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Tag: SABMag Awards

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Residential (Large) Award – Foxglove Supportive Housing and Shelter, Surrey, BC

Jury Comment: “This complex program of shelter, supportive housing and health services, so important to social sustainability, is appropriately contained in a simple form with a calming character. Material choice and detailing are thoughtful, with horizontal and vertical solar shading balancing the overall expression.”

Since 1982, RainCity Housing and Support Society has addressed the needs of individuals living with homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. To address these needs in the City of Surrey, RainCity has developed this facility in Green Timbers Park, in partnership with BC Housing, the City of Surrey and Fraser Health.

The project encompasses three major components:

• The Shelter, which offers emergency housing and care to those navigating homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse.

• Supportive Housing, which provides a caring residential environment for those who have attained stability and are transitioning to permanent housing.

• Enhanced Health Supported Housing, in which Fraser Health and RainCity work together to address both homelessness and complex health needs.

All three programs provide 24-hour/7-day staff with access to medication, overdose prevention services, and indigenous cultural and peer support. The design response reflects RainCity’s and BC Housing’s commitment to environmental sustainability, and implements strategies established through integrated workshops, extensive energy modelling, and costing exercises.

By using simple forms and optimizing the exterior envelope, the building easily meets BC Building Code Step Code 3. The envelope is highly insulated, has a low window-to-wall ratio, energy-efficient windows, and vertical and horizontal solar-shading systems. Detailing concentrated on eliminating thermal bridges and maintaining continuous high insulation values. These passive design strategies work together to optimize energy performance.

These  passive design strategies work together to optimize energy performance. Various conditions informed the linear design concept of the building: the long, narrow site, Surrey’s requirement to provide building access off Foxglove Drive, and the complex program. The simplicity of the building’s massing and character is intended to create a calm atmosphere for both its residents and the surrounding community.

To get the most from the budget, and to reduce its carbon footprint, the building was designed as a six- storey structure with five levels of wood frame construction over a concrete ground floor and a single level of underground parking.

Project Performance

  • Energy Intensity (Process Energy) 17.2 KWh/m2/year
  • Energy Intensity Lighting  24.3kWhr/m2/year
  • Reduction in energy intensity relative to
  • reference building under ASHRAE 90.1-2010  7.5%
  • Potable water consumption from municipal sources  1214L/occupant/year
  • Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building 44%
  • Regional materials content 14%
  • Construction waste diverted from landfill  63.91%

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  RainCity Housing and Support Society
  • Architect  NSDA Architects
  • Development Consultant  Terra Housing Consultants
  • General contractor  Yellowridge Construction Ltd.
  • Landscape Architect Durante Kreuk
  • Civil engineer  RF Binnie and Associates Ltd.
  • Electrical Engineer  AES Engineering
  • Mechanical engineer  TD Systems
  • Structural Engineer  Entuitive Corporation
  • Commissioning Agent  CES Engineering Ltd
  • Building Code  LMDG Building Code Consulting Ltd.
  • Building Envelope  exp Services Inc.
  • Sustainability/Environmental  Pinchin West
  • Energy Modelling  Edge Consultants Ltd
  • Interior Design  Aliki Gladwin and Associates
  • Photos  Andrew Latreille Photography Ltd.

Detail of vertical and horizontal solar-shading which work together to optimize energy performance. EXP provided consulting services for the building envelope.

Aqua-Tech supplied the Lochinvar Indirect Domestic hot water heaters [model Squire]. 

The resilient flooring is Forbo Marmoleum and many of the plumbing fixtures are by Chicago Faucets.

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Residential (Small) Award – HEIMAKLETTUR HOUSE, Langley, BC

Jury Comment: “This small house is a great example of how doing more with less is key to sustainability. It is appropriately sited, well designed, well detailed, well crafted and thoughtful in its execution. It is notable for its modesty and simplicity, yet the interior has a generous sense of space and light.“

This house was designed for an ambitious family on a five-acre property within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) in the Fraser Valley community of Langley. The clients’ initial vision for the project included the goals of living smaller and more closely to the land and ultimately growing their own food.

Heimaklettur (home rock) is named after their father’s hometown of Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland. The house form references contemporary Nordic dwellings featuring pitched roofs, lean-to additions, traditional wood framing, and contrasting cladding.

