2370 s.f. Single Family Residence. Toronto, Ontario. Completion Spring 2009.

Design

New construction of an open concept 3 Bedroom Single Family Residence on a challenging urban site. The 24′ centrally located double height volume brings in natural light, casting dramatic shadows, marking the passage of time during the day whilst acting as a “lantern” at night.

Sustainability Features

• Program and Spatial Optimization
• Integration with the ‘Natural Assets’ of the Site and Terrain
• Natural Ventilation
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Material Optimization and Modular Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Non-toxic Materials and Finish

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Tao Cheng, Cathy Garrido

Project Partners

• Engineering: CUCCO engineering + design, Toronto
• Builder: All Canada Contractors, Toronto
• Mechanical: Tom Furr, BEC Consulting Services, Pickering

2,500 sf House. Toronto, Ontario. Completion 2011.

Design + Construction Management

A carport located at the front of the lot allows spaces of the house to extend into the backyard.

Design Features

With the backyard now a usable green space, this house accommodates a double car port and a single car garage just above grade. The garage creates a split level concept, with four stories at the back of the house and three at the front. The main living quarters are slightly elevated above street level, allowing sun into the south facing facade while maintaining privacy within the dwelling. The top floor master suite overlooks the rooftop patio half a story below. The contemporary design will respond to the traditional street scape through selected materials and elevation alignments of adjacent eves and porch structures.

Sustainability Features

• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Geothermal Systems
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Graham Smith, Logan Amos

2,000 sf Residence. Clearview, Ontario. Completion 2011.

Design + Construction Management

Design

Designed for a local artist, the modest building acts as gate house to the primary residence located within the property just south of Collingwood.  A broad selection of sustainable technologies, including a geothermal lake loop, set this project apart from others in the area. The building itself draws inspiration from a number intimate relationships and views, both through the adjacent woodland, as well as across the nearby pond, and is oriented to maximize privacy relative to the driveway nearby.

Materials

TBD

Sustainability Features

• Program and Spatial Optimization
• Integration with the ‘Natural Assets’ of your Site and Terrain
• Site Specific View and Vista Optimization
• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Material Optimization and Modular Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Geothermal Systems
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures

A whole host of other green strategies will be incorporated, including a low-impact horizontal lake loop geothermal heating system, deliberate solar orientation, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and local materials.

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Joe Knight, Graham Smith

Project Partners

• Landscape Design: John Lloyd & Associates
• Engineering: Cucco Engineering
• Construction: Valley View Construction

3,000 sf Cottage Addition. Skerryvore, Township of the Archipalego, Ontario. Completion 2010.

Design + Construction Management

A seasonal cottage addition nestles into the landscape and gestures toward the lakeside view.

Design Features

The proposed addition is connected to the existing traditional cottage with a screened porch. On approach, both buildings have a similar shape and size, with the low screen porch and roof deck in the middle. The addition rotates and lowers as it extends toward the water, becoming a shifted L-shape plan and single story horizontal gesture. Inside, a subtle combination of traditional heavy timber frame construction merges with a modern open concept floor plan.

Sustainability Features

• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Geothermal Systems
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Trevor McIvor, Logan Amos

Project Partners

• Engineering: Hamann Engineering, Toronto

3,600 sf Single-Family Cottage. Seguin Township, Ontario. Completion 2010.

Design + Construction Management

The contemporary home is perched on a rock ledge overlooking Lake Joseph with an extensive screened porch that cantilevers out beyond the sloping terrain.

Design Features

All key rooms take advantage of the lake view with services and washrooms being relegated to the road side of the home. The plan is anchored around a double height living space that is full of natural day-lighting and encourages natural ventilation of the home. The master suite maintains its privacy as well as significant glazing towards the lake by being pulled away from the rest of the program and by using a buffer zone of a cozy reading room.

Sustainability Features

• Integration with the Site and Terrain
• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Geothermal Systems
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round, Mike Lanctot

Construction Management: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round, Morris Ortolan

Project Partners

• Engineering: Cucco Engineering and Design
• Construction:

3,000 sf Home. Village of Port Sidney, Huntsville, Ontario. Completion 2010.

