planning and design / Guides

...and severe, resources like energy, food and water are becoming more and more scarce in some areas, and a growing world population means more and more people want a piece of that shrinking pie. To be able to offer your family a safe, warm home and enough to eat without relying on societal infrastructure is what define...

...and moving on to building lot particulars. Two neighbouring homes will face many similar issues, but may have greatly differing ones as well. This can be due to building design, sun exposure, soil conditions, material choices or even topography to name a few. Assessing and planning for durability issues helps creat...

...designed to produce a conservative estimate of a home’s EnerGuide rating . The tool has also allowed individual designers and builders to see their home’s projected performance while still in the design phase, and explore different options in order to achieve desired results. The response to MIBOP from both CEAs an...

...and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning released a landmark report Feb. 29 that describes how green buildings advance resiliency in disasters. “Green Building and Climate Resilience: Understanding Impacts and Preparing for Changing Conditions” describes potential adaptive str...

...and shading for passive heating and cooling • green roofs to moderate indoor temperatures and mitigate the heat-island effect • interior design and the use of thermal mass to facilitate passive-heating strategies • climate specific design: insulation, waterproofing, soundproofing, air barriers and vapour control ...

...design of Ecohome’s demonstration home: Passive heating and cooling, healthy living space, affordable to build and operate, resilient and flexible design. The underlying goal of the Ecohome Demo House was to design and build a modestly-sized but functional home that would greatly outperform conventionally built homes...

...design, which also meet requirements for Whistler’s Price Restricted House Initiative. “One of the major hesitations associated with ultra-low energy buildings is the construction costs,” said Alex Maurer, director of Marken Projects and a leading expert in Passive House Design and Planning. “We wanted to show that...

...and some have more than one. Please refer to the rating system for more details. Innovation & Design Process (ID) 1.1 Preliminary rating: Conduct a preliminary meeting with your LEED provider and key members of your project team. It is here where you will determine what points you are eligible for and wish to tar...

...designing traditional entrances that people will rarely if ever use; those are home-design templates from a generation past. Think of all those older homes which have grand front door entrances that go unused, while people regularly come in and out of kitchen or side doors. Designing a smaller and more functional space...

...and the progress throughout the construction project, and who wants to get the ecological basics right as a priority. Project overruns in both material cost and labor are very common in green home construction and renovation projects, so – plan as best as you can, then assume you will miss your targets and be sure to...

...and are starting to incorporate the principles of eco-design into their products. Though they were late getting into the game, Prefabs are now credible competitors in the housing market with some really great new designs and innovations. If you are going this route look into a home that is at least Novoclimat certi...