The design responds to existing site characteristics and bioclimatic conditions, such as solar orientation, shade from existing trees and the prevailing wind, while placing the building on the previously disturbed area of the site and utilizing the existing septic system.

The house respects the required 30m setback from the nearby creek and is set above the flood datum of 7.95m geodetic. A simple plan defines the overall form, articulating a “living gable” and a “sleeping gable”, and incorporating a change in level of 450mm with a children’s play attic above. The mudroom plays a key role in the plan, filtering the messy activity of everyday life on a rural property, while also differentiating the south gable form of the house. The narrow plan offers ample daylight, views and cross ventilation throughout the home.

The building enclosure is highly insulated, with triple-glazed windows in fibreglass frames and minimal thermal bridging. Heating is provided by a high efficiency HRV forced air system that maintains a ventilation rate of 1.0 air changes per hour throughout. The project achieved Step 5 of the BC Energy Step Code, and an Energuide rating of 47.

Project Credits

  • Architect  MOTIV Architects
  • General Contractor  Owner built
  • Structural Engineer  Dan Sundvick
  • Photos  Ema Peter

Project Performance

  • Mechanical energy use intensity (MEUI) = 40 kWh/m²/year
  • Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI) = 2 kWh/m²/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under ERS Version 16 = 47.6%

Cascadia Windows & Doors supplied its fixed and operable fibreglass windows.

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Technical Award

The Putman Family YWCA, Hamilton, ON

Jury Comment: “This precast concrete structure is a great example of an industry adapting to the challenges it faces in regard to sustainability. Creating a high performance building that is quick to construct and has a long service life is in itself commendable; that the building also serves the most vulnerable sectors of our community makes its contribution all the more valuable.”

This project is Hamilton’s first affordable housing residence for women and children, prioritizing those from Indigenous and marginalized groups. The six-storey building comprises five floors of apartments above a ground floor podium. The podium, flanked by a community garden, includes a gathering space, an Innovation Centr and health and wellness programming for seniors.

Architecturally, the intent was to reflect the tradition of Hamilton as a Steel Town and to use local materials and manufacturers where possible. The brick clad podium reflects the scale and materiality of the neighbourhood, connecting the community programming with the street.

The pursuit of Passive House certification is consistent with supportive housing projects across the country, as it significantly reduces operating costs, while providing a high level of indoor environmental quality for residents. These attributes align with the YWCA’s core mission to provide comfortable, healthy, secure, resilient, and safe housing for women.

Construction Approach

In taking on PH design standards, the client wished to pursue a factory-built solution to reduce the uncertainties still associated with a high-performance building. At this scale, the project team was most comfortable with a modular precast concrete solution.

Analysis concluded that a factory-built concrete building could significantly reduce embodied carbon when compared with that of conventional cast-in-place. Hollowcore prestressed floor elements reduced the depth to span ratio, minimizing the volume (and hence weight) of concrete per unit of floor area.   All precast concrete and steel elements were manufactured in Hamilton.

The building uses a total precast system with a sandwich panel forming the Passive House compliant thermal, air-tight, structural, weathering, and aesthetic façade in one factory-built component.  Using locally manufactured precast concrete reduced the use of traditional formwork, auxiliary elements, and waste.

In turn, factory prefabrication reduced erection times and required only a single crane and a flat bed truck. As a result, truck idling, traffic congestion, construction site emissions and site lighting requirements were all reduced; as were noise, pollution and other environmental impacts on the surrounding community.

The building is a prefabricated total precast concrete construction, including the exterior finishes as seen with the “corduroy” dark slate textured precast concrete finish on the north and west elevations. SIGA membranes and tapes contribute to the integrity of the air barrier.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  YWCA Hamilton
  • Architect  Kearns Mancini Architects Inc.
  • General contractor  Schilthuis Construction Inc.
  • Civil engineer  RJC Engineers
  • Structural Engineer  RJC Engineers
  • Precast Concrete  Coreslab Structures Photos Kearns Mancini Architects Inc. & Co.

