homes in less than one year.

But success can be measured by more than just sales. To date, Minto has qualified over 2,600 low rise homes under the ENERGY STAR® standard. Following a commitment in 2005 to build high rise homes to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, Minto built the largest LEED for Homes Silver community in Canada. In 2009, Minto built the largest LEED Gold certified condo in North America, raising the bar for subsequent developments.

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“Building high quality and more sustainable communities is at the heart of what we do,” says Dave Stewart, President of Minto Communities, Canada.

In 2014, Minto775 was the first building to meet the Tier 2 requirements of the Toronto Green Standard, a voluntary certification designed to help reduce the environmental impact of buildings in the City by reducing energy consumption and light pollution, improving storm water management, and improving waste diversion during construction. Some of the standout features in the residential project include rainwater harvesting bird friendly glazing, high energy and water efficiency, and heat recovery systems that bring fresh clean air directly in to suites.

Sustainability touches every element of Minto’s corporate culture, from reducing operational energy consumption, to having as many “green” elements as possible in the communities that it builds. Based in Ottawa, Minto’s corporate headquarters at 180 Kent became the building with the single most LEED certifications in Canada this year – thanks to work with commercial tenants to certify their own spaces. The 20-storey commercial building was also the first and largest LEED® Platinum Core and Shell office tower in Canada.

Entering the gleaming office tower, a luscious green wall in the public atrium hints to the building’s sustainable design, and is paired with a green roof and electric vehicle charging stations. But some of the most impressive features are hidden from view, for example, a regenerative elevator harnesses energy from its own momentum to pump back into the power grid and rainwater harvested from the roof is used to flush toilets on the buildings’ top four floors.

And the company holds itself accountable: Minto’s annual sustainability reports are made publically available. In a rare and progressive corporate initiative, environmental performance is a significant element of annual executive compensation.

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“We’re constantly striving to improve by introducing new ideas to make the next project even better than the last,” says Brent Strachan, Senior Vice President, Ottawa. “For the past 60 years our focus has been on creating value for our customers through delivering well built, energy efficient homes in thoughtfully designed communities. That vision becomes more vivid with every project that we build. It represents our past and present and it is our enduring goal for the future.”

From land acquisition to building occupancy, sustainability is the first and last thought in every building that Minto brings to market. As part of employee development, junior as well as senior employees are encouraged to become LEED accredited professionals.

Minto’s leadership in construction has not gone unnoticed; previously, Minto won the OHBA Green Builder of the Year award in 2008, 2010 and 2011 after continuously delivering environmentally friendly building designs, leading-edge waste management strategies, a strong internal culture and support of the sustainable building industry. In 2012 the criteria for the Green Builder of the Year award were incorporated into the Home Builder of the Year award, with Minto being awarded the prestigious title in that year.

“It all starts with a simple question. What can we do to design a product that will have mass appeal, but still emphasizes quality, still emphasizes the environment and still puts the purchasers and communities first,” says Amanda Wilson Watkins, Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

This reputation for sustainable building is why Minto was selected to build five zero energy homes as part of Natural Resource Canada’s ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII). By building leading-edge homes Minto aims to explore ways to bring affordable zero-energy homes to the market, reflecting the company’s boundary-pushing approach to sustainable building.

“We are constantly thinking about what’s next: what we’ll be doing three, five, and ten years from now to progress the future of green building,” says Alison Minato, VP of Sustainability.

Looking towards the future, Minato says Minto is turning its attention beyond the physical building structure, to developing communities that are more walkable, that integrate park space, that allow parking for bikes, and that are nearby to transit.

“If you want to be successful in steering your corporate culture towards a focus on sustainability, it’s important to understand and accept that it’s a balancing act. You can’t change everything all at once,” says Minato. “Figure out what you can do, and innovate on that.”

