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Ideas, Top Stories, Trends

Hands across the water

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From the Netherlands to Canada, Parallel 52° reaches out to the sustainable building sector

By Greg McMIllan

Parallel 52° takes the art of networking to a whole new level.

Concentrating on collaboration between the sustainable building sector in Canada and the Netherlands, this Dutch non-profit organization has inspired some innovative projects in a relatively short period of time.

“We have achieved a lot,” says Parallel 52° co-founder Anke van Hal, a university professor of sustainable building in the Netherlands. “I never expected that, so without much money, but with the help and enthusiasm of many people, the network has flourished.”

Three years ago, van Hal got the ball rolling when a student project took her to the Dutch embassy in Ottawa to participate in a small competition. At the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism from Carleton University, some of her Dutch students competed in teams with Canadian students. At the same time, she met some Canadian entrepreneurs in the sustainable building field and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We had a great time and I was impressed by the great collaboration between the students and the interest of the professionals in our Dutch experiences and skills,” she tells Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine during a Skype interview from the Netherlands. “The slogan of our embassy in Canada, as it turns out, is ‘Two countries, One spirit’ and I really recognized this. It was easy to connect.”

The more she talked with Canadians, the more she realized that the two countries are facing the same challenges in sustainable building and city planning.

“It’s a different context, but it started us thinking about the idea of an inspiring network,” she says. “Together with Annemarie Van Doorn (now CEO of the Dutch Green Building Council) we started working with supporting companies, both embassies, municipalities and faculty staff plus students and interns.

“The whole idea became a reality, with a website and interesting projects unfolding.”

At the heart of the initiative is one guiding principle: By sharing expertise, factions in the Netherlands and Canada can bring each other to a higher level, van Hal explains.

“We bring people together by organizing events – also online – and we create opportunities for student exchanges between the two countries.”

One example of the interaction took place recently at Ryerson University in Toronto.  With van Hal leading a Dutch delegation including business groups, 60 participants looked at Dutch and Canadian approaches to sustainable housing and neighbourhood transformation – how they compared and how they contrasted.

Those sessions followed others at the Canada Green Building Council Expo and live video Cisco sessions around the same topic. The private workshop brought together collaborators from the Dutch Consulate in Toronto, Cisco, the City of Toronto, Ryerson University and Nyenrode Business University – all under the Parallel 52° umbrella.

“When we look at the future, we’d like to expand,” van Hal says. “More topics, more partners, more activities. Until now, most of our activities have been focused on the topic of energy efficiency in existing dwellings.

“But it would be great if we could start activities in other fields, like urban farming, green business clubs or sustainable neighbourhood transformation.  Actually, students from both countries have already started a project about the walkable and cyclable city.”

While Parallel 52° started out with mostly Dutch companies as partners, van Hal says a shift is underway, and more Canadian companies are getting involved with the initiative.

“Until now, we have focused on internships and meetings, some virtual. That format, by the way, is a great opportunity that cooperation with the embassies provide us. For example, if staff at the embassies and consulates know that interesting people from Canada are visiting Europe – or the other way around – they can help us organize an event.  In the future, it would be great if we could do more of that, organizing group visits or an exchange of researchers and/or teachers from universities.”

Web
http://parallel52.org/

The mandate of Parallel 52° is to improve knowledge sharing about the sustainable building sector between the Netherlands and Canada, by making companies, governments and universities aware of innovative and sustainable products and projects that might be interesting to exchange. Parallel 52° does this this by setting up interesting connections, organizing events and spreading the word in publications. These interactions might lead to new projects for or collaborations between participants.

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DuPont launches revolutionary house wrap exclusively at The Home Depot

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DuPont Building Innovations is launching DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 in Canada, a revolutionary new exterior insulation product for the construction of energy efficient homes. DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 is now available exclusively at The Home Depot locations across the country

This latest addition to the DuPont product line, being launched for the first time in Canada, provides continuous R5 exterior insulation with all of the properties of Tyvek® air and water barrier.

