A green sneak peek into sustainable house

I've been keeping readers up-to-date on our blitz-build, in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, of the Archetype Sustainable House at the Kortright Centre in Vaughan. But looking back over those articles I realize I've been pretty general in talking about the actual green features of the homes.

It won't be long before the public gets to see the real thing as the build is proceeding so quickly that we're already calling for trim carpenters, but just to whet your appetite, here are just some of the green features that are going into the two-semi-detached units.

ENERGY

• Ground source heat pump
• Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) foundation
• R40 roof and R30 wall insulation
• Triple-glazed, ultra high-efficiency windows
• Flat-plate and evacuated tube solar hot water
• 4 kilowatt photo-voltaic (solar electrical generation) system
• Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) roof
• Micro co-generation unit to produce heat and electricity
• Heat-recovery ventilator
• In-floor radiant heating
• Energy Star electrical lighting and appliances

Adaptability

• Zero lot-line design and flexible modules adapt to urban, row and infill sites.
• The renovation-ready attic can be finished with a minimum of cost, waste or disruption.
• The barrier-free ground floor design is adaptable.
• The adaptable garage can serve as a guest suite, rental apartment, home office, studio or workshop.

Water and Landscape

• The engineered wetland wastewater system treats all household wastewater and creates a beautiful common amenity space.
• Native species and climate-appropriate plants need little water, mowing or maintenance.
• The green roof on the garage reduces stormwater runoff and heat island effect.

MATERIALS

• Environmentally preferable and locally-sourced materials including Forest Stewardship Council lumber
• Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) adhesives and sealants
• Recycled drywall
• Recycled and low-VOC paint
• Recycled insulation and high-tech "inseal-ation"
• Material-efficient framing reduces the materials harvested for the house.

You will notice from the last point that there is a huge focus on advance planning to minimize construction waste.

On top of that, the build site features a Target Zero Waste approach devised by the Metro Group, who has even brought in solar compaction equipment for the project. Solar power is also running the generators for the power tools and lighting the construction trailer.

These lists are by no means exhaustive, but they certainly justify the use of the phrase archetype in front of the words sustainable house. It's no wonder that Building Blocks, the design name for the Archetype House, came out on top of a national integrated design process competition. They've left no green stone unturned.

The challenge was to design a single-family home that demonstrated the best in environmentally sustainable design and would be a model for mass-produced housing development.

As architects Anne Stevens and Terrell Wong say in their daily blog, they saw this project as their opportunity "to make a statement, express their hopes and desires and make a difference."

There's no doubt about making a difference, and the electrical monitoring devices being installed during the build will help us quantify just how much of a difference the various green features will each make.

We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, for more information on the Archetype Sustainable House, please visit www.newhomes.org, click on Green Homes, then Archetype House.

Michael Moldenhauer is president of the Building Industry and Land Development Association. His column appears Saturdays in New in Homes. The views expressed are those of the president. Email: president@bildgta.ca.