Beyond Simulation: Real-World Thermal Data from Our Rammed Earth Guesthouse

Coolearth recently had the opportunity to see the guesthouse of our Cherry Valley Rammed Earth project in Prince Edward County independently studied and published in Frontiers in Built Environment (Harvey & Szentesi-Nejur, 2025). Titled “Field-based thermal performance analysis of a cement-stabilized, core-insulated rammed earth house in a cold climate,” the paper by Gabriel Harvey and …

Understanding Green Building Certifications in Practice

Energy-efficient, durable, and climate-responsive buildings are increasingly shaping how we design and evaluate the built environment. Rising energy costs, evolving municipal standards, and growing awareness of operational carbon have shifted high-performance design from a niche specialty toward a broader professional expectation. Several popular certification systems help structure this work. Each has a different emphasis — …

Low Energy Home Construction Update – December 2024

Construction is underway for this single family low energy home, the Pomona House! The client sent us photos of the progress: The ‘Slate Blue’ corrugated metal roofing is currently being installed. The colour nicely compliments the surrounding sky and harmonizes well with the house’s surrounding environment. The image above was taken on a sunny day, …

Why consider EnerPHit retrofit for your next home?

Home retrofits are becoming more commonplace as society is now more conscious of the impact of climate change, in combination with people’s desire to age-in-place. Technology has evolved and developed to the point where sustainable and energy efficient design practices are more attainable. With all of these factors coming together, home retrofits that aim to …

Prince Edward County Rammed Earth House – Photo Update

We are pleased to show you photos of the Cherry Valley Rammed Earth house that was completed this past summer. Located in Prince Edward County, the site inspired the design of this minimalist single storey home. The main house and guesthouse are separated by a covered breezeway, which shelters a carport and three-season screened porch. …

Waverly Low-Carbon Retrofit – Upgrading and modernizing a residence in the beaches

The team at Coolearth Architecture Inc. in combination with a dedicated and passionate set of clients and builders, had the fortune and pleasure of working to create a beautiful renovation to a newly acquired home, while also performing a substantial deep-energy retrofit as well as switching to all-electric and getting off natural gas.