“This is the only product of its kind,” said Angela Strzelecki, DuPont Building Innovations North American Business Director. “Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 is installed like a building wrap, and provides a level of continuous insulation to improve the overall energy efficiency, comfort and durability of Canadian homes.”

R-Value refers to the capacity of an insulating material to resist heat flow. The higher the
R-value, the greater the insulating power. DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 has a R5 insulating blanket attached to a Tyvek® HomeWrap® topsheet all in one roll to help reduce thermal bridging and heat loss through the wall. The product’s unique breathability allows any moisture that may get inside the wall to dry and escape to the outside. This helps to prevent accumulation of water and reduces the chance for water damage and mold.

“This new DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 offers another insulation option for builders as they strive to meet International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requirements without dramatically changing their current building practices,” explains Strzelecki. “It comes in a convenient, easy-to-handle roll for uncomplicated installation. It can help builders meet or exceed increasingly stringent codes, standards and home certification programs.”

DuPont products have the ability to work together as a unique, dependable weatherization system – all backed with a 10-year warranty.

Some additional benefits of using DuPontTM Tyvek® ThermaWrapTM R5.0:

  • It provides continuous exterior insulation, increasing the R-value of the wall while reducing thermal bridging
  • It can be installed shingle fashion (unlike rigid, exterior foam insulation), reducing the potential for bulk water infiltration into the wall assembly.
  • Windows, doors and wall penetrations can easily be flashed using available DuPontTM Flashing Systems.

DuPont Building Innovations helps residential and commercial builders, architects, general contractors, engineers and their teams determine the best, highest performing solutions that meet the unique needs of their projects

All DuPont™ Tyvek® products are supported nationally by the DuPont Tyvek Specialists Network and the DuPont Building Knowledge Centre. For more information about the benefits of using DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ R5.0 visit ThermaWrapR5.Tyvek.ca.

 

 

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

A cultural anchor

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Exhibition centre and people’s park in China is shaped like a lotus flower

Located in the heart of Wujin, the burgeoning district of the city of Changzhou, in the southern Jiangsu province of the Republic of China, the Lotus Building and the 3.5 hectare People’s Park has been designed to act as a cultural anchor and civic landmark – establishing a symbolic commitment of the local government’s ambitions and future aspirations.

The project called for a public building and park that would embody a unique variety of civic nodes and public spaces. The Lotus Building would be added to an existing two-storey subterranean municipal facility situated beneath an existing artificial lake. The building houses parts of the planning bureau as well as new exhibition halls, meeting rooms and conference centres.

The physical form of the building has been determined by the need to create a structure which has a distinctive presence. The development, ultimately, seeks to generate participation, to build an ownership of place that builds ties to the community and entices its people to stay and flourish and not to be drawn away. This landmark aims to bring longevity and depth to the community; to set a new standard for architectural ambition in the area and stimulate further urban development.

It was conceived as an inhabited sculptural form, emerging naturally from the lake; the visitor enters from beneath and is greeted with a cathedral-like revelation of space. Colour and light combine and illuminate, creating a bright and uplifting interior atmosphere, no matter the weather.

Transitioned and graded colour is applied to the side of the petal ribs, creating a deep hue only at the edge of the structure. Hand laid and varied white, beige and stainless steel hexagon mosaic tile finishes cover all external and internal surfaces; merging seamlessly to create a continuous form with a chandelier suspended at the apex, becoming the focus of attention, inside and out.

The project has been designed to minimize energy usage – with over 2,500 geothermal piles driven through the base of the artificial lake. The entire lake water mass and ground beneath is utilized to pre-cool (summer) and pre-warm (winter) the air-conditioning systems for both the lotus and the two-storey building beneath the lake. The project is also mixed mode and naturally ventilated and utilizes evaporative cooling from the lake surface to drive a thermal chimney within the main flower pod.

