Planning & Designing Sustainable Green Homes

Removing dust, smoke, allergens like pollen and mold spores, viruses and contaminants using an effective air purification unit fitted with a proven HEPA filter improves air quality in homes and will improve the health of those living in the house. Indoor air quality is often worse inside homes than outside Indoor…

Understanding building science basics will help you design and build durable and efficient wall systems, in this instance LEED Platinum v4. LEED Platinum V4 wall design: building Science The wall we designed for the Edelweiss house, Canada's first LEED Platinum V4 Home is best categorized as a 'REMOTE' wall, a high…

Study shows there are more factors at play beyond simply the R value of materials in determining the thermal performance of buildings. What does the R value of insulation mean? The thermal performance of wall assemblies and insulation products has long been characterized using R-value, a metric which describes…

Canada cements its status as a world leader in the international green building and environmental sustainability movement. Washington, D.C. and Ottawa, ON — (July 22, 2015) — Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Canada ranks first on USGBC's second annual ranking of the Top 10 Countries for…

New partnership agreement will bring WELL to market across Canada. Washington, D.C. & Ottawa, ON (June 9, 2015) – Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) announce a new agreement to promote and advance the WELL Building Standard (WELL) in Canada. The WELL Building…

Recycled building materials can add character to a home while you save money and reduce building waste in landfills. The cost of every item we purchase is determined in part by the price of oil. This includes products that are in no way petroleum based, since material extraction, manufacturing and transportation…

With a hot tub, personal chairlift and the mountainous playground in his back yard, snowboarding pioneer Mike Basich re-defines what a truly rich life looks like. Snowboarding pioneer and photographer Mike Basich built himself an epic Tiny off-grid cabin. Without a bedroom or bathroom per se, but equipped with a hot…

Old ideas and new technologies merge in eco-friendly Toronto infill. This article was originally published in ecoHouse Canada, Winter 2014/15 issue. Kyle England is an architect with William Dewson Architects. Farnham Avenue House is a single-family detached residential infill project. Some of the eco-friendly…

This is the first in a series of videos on how to build passively-heated homes. WATCH MORE VIDEOs about passive solar home design and 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…

Dying your own Easter eggs is especially fun when using all natural dye made in your very own kitchen. Dying eggs is one of my favourite spring traditions. Sadly, many conventional food dyes and artificial colourings are far from benign. According to a 2010 study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public…

A resilient home is one that is better prepared to face the challenges of a changing climate, ideally providing security of heat, water and food. As founder of the Resilient Design Institute, Alex Wilson is an internationally renowned authority on resilience in home design. Beyond just homes, 'resilience' can in a…