Project Performance

  • Energy Intensity 95 KWhr/m2/year
  • The building is Passive House certified
  • Construction materials diverted from landfill  70%
  • Recycled materials content by value  4.75 %
  • Regional materials by value  60%

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Residential (Large) Award

SFU Affordable Housing, Burnaby, BC

Jury Comment: “Providing much needed affordable accommodation for previously under-served sectors of the student population, this project is notable for its strong community focus, the multiple opportunities it creates for interaction between residents, and its strong connection with nature. Attention to detail and comprehensive data supported impressive energy performance.”

Simon Fraser University (SFU) Affordable Housing is a high-performance, community-oriented housing project that strives to promote connection—people to one another, students to university, residents to neighbourhood, and everyone to nature.

Located near a daycare and elementary school in the UniverCity neighbourhood at SFU’s Burnaby campus, the project provides 90 below-market student rental apartments that prioritize underserved communities with accessible, adaptable, and family-oriented housing—demographics with modest incomes and limited access to transportation, amenities, and community support.

Consisting of two wood-frame buildings of four and six storeys on top of a single-storey parkade, the residences are supported by a blend of amenities to cultivate community connections including a courtyard and playground, multipurpose pavilion, shared laundries and study rooms, and a bicycle workshop to support active transportation.

Utilizing simple massing with a high-performance envelope and rigorous attention to detailing along with PHPP and THERM modelling, the project surpassed Step 4 of the BC Energy Step Code and was recognized as a Clean Net-Zero Energy Ready award winner. Completed in 2022 on a conventional wood-frame construction budget, the project continues to be leveraged as a case study for local industry and academia in the design and construction of high-performance buildings.

The project started with a complex site and client challenge to deliver Passive House performance on a conventional construction budget while prioritizing community and occupant well-being. Certification was an initial goal, but was relatively new to the market when the project was initiated in 2014, leading to disproportionately large cost premiums and constraints.

Project Credits

  • Architect  Local Practice Architecture + Design
  • Project Manager  JLL
  • Owner/Developer  SFU Community Trust
  • General Contractor  Peak Construction Group
  • Landscape Architect  space2place
  • Civil Engineer  H.Y. Engineering
  • Electrical Engineer and Structural Engineer Associated Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineer  Rocky Point Engineering
  • Fire Protection  Mfpe Engineering
  • Building Envelope  RDH Buiding Science
  • Energy Model  Tandem Architecture Écologique
  • Building Code  Jensen Hughes
  • Cost & Constructability  Heatherbrae Builders
  • Photos  Latreille Photography

Project Performance

  • Energy Intensity  49.82 KWhr/m2/year
  • Reduction in Energy Intensity  62% (Based on BCBC – 2012 Energy Step Code Level 2*)
  • Water Consumption from municipal source  67,262 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in Water Consumption  11%
  • Construction materials diverted from landfill  66%

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Commercial/Industrial (Large) Award

Endress + Hauser Customer Experience Centre – Burlington, ON

Jury Comment: “This project is notable for setting and pursuing high environmental performance goals: achieving net Zero Carbon and awaiting confirmation of LEED Gold certification. The interior addresses the health and wellbeing of employees through its socially focused program organization and brightly lit interior spaces. The positive response has catalyzed broader changes at its parent company in Switzerland.”

The ZCB Certified, LEED Gold pending Endress+Hauser Customer Experience Centre in Burlington was designed as a gift for its employees from the Swiss-owned company. The 4400 sq. m, $24 million environment is a sunlit, open concept space, uniquely tailored for the employees and engaging for visitors who have come to experience its Process Training Unit (PTU) and calibration labs. 

The glass enclosed PTU is prominently positioned at the southeast corner, acting as the public face of the building; and offering educational engagement with the leading-edge equipment and systems it contains. The ground floor is home to a program of training spaces, calibration lab, and private employee wellness areas. The second level, accessible by a central stair, is organized into neighbourhoods around an atrium and indoor walking track. The open working environments are each slightly different based on their particular functions. The facility is punctuated with coffee nooks and seating areas to promote impromptu exchanges and casual meetings.

A large exterior patio extends along the southern façade of the second storey, with direct connections to the employee kitchen, office workstations and breakout space. Fitness centres, and exterior walking tracks, compliment the organizational focus on health and wellness.

At the outset of this project, it was clear sustainable leadership was central to the company’s culture and identity. The design team pitched a business case, offering Endress + Hauser a way to exceed its standard commitment to LEED Silver certification. 

