Building Show 2017 – Seminar

  We are getting excited — this Thursday, November 30th, Sheena Sharp, a principal at Coolearth Architecture, will be presenting a Seminar as part of the Building Show 2017. If you are interested in attending, please let us know, we have a few complimentary tickets for the seminar. Otherwise, we hope to see you there! …

High Park Reno – Modifying standard practices to reduce thermal bridging

  The High Park renovation is fully underway, and we had pushed the contractor to modify some of his standard practices to reduce thermal bridging. The original house had no insulation and was built with hollow clay bricks. We are adding a stud wall to allocate Closed Cell Spray Foam insulation (ccSPF) by offsetting it from …

Breezeway Passive House in Richmond Hill – Passive House, Net Zero and Permaculture

  We are working on a very exciting custom home project in Richmond Hill targeting Passive House Certification. The 3300-sqft multi-generational house is designed to be durable, energy efficient, comfortable, bright, and regenerative.  The house is a bungalow, with easy access to the house and yards via ramps, making it possible for residents of all ages to …

Passive Survivability – Building Design for Resilience and Safety

Passive Survivability is a term coined by Building Science expert Alex Wilson, which he defines as “maintaining livable conditions in the event of extended loss of power or interruptions in heating fuel.” Alex, came up with the idea after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, observing how modern un-powered, un-serviced buildings overheated while traditional architecture remained …

Blower Door Testing on Net-zero Toronto Semi-detached Retrofit

Yesterday the Coolearth team conducted a Blower Door test on the Net-zero Toronto Semi-detached Retrofit project during the construction phase to identify any major air leaks.     By doing the Blower Door test mid-construction we are able to work with the contractor to solve problems before we get to far into the process.   This …

Visit us @ the Green Living Show, April 7-9th

We invite you to join us at the upcoming Toronto Green Living Show on April 7-9th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Coolearth Architecture’s booth is 1546. At the Green Living Show we will be sharing a plan to make your home Net-zero in five years. Homes in the GTA use a substantial amount of …