The design, from Studio 505, an Australian architectural firm, creates a vibrant public realm; key to which is a night lighting system devised to hold a series of changing natural colour combinations for 20 seconds before slowly transitioning to the next scene over 10 seconds. The Lotus Centre and People’s Park has become one of the most popular landmarks in Wujin with a sustained contribution to the social and cultural life of the city.

Web
www.studio505.com

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

Glimpse into a post-oil era

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But Solar City Tower not expected to see the light of day for 2016 Rio Olympics

By GREG McMILLAN

You couldn’t say that Rafael Schmidt and his team from Zurich-based architecture and design studio RAFAA didn’t give it the old college try.

But, alas, their project, called the Solar City Tower, is not expected to see the light of day when the 2016 Rio Olympic Games roll around.
They had hoped, when entering an international concept design competition back in 2010, that the project would serve as a symbolic tower that would help make the Olympics more sustainable and become a lightning rod for the global green movement.

However, as Schmidt told Green Building and Sustainable Strategies magazine, the project – which would have created renewable energy for use in the city of Rio as well as the Olympic Village – is unlikely to proceed after facing a litany of unforeseen problems.

“We ended up facing different technical, organizational and environmental problems,” Schmidt says.
Not difficult to imagine, actually, considering the scope of the original design. RAFAA placed the project on the island of Cotonduba, in Rio’s bay. It featured a massive solar system to generate daytime-power, plus a turbines-pumped water storage system (including a waterfall) to continue to provide nighttime-power.

The resulting structure was supposed to create a riveting image for all those arriving at the Olympics, either by air or sea.

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But it would also have a utilitarian use, with both entrance and amphitheatre areas serving as places for social gatherings and other events. The public could access the facility and a cafeteria and shopping area were positioned underneath the waterfall to serve up a breathtaking view.

Elevators were in place to take visitors up to observation decks and an urban balcony, situated 105 metres above sea level. There was even a retractable platform in the design, where visitors could participate in bungee jumping.

So, that was the original concept put forth by RAFAA. Then reality set in.

The first stumbling block, explains Schmidt, came when UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) informed RAFAA that the area around Cotunduba Island had been designated as a World Heritage site. And UNESCO does all it can do to protect and conserve such properties.

And then there were technical flaws in the design that were pointed out to RAFAA.

“The solar panels we had in place only would produce about eight watts per square foot, so the size of the solar field to achieve our zero carbon footprint ideal would be 10 times the size of the island,” Schmidt says. “Therefore, the cost of the solar field would consume the majority of the project budget.”

He says it was determined that the salt spray and residue from the Atlantic Ocean would decrease the solar panels’ efficiency significantly – “ Not to mention the corrosion of all copper wires that connect the panels.”

The island location would have sent costs skyrocketing, as well, just by running electrical lines to the mainland, he says.

“Also, the energy needed to pump water to the top of the waterfall would have exceeded the turbines-generated power produced,” he says.

Despite the setbacks, Schmidt is convinced that, on some level, the idea of the Solar City Tower, has been a success.

“It shows the real challenges for the imminent post-oil era,” he says. “The project represents a message of a society facing a future, thus it is the representation of an inner attitude and awareness.”
5b

Architecture, Ideas, Sustainability

Dejardins unveils the tallest indoor living wall in the world

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The artwork, called “The Currents”, draws inspiration

from the fascinating view of the St. Lawrence River

The new Desjardins building in Lévis houses the tallest interior living wall in the world. The artwork, “The Currents”, was designed by Green over Grey, a design firm specializing in the creation of living walls (aka green walls or vertical gardens). For this project, they drew inspiration from the views of the St. Lawrence River visible from Quebec City and Lévis.

“When Desjardins began work on revitalizing the Cité Desjardins de la coopération in 2011, we wanted to find a tangible way to show our commitment to sustainable development and enrich our employees’ work environment through meaningful initiatives, such as this beautiful living work of art” stated Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group.

