leed-platinum / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

  Pre-fab homes are a very credible option for high performance home construction. When it comes to high efficiency sustainable housing, until recently prefab homes didn't even show up on the radar. A few companies in recent years have taken huge steps to change that, notably with the recent completion of the Beachaus ...

This article was originally published in ecoHouse Canada, Winter 2014/15 issue. Kyle England is an architect with William Dewson Architects, www.dewson.com. Farnham Avenue House is a single-family detached residential infill project. Some of the eco-friendly design aspects are time honoured such as, vertical venti...

Why pay for a green home certification? As more people pursue high efficiency green home rating certifications, they become increasingly well known and trusted. Consequently, more people seek them out. Developers build smarter homes when consumers demand them, and the existence of certification programs raises the bar ...

A quick update: as of September 13 Beachaus II has officially been awarded LEED Platinum, the highest possible achievement in the LEED for homes rating system. Designed for active living and built to last – this ultra modern 2000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom home includes a large separate office/studio space and ...

As described by the architects: Designed for a client with environmental sensitivities, +HOUSE is a manifestation of a sustainable and healthy approach to building that does not sacrifice design. Sited facing the bank of a stream-fed pond, this four-season house is nestled into a natural slope. Extensive 14-ft high gla...

After completing a design workshop for high performance wall systems, teachers at the New Frontiers School Board in Ormstown, QC have settled on a building envelope that will outperform houses built to code by a factor of almost 3. The school will be releasing videos following the progress of this first of its kind pro...

The University of British Columbia has opened the most sustainable building in North America, a $37 million 'living laboratory' that will help to regenerate the environment and advance research and innovation on global sustainability challenges. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is one of onl...

After certifying its first LEED project in 2005, the CaGBC collected data over the next eight years, measuring the direct impact LEED Canada made on various aspects of the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions, national energy and water consumption and waste diversion. The results were compelling: A 312,006 C...

WATCH MORE VIDEOs about passive solar home design & construction here This is the first in a series of videos on passive solar home construction, we begin with passive solar design basics, orienting the future house on the site to take full advantage of the free heat available from the sun while keeping it cool wi...

The Earth Rangers Centre located in Woodbridge, Ontario has been awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the Canada Green Building Council, for Existing Buildings (EB). The Earth Rangers Centre certified LEED Gold for New Construction in 2004, is home to Earth Rangers' Animal Ambassadors and staff and is also a showca...

Prefab LEED Platinum kit house in Montreal   Ellen and Roman Szumski earned LEED® Platinum certification for their home in Labelle, in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec and EcoHome took a look. LEED is a point-based green building rating system, so we must emphasize the exceptional performance of this house modeled by...