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Endress + Hauser
  • Architect  McCallum Sather
  • General Contractor  G.S. Wark Construction
  • Landscape Architect  GSP Group
  • Civil Engineer  MTE
  • Electrical and Structural Engineer WSP
  • Mechanical Engineer  McCallum Sather
  • Commissioning Agent  CFMS-West Consulting Inc.
  • Other Engineering Service RWDI
  • Photos  Philip Castleton

Project Performance

  • Energy Intensity  73.95 KWhr/m2/year
  • Reduction in Energy Intensity  26.05% (Based on NECB 2015)
  • Reduction in Water Consumption  33.2%
  • Construction materials diverted
  • from landfill 76.38%

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Institutional (Small) Award

Neil Campbell Rowing Centre – St. Catharines, ON

Jury Comment: “A very elegant solution that achieves high standards of environmental performance without compromising aesthetics. The form is simple and the material palette robust. The thought processes required to resolve the detailing of the mass timber roof and to ensure there was no thermal bridging through the envelope were thoroughly and convincingly documented.” 

This project demonstrates how simple, elemental, and respectful design can support a broad spectrum of uses and enhance the identity of a venerable place, while achieving both Net-Zero Energy and Zero-Carbon Emission benchmarks.

The NCRC was a key venue for the 2022 Canada Summer Games and will host the 2024 World Rowing Championships. Beyond this, it will provide year-round fitness and rowing training for Canadian athletes, continuing the site’s rich history of competition that began in 1903.

The form of the building is generated by the roof, which is designed with an innovative mass timber system utilizing Canadian glue laminated and cross-laminated timber products, and is held aloft by a light steel column structure and a centralized CLT shear core. The asymmetrical overhanging timber roof, operable doors, and concrete steps down to Martindale Pond further reinforce the connection to the water and create a strong identity for the club.

The building includes a simple and robust material palette; a high-performance building envelope; passive sun control and low-energy mechanical and electrical systems in order to enhance environmental sustainability and reduce ongoing operating and maintenance costs.

The NCRC is situated on a man-made extension to Henley Island, which lies at the approximate mid-point of the race course. The building is configured to provide shade on an otherwise open site and to make a strong connection to the water for athletes and spectators. This conection was facilitated by clearing weeds and debris from the water’s edge and creating long concrete steps that also serve as spectator seating.

Siting the building north of the asphalt staging area completes a courtyard already bounded by the sheds to the west, rising topography to the south, and Martindale Pond to the east. The sense of enclosure raises the excitement by focusing attention on race preparations.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Canadian Henley Rowing Corp
  • Architect  MJMA Architecture & Design
  • Joint Venture Architect  Raimondo + Associates Architects
  • General Contractor  Aquicon Construction
  • Landscape Architect  MJMA Architecture & Design
  • Civil Engineer  Upper Canada Consultants
  • Mechanical and Electrical Engineer  Smith + Andersen
  • Structural Engineer  Blackwell
  • Environmental Graphics  MJMA Architecture & Design
  • Photos  Scott Norsworthy

Project Performance

  • Energy Intensity: 0 KWhr/m2/year (83 KWhr/m2/year which is offset by PV array)
  • Reduction in Energy Intensity: 38% (Based on NECB 2017)
  • Water Consumption from municipal source: 33.5 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in Water Consumption: 21%
  • The building was just recently “CaGBC Zero Carbon Design Certified”.

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Residential (Small) Award

SoLo House, Soo Valley, BC 

Jury Comment:  “This off -grid project provides an object lesson in how to address the imperatives of carbon neutrality, energy self-sufficiency, occupant health and more efficient, low-impact construction materials and methods: in short, how to future proof our built environment. Realized in a remote area, these lessons could nonetheless be applied in urban locations.“

SoLo house is a 380 sq.m, self sufficient, off-grid home with a 40 sq.m ancillary building, sitting lightly on a forested knoll overlooking the spectacular Soo Valley north of Whistler in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.

Reflecting the client’s expressed intention to ‘Set a new benchmark for environmental performance, health and well-being’, SoLo is not a typical alpine home.