AB40W7189B

“According to our research, this living wall is the tallest indoor vertical garden in the world,” said Patrick Poiraud, co-founder of Green over Grey. “The wall is fully hydroponic (i.e. soil-free) and incorporates plants that thrive in similar vertical environments found in nature, like on tree branches and next to waterfalls. The end result is a visually pleasing piece that provides cleaner indoor air and improves both the acoustic quality and the value of the property.”

The green wall complements the new building’s eco-friendly concept, which is expected to receive LEED gold certification after completion September 2014.

Atrium_B40W7317

Facts

• More than 11,000 individual plants artfully arranged according to colour, texture, pattern and size covering a 15-storey wall of the new building at 150 rue des Commandeurs, in Lévis.

• Plants are growing in a hydroponic system (i.e. soil free) made of 100% synthetic recycled materials.

• Green over Grey eco friendly panels are built from 1.5 metric tons of recycled water bottles and plastic bags.

• The living wall is 213 feet high (65 meters) with a total surface area of 2,139 square feet (198 square metres).

• 42 plant species, including philodendrons, monsteras, fig trees, ginger, snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata), elkhorn ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum), scheffleras, clusias and banana plants.

  • Spathiphyllum ‘Mauno Loa’, commonly known as peace lily, is one of the most effective oxygen-producing plants that clean and purify the air.

• According to the NASA Clean Air Study, the peace lily—native to tropical regions of the Americas and Southeast Asia and known for its distinctive white flower—eliminates significant amounts of pollutants, such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene, which are found in photocopiers and construction materials.

• Plants are laid out to evoke the beauty of the St. Lawrence River as seen from the Quebec and Lévis areas, which were chosen due to the cities’ close ties with Alphonse Desjardins.

B40W7336

Architecture, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

A MAD, MAD world

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Green, futuristic Chaoyang Park Plaza breaks ground in Bejing

From the architectural firm behind Absolute Towers in Mississauga – MAD – comes the news that Chaoyang Park Plaza, a realization of the Shanshui City concept, has begun construction in Bejing.

It marks another milestone in one of the practices of MAD’s design theory. This project pushes the boundary of the urbanization process in modern cosmopolitan life by creating a dialogue between artificial scenery and natural landscapes.

 

Chaoyang Park Plaza is located in the central business district (CBD) of Beijing, and is composed of over 120,000 square metres of commercial, office, and residential buildings. The site is on the southern edge of Chaoyang Park, one of the largest public parks in Beijing. Its proximity to the park will not only create breathtaking views of the city, but will also highly impact the skyline of Beijing.

By transforming features of Chinese classical landscape painting, such as lakes, springs, forests, creeks, valleys, and stones, into modern “city landscapes,” the urban space creates a balance between high urban density and natural landscape. The forms of the buildings mimic what is found in natural landscapes, and re-introduces nature to the urban realm.

Like the tall mountain cliffs and river landscapes of China, a pair of asymmetrical towers creates a dramatic skyline in front of the park. Ridges and valleys define the shape of the exterior glass facade, as if the natural forces of erosion have worn down the tower into a few thin lines. Flowing down the facade, the lines emphasize the smoothness of the towers and its verticality. The internal ventilation and filtration system of the ridges draw a natural breeze indoors, which not only improves the interior space but also creates an energy efficient system.

Landscape elements are injected into the interiors of the towers to augment the feeling of nature within an urban framework. The two towers are connected by a tall courtyard lobby with a ceiling height of up to 17 metres. The site and sounds of flowing water make the entire lobby feel like a natural scene from a mountain valley. At the top of the towers, multi-level terraces shaped by the curving forms of the towers are public gardens where people can gaze out over the entire city and look down at the valley scene created by the lower buildings on the site.