The year ahead looks bright for Minto with no signs of slowing down. Anticipated launches across the GTA include Minto Westside, arriving at the corner of Toronto’s Front and Bathurst, and Minto Queen’s Landing, a new community that will make its home in the lush countryside of accessible East Gwillimbury. The recent launch of Minto Yorkville Park, in Toronto’s prestigious Yorkville neighbourhood, saw phenomenal sales of its opening release, illustrating the remarkable project demand. The boutique 25-storey condominium tower builds on Minto’s impressive legacy in Yorkville and is set to become Minto’s fifteenth LEED project.

About the Minto Group:

The Minto Group is a family-owned, fully integrated real estate development, construction and management company with operations in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and South Florida.

The Minto Group has built more than 70,000 new homes, manages more than 17,000 residential rental homes and apartments, and carries a commercial portfolio of more than 2.5 million square feet of office, retail and industrial space.

In addition to these holdings, the company owns and operates Canada’s largest portfolio of executive furnished suites

For more information visit www.minto.com.

Architecture, Green Energy, HVAC, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

Energy efficiency on steroids

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Silverado Custom Homes takes on state-of-the-art project in Toronto’s Lawrence Park

By Greg McMillan

With a touch of secrecy and intrigue, Silverado Custom Homes is undertaking an ambitious project that should place it in rarified territory in the Canadian green building industry.

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As Jeff Silverberg, President and Founder of Silverado Custom Homes Corp., likes to say about the home in Toronto’s Lawrence Park area: “It’s energy efficiency on steroids.

“It will have state-of-art energy features far beyond the norm in our industry in Canada,” he says. “Silverado and its team of professionals are at the leading edge in design and construction of highly energy-efficient custom homes in Canada and this project will further attest to that.”

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As one of the top custom builders in Toronto, Silverado has overseen the construction of over 1,000 homes in the most prestigious areas of the GTA, says Silverberg, and is in a unique position to meet the high expectations of discriminating clients.

And, while preferring not to divulge the identity of the client involved in the Lawrence Park project, he says Silverado will streamline the process and ensure a satisfying and stress-free experience for all involved.
Silverberg says that Silverado helps the client through the entire design/build home construction process – from designing the perfect home to adding finishing touches, providing all the services required.

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He says Silverado works side by side with trusted contractors to ensure that all aspects of the custom home work can be completed to the highest standards and specifications; often assigning a consultant to be involved with the design/build process to ensure all necessary criteria are met.

The Lawrence Park client, Silverberg says, has chosen to take advantage of many of the latest green building details available in the marketplace today.

The list of basic energy features is long, and definitely comprehensive:

  • ICF (insulated concrete form) basement to the roof structure as well as an ICF pool.
  • Hydronic heating throughout building with separate programmable zoning in each room.
  • Hydronic heating on all exterior walkways, driveway and dog path along the side of the house.
  • Insuldeck structural insulated flooring throughout the building. (This is a structural slab that is fully insulated for sound attenuation and the elimination of boxing because everything is sleeved through the floor).
  • Geothermal heating and cooling for the house, as well as the pool.
  • Custom thermal glazing and top-of-the-line low-E (low-emissivity) glass for all windows.
  • Composite custom slate roof.
  • LED lighting throughout building.
  • Super quiet and super energy efficient HVAC systems.

Moreover, Silverberg describes the house design as a custom French chateau with smooth cut limestone on all interior walls. He says the home will be fully automated with savant (luxury smart home technology) automation.
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“Everything from home security, to HVAC and lighting controls, as well as drapery controls will be fully automated,” says Silverberg, whose awards include Best Townhouse Design from The Toronto Home Builders’ Association (BILD) as well as Best Model Home Design from The Ontario Home Builders’ Association.

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“With utility costs soaring these days, energy efficiency is very important,” he adds. “This house, with its state-of-the-art designs and efficiencies, is part of the wave of the future in the building industry in Canada.”