Rather, it is a prototype that demonstrates a unique approach to building off-grid in a remote environment where every choice has consequences. Challenging conventions in both aesthetics and construction, the prototype acts as a testing ground for low-energy systems, healthy materials, prefabricated and modular construction methods, and independent operations intended to inform the approach to larger projects. 

The house includes living space and a master bedroom suite on the main level linked to a sauna and storage space in the adjacent ancillary building. The upper level includes two more bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Given the valley’s extreme climate, it was critical to have an ‘enclosure-first’ approach to ensure energy efficiency and outstanding comfort. A two-layer solution was used for the enclosure with an outer heavy timber frame acting as a shield against the weather, and the heavily insulated inner layer acting as the thermal barrier.

With the goal of eliminating fossil fuels and combustion, SoLo includes a photovoltaic array and a geo-change system, with a hydrogen fuel cell for backup energy storage. To avoid snow build up in winter, the PV array is mounted vertically on the south elevation.  In addition, the house collects and treats its own drinking water and processes its waste water.

Because of the remote location and short construction season, modular building elements were fabricated off-site by a local contractor. This enabled quick erection of the building in the summer season while also minimizing the number of deliveries to the site and the amount of construction waste created.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Delta Land Developments
  • Architect  Perkins&Will
  • Structural Engineer  Glotman Simpson
  • Mechanical and Electrical Engineer  Integral Group
  • Building Envelope Consultant  RDH Building Science General
  • Contractor  Durfeld Construction
  • Code Consultant  GHL Consultants
  • Photos  Latreille Photography

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Local 144 administrative office & training centre

Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC

Commercial/Industrial (Large) Award

Jury Comment: This project reflects the client’s remarkable commitment to exemplary building performance and the wellbeing of its employees. Low-carbon materials, a large photovoltaic array, and ultra low water consumption are combined with an attractive atrium, gardens and other social spaces.

This project arose from the desire of the plumbers’ union, the United Association – Local 144, to create a new head office and training facility for its members that would be warm, welcoming and at the same time, achieve the highest possible performance goals across a range of sustainable design criteria.

Located on an infill site in an industrial area at the east end of the Island of Montreal, the project offered both urban improvement and economic opportunities; restoring a former wasteland area and providing training facilities for local trades.

From the outset, the aim was to achieve LEED v4 Platinum certification (a first for an industrial building in Canada), with specific performance objectives including:  an 80% reduction in energy consumption, to be achieved in part by the installation of a 430-panel rooftop photovoltaic array; a reduction of 80% in potable water consumption; a partial wood structure to minimize embodied energy; passive design strategies to harvest daylight; and natural displacement ventilation for energy efficiency and occupant comfort.

The program is divided into two distinct pavilions joined by a footbridge. The differences in major occupancy, together with the required spans and spatial organization, led to the choice of a steel structure for the training centre and a mass timber structure for the administration building.

The central atrium of the Administrative building. Nordic Structures supplied FSC-certified cross-laminated timber slabs for the floor and roof, and glued-laminated timber posts and beams.

Large areas of translucent insulated panels by Kalwall on the south wall provide daylight to the workshop spaces and classrooms while maintaining a high-performance building envelope.

The heat for the radiant floors is produced by an optimized combination of geothermal and a Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada VRF air source heat pump system.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  United Association – Local 144
  • Architect  Blouin Tardif Architectes
  • General contractor  SIMDEV
  • Landscape Architect  Guillaume Henri Hurbain Civil Engineer  NCK
  • Electrical/mechanical engineer  Martin & Roy Associés
  • Structural engineer  NCK
  • LEED consultant  WSP
  • Building envelope  REMATEK
  • Photos  Claude Dagenais, twohumans
  • Project Performance
  • Energy intensity (building and process energy) = 133 KWhr/m²/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under ASHRAE 90.1-2010 = 81%
  • Water consumption from municipal sources = 1,612 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 81%

Project Performance

  • Energy intensity (building and process energy) = 133 KWhr/m²/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under ASHRAE 90.1-2010 = 81%
  • Water consumption from municipal sources = 1,612 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 81%
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Integral Group Studio

Calgary, AB

Interior Design Award

Jury Comment: As we take on the challenge of circularity in the construction industry, this beautiful contemporary office interior shows what is achievable using reclaimed materials with a combination of commitment and creativity. The sources of materials are diverse, but the resulting design is cohesive and inspiring.