Located south of the towers, four office buildings are shaped like river stones that have been eroded over a long period. Smooth, round, and each with its own features, they are delicately arranged to allow each other space while also forming an organic whole. Adjacent to the office buildings are two multi-level residential buildings in the southwest area of the compound. These buildings continue the ‘mid-air courtyard’concept, and provide all who live here with the freedom of wandering through a mountain forest.

The project expects to achieve LEED gold-certification once completed in 2016. Its use of natural lighting, intelligent building, and air purification system make this project stand out from others being built today. The ideal of “nature”is not only embodied in the innovation of green technology, but also in the planning concept. This project transforms the traditional model of buildings in a modern city’s central business district. By exploring the symbiotic relationship between modern urban architecture and natural environment, it revives the harmonious co-existence between urban life and nature. It creates a Shanshui city where people can share their individual emotions and a sense of belonging

www.i-mad.com

 

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Trends

Made in Russia

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Energy-efficient dome could provide disaster relief and be built on land or water

With climate change trends constantly drawing more and more attention around the world, it’s no coincidence that architects are tackling new survivalist-type designs.

Case in point: Russian architect Alexander Remizov.
Remizov, from the firm Remistudio, has taken direct aim at the problem of rising ocean levels and flood control. With apologies to Noah from the Bible’s book of Genesis, Remizov’s prototype creation, named The Ark, is a prefabricated structure that could be quickly assembled to deal with any emergency housing needs.

01_remizov_ark_water

This energy-efficient domed biosphere would be built of steel, wood and durable-strength plastic with enough space to accommodate up to 10,000 people. Land-based in concept, it could also be positioned on water, with a rounded hull, allowing the structure to float. Hence the nickname.
Currently in the development stage as Remizov seeks investors, The Ark has a dome-like shape because it would utilize wind generators, with warm air accumulating near the top of the building. Solar panels will also be featured, with green foliage throughout and a rainwater collections system. If built on water, thermal water energy could be utilized.
In fact, heat would be collected in order to provide a constant energy supply for the entire complex, no matter what the outside environment is like.

08_remizov_ark_interior
While the concept could be used for emergencies, the theme also leaves room for more traditional environments, and could also simply be a model for future living, including communities, offices and hotels.
With the building assembly focusing on the use of ready-made materials, each structure would have a buffer zone without the need for traditional insulation. With the materials used, and a light foundation, it’s believed construction costs could also be reduced.
Designed in conjunction with the International Union of Architects’ program called “Architecture for Disaster Relief,” The Ark also features a load-bearing system of cables and arches that would allow weight distribution – a key component when dealing with earthquake situations.
And the framework would be covered with a special foil – the durable-strength plastic – made of Ethylene TetraFluoroEthylene (ETFE), which is often called a miracle construction material. (Why? It’s strong enough to bear 400 times its own weight, for one thing, and can be stretched to three times its length without loss of elasticity, for another.)
The foil would be attached to the framework and then serve as a solar collector and also provide gutters for collecting rainwater from the roof.
As well as guaranteeing an uninterrupted energy supply, The Ark could also produce extra power for supplying adjacent housing or adaptable transportation.

04_remizov_ark_interior

Moreover, The Ark boasts a bioclimatic design. This means it connects with nature and maximizes the benefit that can be derived from a site’s natural features, topography and climate, while allowing for internal comfort conditions to be optimized.

02_remizov_ark_underwater

In short, more than Noah ever bargained for … to be sure.

 

Architecture, Sustainability, Wood

Schooled in Sustainability: Algonquin College’s Perth Campus Meets the Gold Standard

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Algonquin College’s new Perth Campus building by GRC Architects is a 4,155 m2 (44,715 ft2) facility that combined several strategies, including sustainable wood construction, to create an efficient, environmentally responsive educational building.

The building contains two volumes, an Academic Hall and a Construction Wing, which are connected by a passageway. The Academic Hall is a single-storey, 2,463 m2 (26,500 ft2) wood-framed structure with a concrete slab on grade for the ground floor. It is houses state-of-the-art classrooms and specialty laboratories as well as a student commons, cafeteria, lounge, library, fitness facility and computer access centre. The Academic Hall is the focus of this article.

