Even in the innovative and rapidly changing world of green building, some of the old ways and traditional materials are often the best. For thousands of years, natural clay and lime plasters have been used to create beautiful and long-lasting interior and exterior finishes. While these materials continue to be used extensively throughout the world, they have been largely replaced in North America by cement and acrylic stuccos.

By Peter McGee

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Many homeowners are already reducing their water consumption having retrofitted their home with water-conserving plumbing fixtures. They have accepted the soft touch of new showerheads over the powerful needle spray, and they are familiar with automatic-eye hand washing, dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals.

By Hugh Perry

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This small live/work addition to a Montreal row house represents a highly personal response to some big questions. With environmental responsibility his highest priority, owner Mario Lafrenais, chose to build the project himself, in order to facilitate maximum use of reclaimed materials and alternative energy systems, something that would have been much more difficult within the constraints of conventional commercially-driven building delivery systems.

By Jim Taggart

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The trend toward smaller houses

Between 1950 and 2000, the average size of a North American house increased from about 800sf to about 2,500sf. This has been a reflection of the mass movement of people from inner cities to suburbs, from small single-family lots, to much larger ones. But for many reasons, the migratory trend is beginning to reverse, and many people are now seeking the quality of life that contemporary urban environments provide.

By Andrew Reeves

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LEED Platinum house uses existing foundation and salvaged materials

This low-cost, 1,190sf, LEED Platinum house is sited on an existing 20-year-old foundation on pedestrian-oriented Protection Island, a five minute passenger ferry ride from Downtown Nanaimo.

By Dr Nancy Mackin

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An Ancient Art

Rammed earth construction is the process of building with sub soils [not top soils or ‘mud’] and compacting them into a formwork of some kind, until they are as solid as stone. It is very similar to the way in which sedimentary rock is formed in nature. Just as there are many colours of sedimentary rock, so there is a natural variation in the colouring of rammed earth – a variation that can be enhanced by the addition of iron oxide or other natural pigments.

By John Kurtz and Jim Taggart

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Reno to five living units makes an award winner

Through the renovation and conversion of a historic structure this unusual project has created a dramatic, modern and sustainable building. The project took a redundant 1940s schoolhouse, located in East Vancouver’s historic Strathcona neighbourhood, and transformed it into five distinctive residential units for the client and his extended family.

By Maia Low AND Leah Nyrose

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Certified products keep indoors healthy

Chemicals are absorbed into our bodies in three ways: inhalation, through the skin and ingestion. With indoor air two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and with people spending 90% of their time indoors, Lung Associations, the World Health Organization and Environmental Agencies view indoor air pollution as one of the greatest risks to human health.

By Hugh Perry

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New infill conserves power and water in a pleasing package

This urban infill lot stood vacant for 20 years, despite its prime location at the crest of a ravine, overlooking a river and parkland, just one kilometer from the city centre London, ON.

By Jim Taggart

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Houses that deliver heating and cooling on a shoestring energy bill

The term Passive House refers to a rigorous voluntary performance standard that substantially reduces the environmental impact of a building by reducing energy consumption to a level 80-90% less than that of a standard Canadian house.

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