Vancouver Team’s “Harmony House” Comes Out on Top
A Winner of CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative
Moishe Alexander Reviews:
VANCOUVER, February 13, 2009 — A team consisting of Vancouver’s Habitat Design + Consulting Ltd., a local design and consulting firm, and Insightful Healthy Homes Ltd. has been chosen to design and construct one of three new CMHC EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative homes, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced today.
In total, three builder and developer teams, including Vancouver’s Habitat Design + Consulting Ltd. “Harmony House” team, have been chosen to build eco-friendly homes as part of the second phase of CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative — a national project leading to the construction of the next generation of sustainable homes in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada.
“The Government of Canada is proud to work with Habitat Design + Consulting Ltd. and Insightful Healthy Homes Ltd. to extend the EQuilibrium™ initiative to B.C.,“ said Senator Yonah Martin on behalf of Minister Finley. “As a champion of sustainable housing, the Vancouver design / build team, and the other teams participating in the EQuilibrium™ initiative, are putting their expertise to work for the benefit of Canadians and providing a blueprint for the next generation of sustainable housing in Canada.”
“Harmony House” will use a mixture of proven and leading-edge technologies to build a highly marketable, resource efficient, healthy, net-zero energy home.
“We’re extremely excited to be a part of the initiative.” says Chris Mattock of Habitat Design + Consulting Ltd. “The Harmony House will provide a healthy indoor environment for the occupants, have low environmental impact and will be less expensive to operate and maintain than a conventional home.”
In addition to ”Harmony House,” the other two winning projects are:
The Green Dream Home (Kamloops, B.C.): a partnership between the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) Central Interior Chapter and Thompson Rivers University (TRU); and,
The Moncton VISION Home (Moncton, N.B.): a project by AlternaHome Solutions Inc. in partnership with Vision Land Development Ltd.
The EQuilibrium™ housing vision brings together, under one roof, the principles of occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency (including renewable energy production), resource conservation, reduced environmental impact and affordability. CMHC originally launched the EQuilibrium™ initiative in May 2006 by inviting Canadian builders and developers to submit their visions for EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes. Six projects have since been completed and opened to the public for viewing. For more information on the EQuilibrium™ initiative and projects, visit www.cmhc.ca.
CMHC has worked closely with many stakeholders to develop and launch EQuilibrium™. In particular, CMHC has collaborated closely with Natural Resources Canada which has contributed substantial research and development expertise and resources to advancing the initiative.
As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.
For more info: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/nero/nere/2009/2009-02-13-1430c.cfm