Design + Construction Management

A year-round residence that takes advantage of the entire site set amongst towering white pines.

Design Features

The project is essentially comprised of two solid volumes connected by a glazed entry space and indoor/outdoor living room. The roof of the living room is sheltered between the two solids and becomes an additional outdoor space with a view over the lake, a garden and a hot tub. The home is a balance of program spaces, with the public entertaining spaces of the living room, dining room and kitchen and the more private and intimate spaces of the library and den.

Sustainability Features

• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Renewable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Geothermal Systems
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures
• Green Roofs

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round, Logan Amos

Project Partners

• Engineering: Hamann Engineering, Toronto

750 sf Rear Addition to 1600 sf Single Family Home. Etobicoke, Ontario. Completion 2009.

Design + Construction Management

Design

The goal of the project is to covert a post-war house into a contemporary home and to provide a much needed addition.  Preserving as much of the structure as possible the design team also turned to sustainable solutions that were particularly suited to the heavy masonry construction of this home.  By insulating the house on the outside all of the thermal mass can be utilized to both moderate indoor temperatures and humidity and facilitate a nighttime ventilation strategy that will greatly reduce cooling requirements.

Sustainability Features

• Program and Spatial Optimization
• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Reclaimed and Recycled Materials
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures

Space heating is delivered through a retrofit staple-up radiant heat application to all floors within the existing building, whilst the rear addition makes use of new in-floor radiant heating throughout. The application of a new external cladding system to all existing facades offers the opportunity to re-insulate all external walls above grade, thus helping to stabilize heating and cooling strategies within the buildings envelope. Along with the re-insulation of the existing basement floor slab and the strapping out and re-insulation of all external basement walls heat losses can be minimized.

The main living areas to the rear addition maximize passive heat gains through the introduction of larger expanses of glazing to the south facade, whilst at the same time enhancing the overall connectivity between internal and external spaces. The second storey has been designed in such as way as to cantilever past the ground floor along both the south and west facades, this in turn creates a brise-soleil, and a means of controlling over-exposure to the sun; eliminating fears of overheating.

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Graham Smith, Joe Knight

Project Partners

• Engineering: CUCCO engineering + design, Toronto
• Builder: David Aaron Associates, Toronto
• Mechanical: Canadian HVAC Design, Richmond Hill

3,200 sf Cottage. Muskoka Lakes, Ontario. Completion 2009.

Design + Construction Management

Design

Project Description

Set on a rock formation overlooking a spectacular lake, the Cliff House seeks to enhance the extraordinary surroundings through the thoughtful integration of building elements with the natural assets of the site and terrain. The program called for intimate spaces carefully tuned to the unique views, light, and breezes of the site. Self-sufficiency was a key client mandate and the project is completely off-grid.

The dwelling emerges form the cliff and rests on a base crafted from local granite. A tall central void acts as an anchor that circulates movement, light and air into living spaces that pinwheel and extend into the landscape. Balancing the heavy mass of two interior fireplace cores; cantilevered volumes, flying roofs and floor-to-ceiling glass achieve a lightness of form and work to draw the lake into each interior space. Finely crafted materials, including hand-hewn stonework, wood ceilings, and structural board-formed concrete walls, define the residence and celebrate the skilled contributions of all tradespeople involved.

Living lightly on the site was important to the owners and the architects were given a strong mandate for sustainability. As a retreat for the family, the desire to become completely self-sufficient and independent from external infrastructure became critical to the design of this off-grid residence. The design achieves this aim by combining passive and active systems. Sustainable design in this case is not divorced from the experiential qualities of the dwelling but enhances the unification of building and landscape.

This design implements a passive gain and solar mass strategy that takes advantage of the sun’s daily passage and the movement of air in different seasons. In summer, solar shading limits heat gain while operable windows are orientated to take advantage of natural ventilation. Operable windows in the vertical circulation space are create a stack effect to vent hot, stale air above and draw cool, fresh air in below. Green roofs mediate temperatures and control runoff while connecting the building foreground with the distant landscape. Optimized glazing and solar orientation in conjunction with the thermal mass of concrete slabs and stone walls forms the basis of the heating system. A high performance envelope and super-insulated glass work to limit unfavorable heat loss and gains all year-round. These passive strategies reduce energy loads and augment comfort so that the demands on active systems are minimized.