Even for an interior tenant fit out like this one, location is key. The Integral Group chose the location for their new offices in the Telus Sky Building based on walkability and proximity to transit; and in the Telus Sky Building, in particular, because it was designed to LEED Platinum standards, incorporated operable windows, natural light, and displacement ventilation.

The overall office design fosters a sense of community through a central kitchen and the inclusion of areas for social interaction, including a boardroom table that converts to a pool table. In addition, a lactation room welcomes working mothers and doubles as a quiet room for those in need of a minute alone. The goal was to create a fully inclusive working environment; and all spaces within the floor plan, including meeting rooms and offices, were designed to be fully accessible.

The main door to the office was shifted to be located equidistant from the stairs and elevator to encourage staff to take the stairs when possible. The building has a triple-glazed curtain wall system with low-emissivity coatings to allow daylight into the space while maintaining thermal comfort and reducing heating and cooling loads. Operable windows allow occupants to have fresh air, limiting the amount of mechanical ventilation required. A heat wheel reduces the heating and cooling load which reduces energy use.

The all-LED lighting is equipped with occupancy and daylight sensors located throughout the office to optimize occupant visual comfort and reduce energy use. The projected annual energy consumption for the office space is approximately 177 kWh/m2.

The project had a lofty goal to exceed 100% of waste diversion from landfill, which meant diverting waste not related to this project. Many of the materials selected were salvaged from other project sites or other uses and re-purposed for this project.

The all-LED lighting is equipped with occupancy and daylight sensors located throughout the office to optimize occupant visual comfort and reduce energy use. Fan coil units were supplied by Daikin Applied.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Integral Group
  • Architect LOLA Architecture
  • General Contractor  Eton-West Construction (Alta) Inc.
  • Electrical/mechanical  Integral Group
  • Commissioning Agent  Integral Group
  • Photos  Chris Amat

Project Performance 

  • Energy intensity (building and process energy) = 177 KWhr/m²/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under NECB 2011 LEED ACP = 7.2%
  • Water consumption from municipal sources = 7,400 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 20%
  • Recycled material content by value = 20%
  • Construction waste diverted from landfill = 100%
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Kitsilano Duplex Retrofit

Vancouver, BC

Residential (Small) Award

Jury Comment: Given the requirement to maintain the historic character of the neighbourhood, and the imperative to add density by creating a duplex, meeting Passive House performance at this scale is a remarkable achievement. This project should be an inspiration for others like it in Vancouver and elsewhere.

A rare Canadian example of a Passive House EnerPHit retrofit, this duplex was fashioned from a 1940s single-family home.  The original home had been in the same family since the 1950s and had recently been gifted down to the grandson and granddaughter of the original owner. They decided to convert the house into a duplex, keeping one half each, but also decided to upgrade it to meet Passive House standards.

Development in much of Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood is subject to character retention guidelines; and balancing the required upgrade to Passive House thermal performance with the need to maintain architectural heritage was very challenging. However, by choosing to renovate rather than demolish the house and build new, the owners were able to retain more than 60% of the original framing material.

This dramatically lowered the embodied carbon of the building. By adding new structure to the existing framing, it was possible to bring the house up to current structural and seismic standards, while using far less new material than would have been required in an all-new building. Less new material, also translated into less construction waste.

It was necessary to lift the house to install a new crawl space basement which acts as a mechanical room and storage space. To further reduce embodied carbon, a ‘concrete free’ basement slab was installed, constructed with two layers of 15mm plywood laid directly on rigid insulation and compacted gravel.

The completed duplex is fully electric, with both electric heating and hot water. Rough-ins for air-to-air heat pumps were also made for future space cooling if needed. As summers in Vancouver are getting warmer, space cooling may become necessary for comfort in many buildings. The duplex is expected to use approximately 14 kWh/m²/year and is Passive house certified. Triple pane PH-certified wood windows are used within a wall assembly that consists of 2×6 framing with 4” of exterior mineral wool insulation.

The house uses triple pane Passive House-certified windows and doors by VETTA Building Technologies Inc.

A Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada ductless heat pump handles heating and cooling.

Project Credits

  • Architect  DLP Architecture
  • General Contractor  Geography Contracting
  • Photos  Michael Renaud

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