Getting to the right vision, and expressing it simply, is not easy. Zero Green House Gas Emissions (GHG) is the right vision for us, because it says what we need to accomplish most succintly. 1.) Do we care about all Green House Gases? Yes. Therefore we need to stop burning gas entirely, starting now. The …
Continue reading “The Goal: Zero Greenhouse Gas Building, A Manifesto”
Map showing the extreme daily maximum temperature change in degrees Climate change is topping national, provincial, and municipal conversations these days: and for good reason. The fast few years have been the warmest on record (“NASA, NOAA Analyses Reveal Record-Shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015“) and the perils of business-as-usual become apparent. Ontario is implementing a Cap and …
Continue reading “Designing for Future Ontario Climates – Homes and Cottages”
At the firm as part of our conversation around insulation types, one of the Principals, Marty, mentioned that we have been using newspaper to insulated walls for hundreds of years. Indeed if anyone has done a renovation or addition to a home in Toronto from the early 1900’s, they might have found old newspapers still …
A big thank you is necessary to everyone who came out to the Roundtable on Tuesday to Meet Ontario’s Next Generation of Passive House Designers. Students from Ryerson, Waterloo, and Humber College, as well as industry professionals (Contractors, Material Suppliers, Energy Consultants, and Architects) from across Ontario came together to listen to students …
Continue reading “Thank you to Everyone who came out to our Roundtable last night!”
Many of our clients own detached or semi-detached homes in Toronto from around the WW2 era and are looking to either renovate or add an addition. Today we were wondering whether it makes sense for our clients to combine a Renovation and/or Addition with an overall energy efficiency upgrade on their homes through the use …
Choosing a contractor to build your dream home can be an overwhelming prospect for many homeowners. As architects we have worked with many contractors and have had great as well as horrible experiences. One of the main things we find is that contractors and homeowners can confuse each other via mis-understandings and poor …
Continue reading “4 tips for choosing a Contractor to build your Dream Home”
