
Building Envelope

Buying & Installing Energy-Efficient Windows: Your Ultimate Guide in 2023
Your complete guide to buying and installing windows in 2023

3M Feather-Friendly Window Markers Are For The Birds
3M Feather Friendly Window Markers help birds avoid collisions with windows. They are applied as a transfer sheet for commercial and residential buildings.

Blue Roof – A Roof Made From Sewage Products
In Rotterdam, BlueCity is a Circular Economy incubator for companies developing technologies that create products from waste. So far they have about 12 companies that are working within their facilities - which are located in a defunct indoor tropical swimming centre...

The benefits of rainscreens
The benefits of rainscreens extend beyond building in rainy climates. Their purpose is to keep precipitation away from building envelopes to keep them dry.

EuroShield Recycled Rubber Roofing System
EuroShield recycled rubber roofing offers a premium roofing product made from recycled tires. If properly installed, the product offers a lifetime warranty. It is also maintenance free.

May – New Products from Eco Building Resource
Kevin Royce at Eco Building Resource sent me a list of new products he has available. New Eco Products In Stock For ________________________________________________________ Solatube 160DSe (10") Provides the ultimate in energy-efficient day-lighting....

Skylights’ Function in The Active House
**This program has been discontinued.** Some green builders and energy auditors would argue that skylights have no place in a "green" home. After all, skylights puncture the building envelope allowing heat to escape in the winter and enter in the summer. Improper...

The Importance of an Energy Audit, Using Infrared Imaging
Energy audits are even more effective with an infrared scanner.

SageGlass — Energy Efficiency Using Tinted Dynamic Glass
For architects and builders concerned with a building's energy efficiency, windows have always been a double-edged sword. On the one hand they offer views, natural light, and heat in the winter when the sun is shining. On the other hand, they're holes in the...

Enviroshake Roofing Tiles Look like Cedar
Enviroshake is a roofing tile that is intended as a cedar shake replacement. It comes in one colour, a dark gray when first installed, but within 6 months it weathers to a nice looking silvery gray similar to that of weathered cedar. The shakes come in 8 different...

How to Shop for Windows
Windows are usually the "path of least resistance" when it comes to heat loss/gain. Because you're cutting a big hole in your building, it's not hard to see where your heat loss is likely to come from. So compromising on window quality could cost you more in heating...

Inline Fiberglass Windows — Warm on the Inside Even When it’s -11 Celsius Outside
It's no exaggeration to say "you had me at -11" when I think of Inline Fiberglass windows. If you've read my article on the First Certified Passive House Residence in Canada then you might remember the part about putting my hand up to the windows and the glass feeling...

Accoya Wood: Durable, Stable, Modified Without Toxins
I was at a presentation, hosted by Upper Canada Forest Products, to hear about the features of Accoya wood. This is a wood product which looks really interesting specifically for any outdoor use. Matt Roberts is the Technical Sales Manager for the Americas for...

A Tour of the First “Passive House Certified” Residence in Canada
We went to Ottawa for Family Day weekend to visit my husband's family. A few weeks before this, I received a press notice that an Ottawa house had become the first Passive House certified in Canada. "Say," I thought, "wouldn't it be great if I could arrange for a tour...

Passive House Design in a Canadian Climate
Passive House design may or may not be financially achievable in Canada…but it’s certainly worth the effort to try.
Subscribe to our blog
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news on green building materials and methods to help you build and renovate better.
You have Successfully Subscribed!
You may unsubscribe at any time.