The exterior walls of the Academic Hall are wood-frame with plywood sheathing. The stud cavity contains 140 mm (5-1/2 in.) of open-cell spray foam insulation, with an additional 50 mm (2 in.) of rigid insulation on the exterior, for walls that have a total effective insulating value of RSI 5.3 (R 30). Three-hundred millimetres (12 in.) of blown-in cellulose insulation in the roof provides an insulating value of RSI 7.0 (R-40), resulting in an energy-efficient, high performance building envelope.

The wood siding is rough-sawn white pine that was pre-finished on all sides prior to installation. This siding and the wood columns used in the project were sourced and milled within a few kilometres of the site. Inside the building, maple wood slats on the ceilings in the cafeteria, entrance lobby and resource centre reduce noise levels and create a comforting atmosphere. Classrooms feature maple-cased return air plenums at the exterior wall. Solid-core wood doors, built-in wood benches, wood-framed glazed partitions, and millwork are found throughout the building. The majority of the wood structure was sourced from FSC-certified distributors and retailers.

Using sustainably harvested wood products that store carbon, instead of non-renewable, energy-intensive building materials that require large amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture, can help slow climate change. Trees provide the only major building material that is renewable and grown by energy from the sun. Although processing wood into building products does require some energy, it is less than what is required to manufacture alternative materials and the power needs of the mills are often met by using the biomass waste (bark, etc.) created during the manufacturing process.

The total wood volume of the trusses, framing, sheathing, headers and beams of the Academic Hall, not including finishing products, is 277.0 m³. An on-line Carbon Calculator tool hosted by the Canadian Wood Council (www.cwc.ca/index.php/en/resources/electronic-tools) calculates that the net carbon benefit of the choosing a wood structure over alternative materials is equivalent to taking 126 cars off the road for one year.

Selective sourcing of the other materials yielded over 17.5% total recycled content and over 55% of all building materials (by cost) were sourced regionally. The general contractor also diverted over 92% of all construction and demolition waste from landfills.

Triple-glazed windows on the north façade reduce heat loss in winter, and deep overhangs and a reflective roof cover limit solar heat gain in summer. The white roof membrane on flat roof areas reduces heat island effect. The mechanical systems include centralized condensing boilers, a high-efficiency, frictionless centrifugal chiller, and a dedicated outdoor air system with 85% efficient reverse flow heat recovery. Heat is provided from ceiling diffusers and return air plenums are located at exterior walls.

There are operable windows in the classrooms and offices, clerestory windows in corridors, and daylight in all occupied spaces. Lighting throughout the building is a combination of T8 linear fluorescent lighting and TS high output lighting. As a result of these strategies, the facility costs 51% less to heat, cool and power than a similar facility designed to the standard of the Model National Energy Code for Buildings and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 216 tons a year. A 2,000 L rainwater harvesting system is used to flush the toilets and water-efficient plumbing fixtures such as dual-flush toilets and low-flow urinals, reduce water use by more than 60% over a conventional design. Other notable water conservation efforts include drought-tolerant landscaping and water bottle refilling stations for occupants.

Awarded LEED Gold, the Algonquin College Perth Campus Academic Hall is bright, comfortable, easy to maintain and operate, and very energy-efficient. Sustainable strategies include resource conservation measures, efficient mechanical systems, locally sourced wood products, a superior building envelope, numerous water conservation strategies and a healthy indoor environment. The use of wood was cost-effective, met all health and safety requirements and created a sustainable learning environment that is positive and inviting.

This article is based on a case study published by Ontario Wood WORKS! and is printed with permission. To download the full version of the Algonquin College, Perth Campus case study, please visit www.cwc.ca/publications

Architecture, Style, Sustainability, Top Stories

Breaking away

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Barbini Design Build’s luxury contemporary renovation offers the best green features

By GREG McMILLAN
Some builders might encourage homeowners to add one or two green elements to their houses and leave their sustainability efforts at that.