Two contra-flow masonry heaters (ultra clean burning) in the fireplace cores take full advantage of abundant biomass available on site for supplemental heat. An array of evacuated tube solar collectors use the sun’s energy to heat water that circulates through 10 thermal storage tanks. This massive store of energy supplies hydronic radiant floor heating and provides domestic hot water. A series of photovoltaic panels and battery bank provide the building with electricity. Electrical loads have been carefully managed and are minimized through the use of energy efficient appliances and LED and compact fluorescent lighting.

Status

The building has been commissioned and occupied. We are closely monitoring energy use to adjust the system as needed.

The 10 kw PV array is being metred to gauge whether the electrical consumption is being met. The Solar hydronic heating sysrtem has also been metred to monitor the use of the back-up propane boiler. Our goal is zero consumption. Since a good portion of the heating system is user based and dependent, as in ironically the more the building is used the less the back up system is relied on, and less fossil fuels burned, this will take a year of use before we can fully guage our research.

Both the clients and all designers involved are very excited about the ongoing research component of the building.

One recent sunny November day had outdoor air temperatures under 10 degrees celcius while passive gains had indoor air temperatures over 25 degrees celcius at which point venting skylights moderate air temperature while the thermal mass slabs absorb solar gain for night time radiant heat.

Design goals are engineered that the solar mass tanks, when fully charged (one to two days of full solar gain) can provide enough hydronic solar to last four overcast winter days.

We will continue posting updates to our research findings.

Sustainability Features

• Program and Spatial Optimization
• Integration with the ‘Natural Assets’ of Site and Terrain
• Site Specific View and Vista Optimization
• Passive Solar Heating (Thermal Storage Mass)
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• High Performance Envelope Design
• Renewable and/or Recyclable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Wood Heating Systems (ie. Contraflow Masonry Heaters)
• Radiant Heating
• Heat Recovery Ventilation
• Solar Hot Water Systems (Domestic and In Floor Radiant Heating)
• Solar Electric (photovoltaic or PV systems)
• Wastewater Heat Recovery
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances (LED, CFL lighting and Energy Star appliances)
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures (low flow/ dual flush toilets)
• Green Roof Systems

Designed for an off-grid property, this cottage will feature a hybrid wood/solar radiant heating system with propane backup. Evacuated tube solar arrays will fill mass store tanks that feed a hydronic radiant floor system. This system will supplement a passive gain and solar mass strategy. Summer cooling is through solar shading and passive stack effect ventilation. A series of photovoltaic panels provides the buildings on the property with electricity. Large overhangs control the solar gain while green roofs mediate temperatures and control runoff.

Altius Project Team

Architecture: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round

Construction Management: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round

Project Partners

• Engineering: CUCCO engineering + design, Toronto - Christopher Cucco
• Mechanical: Canadian HVAC Design w/ Gravenhurst Plumbing & Mechanical
• Construction: Orchard Contracting, Bracebridge - Doug Orchard

Publication

• Cliff House on World Architecture News

1,150 sf Cottage. Near Parry Sound, Ontario. Completion 2009.

note: quicktime is required to play the movie.

Design

An off-grid retreat on a small island, this modest but spatially-efficient cottage includes living spaces, two bedrooms and a sauna.

Sustainable Features

• Program and Spatial Optimization
• Integration with the ‘Natural Assets’ of Site and Terrain
• Passive Solar Heating
• Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling
• Natural Daylighting
• Renewable and/or Recyclable Materials and Finishes
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and Non-toxic Materials and Finishes
• Advanced Wood Heating Systems (ie. Contraflow Masonry Heaters)
• Solar Hot Water Systems
• Solar Electric (photovoltaic or PV systems)
• Low Energy Lighting & Appliances
• Water Conserving Appliances & Fixtures
• Green Roof Systems
• Composting Toilet
• Grey Water Percolation

Altius Project Team

• Architecture: Trevor McIvor, Tony Round

Project Partners

• Engineering:CUCCO Engineering + Design - Christopher Cucco