Web:
http://www.silveradocustomhomes.com/

As the leading design/build contractor in Toronto, Silverado Custom Homes will work with clients to find the right lot for their home, create a budget and timeline for their project and provide them with access to homebuilding professionals who will make their dream home a reality. Silverado works side by side with trusted contractors to ensure that all aspects of their new custom homes are completed to the highest standards and specifications. Silverado has worked on many custom home projects, including creating Energy Star certified homes which are built to be energy efficient.
Additionally, Silverado Financial, one of Canada’s leading home rebate services, can help clients get an HST rebate of up to $24,000. Silverado Financial is an expert at assisting homeowners obtain HST rebates for new homes and homes undergoing substantial renovations. These rebates are available to clients directly from the government. Silverado Financial is owned and operated by a chartered accountant and a building professional. Together, they have over 50 years of combined expertise, knowledge and experience that will help clients receive the maximum HST rebates they are entitled to.

Ideas

Q&A: Crystal ball gazing for 2015

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Leading expert at Canada Green Building Council talks about what to expect in the year ahead

by Greg McMillan

As we head into a new year, Green Building & Sustainable Strategies (GBSS) magazine decided take a look at what the future might hold for the green building industry.
Someone with his finger on the pulse of change is Mark Hutchinson, the director of green building programs at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
He participated in a Q&A interview with GBSS magazine, taking us through everything from green building products to green building certification to predominant energy technologies.
When you look back over 2014, what would you consider as some of the notable green building developments in Canada?

In 2014 the 5,000th LEED project was registered in Canada, and I am very happy to see how the Canadian market has been adopting green building practices. We also saw the first comprehensive Canadian study of green building growth, drivers, obstacles, and impact on tenants and occupants, with the release of a Canada green building trends study conducted in conjunction with McGraw Hill Construction.

The CaGBC launched Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs) and other tools for the newest version of LEED, version 4. We also provided education on different aspects of the new rating system. I feel the Canadian market is now better positioned and prepared to take the next step towards transforming how we design, build, and operate our homes and buildings.
In 2015, what do you see transpiring for builders and their desire to seek LEED certification for buildings?

Our McGraw Hill Construction study points to continued growth of the green building movement in 2015, and our expectation is that interest in LEED certification will continue to be strong. There is strong recognition of the value of LEED certification as a tool to provide accountability, transparency, and better outcomes. On October 29 we announced that the current set of LEED rating systems would continue to be open for registration until October 31, 2016, and I expect that 2015 will be a transition year, as the market continues to learn about LEED v4 and the very first teams begin to apply it to their projects.

Do you predict there will be an influx of alternate green building certification programs that will begin to take hold in 2015? If so, please describe. If not, why not?

The Canadian marketplace has used LEED as a common language and assessment tool for green building practices, and indeed LEED is an international platform that allows us to collaborate in moving the industry forward in over 150 countries. I think the Canadian market is prepared to welcome other rating systems so long as they help push market transformation forward in a meaningful way. By this I mean they establish credible and meaningful objectives, and are supported by a rigorous third party evaluation process. Programs like the Living Building Challenge and Passive House are examples of such programs.

What are some of the green building products you foresee becoming used more prevalently in the coming year?

It will take time, but manufacturers are preparing for LEED v4 and we will see an increasing number of products with health product declarations (HPDs), environmental product declarations (EPDs), and certification to programs like Cradle to Cradle and GreenScreen. We spend 90 per cent of our time indoors, surrounded by materials we have created, and it is very exciting to see the transformation that is taking place.

What energy technologies do you see becoming more prevalent within the building industry (for example: solar, wind, geothermal, etcetera) and why, during the next 12 months?

On-site solar is popular and more economical than ever, although its impact on a building’s energy footprint will vary as a function of the configuration of the building. It’s certainly a very visible hallmark of sustainability. Geothermal has been adopted by a segment of the green building industry, and has many merits.

What are some of the general green building trends that you see developing, or growing, in the year ahead?

In the new construction field, people continue to strive towards significantly reduced energy consumption. As they aim for even lower energy consumption, the building envelope and the integrated design process are becoming of greater importance.

Materials and wellness are also now front and centre. The launch of the WELL building standard (which is designed to operate alongside LEED, and looks at a space’s effect on human health)

is a sign of just how much the impact of buildings on the health, productivity and happiness of occupants is being recognized.