But that’s not the Amedeo Barbini way.

Far from it, as it happens. In fact, Barbini Design Build takes a much broader approach to any renovation or new home design – preferring to adopt a much more conscientious holistic process, according to owner Amedeo Barbini.

“Barbini takes the approach of creating the best building envelope, thereby using the smallest carbon footprint and providing comfort, a clean environment and savings to the future owner,” says Barbini. “In those cases when there is a client, we provide them with a complete shopping cart of benefits that they can choose to incorporate into their home.”

A recent project at 61 Talwood Drive in Don Mills, Ontario, serves an apt example of the Barbini way, offering a contemporary renovation on a 4,500 square-foot, two-and-a-half storey home . It incorporates open spaces with plenty of light and a long list of green features to enhance its aesthetic appeal and create a more sustainable living environment. And the home has been evaluated as exceeding the Ontario Building Code by 26 per cent under the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).

Located in a quiet neighbourhood, near schools and parks, the home provides a complete array of elegant design details, with the advantages of a superior building envelope and efficient heating and air-conditioning systems delivering pure air quality and energy-efficient operation. It’s been future-proofed to evolve with the ever-changing technology requirements, including a 100-amp panel for an electric car charger, plus preparation for solar paneling to be integrated with the HVAC system.
The home, says Barbini, represents how his company’s holistic mentality kicks in.

“The home performs as a total environment and all the components are experienced together,” he explains. “To say that the entire first floor that is heated hydraulically is better than the windows performing differently on the south side as opposed to the north side is not the point. All components contribute to the overall experience.”

Barbini says the whole design process needed to be considered holistically versus focusing on individual smaller elements.

“From the planning stage, we needed to understand the mechanics and the building envelope in order to designate enough room for all the components we were implementing. One started by designing the shell, or the envelope, of the building first – that is the footprint, looking at exterior wall materials, R-values, glazing, canopies, the roof, etcetera. Then we looked at what was put inside the walls – the mechanicals.”

 

After considering the long-term savings, and not just immediate upfront costs, Barbini established what would go into the home and then assembled a team of suppliers and contractors to assemble the structure, Barbini explains.

“Site supervision was extremely important. In this case, we were always working above the building code.”

Here are some of the specific green features included at 61 Talwood Drive:

 

  • Energy monitoring system;
  • Higher efficiency window systems;
    Programmable thermostat;
  • Dual flush toilets;
  • Insulating from the ground up;
  • Garage ceiling insulation;
  • Sealing to prevent energy leakage;
  • Recovering energy from drain water;
  • Recovering energy from air exhaust;
  • Reducing indoor air contaminants;
  • Heating hot water as needed;
  • Water-conscious landscape design;
  • And engineering floor systems.

 

Barbini points out that one consideration must always be kept in mind – a home architecturally designed does not necessarily have inherent green features. Those components, he says, are often selected to make the house perform more efficiently, thereby delivering savings and substantially higher comfort control.

“Simple changes in our everyday lives can help slow climate change and this includes how your home operates,” says Barbini. “Canada is the largest consumer of energy in the world on a per capita basis and we use as much energy as the entire continent of Africa.

“Wasting energy not only hurts nature but our wallets,” he continues. “Thus, by providing tighter and better built homes, energy efficiency means lower bills as well as less pollution on our planet. With every project that we take on, we try to outdo ourselves and really design spaces for the future.

“We future-proof the homes we design and build so that they can evolve and adapt to the requirements and the technological changes of the future. By doing this we are building way above the building code requirements and providing the end user with a better living environment – whether it’s with air quality, mechanical systems or significant energy savings – which, in turn, lower the carbon footprint of that residence and family.
“At Barbini, whether it’s a renovation or a new home, we always recommend to our clients to do what they can to make their home more sustainable.”

www.amedeobarbini.com