Green Building Techniques
How Integrated Project Delivery reduces costs, waste and time for construction jobs
Integrated Project Delivery construction is a method which can significantly lower costs and time taken to build commercial construction projects.
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.
Living walls can benefit your community and local environment
Living walls, or plant walls, provide a way to clean the air around them and can be used inside or outside to clean the air and provide moisture.
A Straw Bale Home Q&A with the Fourth Pig Sustainable Builders
About a month ago I posted an article written by Terrell Wong, an architect specializing in sustainable building and design, about a straw bale addition to a home she had designed. She was frustrated because the city of Toronto denied it even though the city had built...
Making Better Buildings Book Review
A review of a book about green building materials
Straw Bale Built Home Declined by Toronto But The City Built one in High Park
My friend, Architect Terrell Wong, a passive house and green building specialist, has been having quite the time with the City of Toronto, trying to get an addition to a home built with straw bale. She figured that since the city had built its own straw bale building...
Canada’s Greenest Home is Complete!
Chris Magwood, Executive Director of The Endeavour Centre sent me a note letting me know that Canada's Greenest Home is now complete and up for sale. As he mentions in his blog post on the subject, being the greenest home is not a brag per se, as those people working...
Aerecura Rammed Earth Home Revisited
In October, 2010, I had the very fortunate opportunity to visit with Sylvia Cook, owner of Aerecura Rammed Earth Builders and owner of Ontario's first rammed earth home, just after the beautiful walls had been finished. The roof, windows and main floor had yet to be...
Earthquake — LEED Platinum Home revisited — A tour with Rolf Baumann of RGB Group
A few weeks ago, while in Ottawa, I contacted Rolf Baumann, owner of RGB Group and builder of the first Earthquake resiliant/LEED Platinum duplex in Canada. He took me on a tour of the building and explained what he was doing to attain the LEED Canada Platinum for...
New Ottawa Home is aiming for LEED Platinum. Oh, and it’s Earthquake Resilient Too.
Given the earthquake that happened on August 23, 2011, how appropriate that I was sent this information about a new earthquake resilient residential complex being built in the Glebe area of Ottawa. Not only is the residence aiming for LEED Platinum certification, it...
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...
An Interview with Sylvia Cook, Rammed Earth Builder
Why would someone decide to build a rammed earth house? This is an interview with a rammed earth builder and the decisions she made.
Ontario’s First Rammed Earth House
The first rammed earth home in Ontario, built by Aerecura Construction.
An Interview with Chris Phillips, local green builder
The building industry has a huge impact on CO2 output. One builder, Chris Phillips, is trying to change that one house at a time.
A Massachusetts Garage made from easily accessible materials: Tires and Dirt
Follow a determined woman on her journey to build the first tire and dirt garage in Massachusetts.
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