Is there anything you can see putting a damper on the current growth of green building practices in Canada? If so, please describe. If not, please say why.

Green building is becoming more and more accepted, and the knowledge, tools and products needed are increasing every day. There are so many reasons to build greener buildings. It’s hard to see this trend reversing. I think the questions are really:
1) What will be the pace of market transformation?

2) What aspects of green building will be emphasized? For example, energy will always be key, but materials and wellness are also increasingly important.

3) To what extent will leadership recognition programs like LEED drive the market, as opposed to building codes, greater code enforcement, education around codes, mandatory benchmarking, and other efforts aimed at raising the bar of building practice?

Mark Hutchinson

Mark Hutchinson has worked with the Canada Green Building Council for the last six years. As Director of Green Building Programs, he oversees the strategic direction and operation of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification program in Canada. He participates on the LEED International Roundtable and collaborates with the LEED Canada Steering Committee as well as the USGBC’s LEED Steering Committee.

Architecture, Building Envelope, Green Energy, HVAC, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

A fine line along the cutting edge

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Centra Homes incorporates green features that blend newest techniques with consumer demands

Centra Homes may be a relatively “young” company, but its president has already learned a very valuable lesson – never settle for the status quo.
“With each project we build, we are seeking to implement newer and more effective green building strategies,” says Paul Lorusso, President of Centra Homes, with head offices in Toronto. “The green building industry is always on the cutting edge of green initiatives, however some of these initiatives may not have been adopted, or accepted yet, by the home-buying market.

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“Our goal is to implement the newest initiatives available while still maintaining a sense of what our customers are seeking in a new home.”
With over 500 homes built to its credit, Centra Homes also tries to utilize a blend of contemporary design and materials, while maintaining an old-world craftsmanship. The company, which operated earlier under the banners of Braidwood Homes and Green Hill Homes, has keyed on creating communities, such as the now-open Mills Collection in Richmond Hill, the coming-soon Village Square Condominiums in Oakville and Royal York Shores in Etobicoke.
The Mills Collection, for example, features detached surrounded by an established executive community, close to Richmond Hill’s amenities. That way, the company says, homeowners can enjoy the best of life, with schools, shopping, entertainment, libraries and community centres – all within easy reach.

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So The Mills Collection combines the best of two worlds – exciting new home designs located in the heart of an established, vibrant urban town.

On the cutting edge of design, some of the features offered include:

  • Poured concrete basement walls with drainage membrane for a water-tight finish and proper drainage.
  • Maintenance-free vinyl casement windows throughout.
  • 200 AMP electrical service.
  • High efficiency forced air gas furnace with electric ignition and HRV unit.

The TARION Warranty Program covers all homes as follows:

  • Seven (7) year warranty for major structural defects.
  • Two (2) year warranty for defects in workmanship and materials on electrical, plumbing, heating and building envelope.
  • One (1) year warranty for defects in workmanship and materials.

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And all their low rise homes are currently Energy Star rated – which is the mark of high-efficiency products in Canada, says Lorusso.

“We also take the extra steps to install equipment in our homes for rain water harvesting,” he says. “This will permit our homeowners to reduce water consumption for outdoor use, which is especially important in the first year of a new home when frequent watering is needed for freshly laid sod.”

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Furthermore, he says, Centra Homes takes an extra step by providing accessibility for future solar panel installation.

“We encourage our buyers to take advantage of this feature, once they take possession of their home,” he adds.
Web:
http://centra-homes.ca

Centra Homes and its affiliate Centra Developments are multi-disciplinary companies with expertise in land development, new home construction, condominium construction, and commercial development. Centra Homes and its principals have been in the residential home building industry since 1985. Their communities and projects are at the forefront of design, functionality, and locations most coveted by today’s most discerning new home buyer. With over 500 homes completed by its principals to date, Centra strives to implement a high level of customer service and personal devotion to each home they build.