Canada's largest Passive House building under construction in Vancouver

Posted by: Kalyani.rc // Passive House / Sustainability Enthusiast

Eighth Avenue, a real estate development group is currently developing a mixed-use project with 85 unit market rental building in the rapidly revitalizing/re-evolving neighborhood of the East Hastings corridor, Vancouver Heights.

The property has been rezoned to permit a mixed-use building of approximately 60,000 square feet, six stories in height. The building will include retail commercial uses on the ground floor and residential market rental units on the five story’s above.

With a focus on well designed, sustainably built, comfortable living spaces using the latest in design approaches, technologies, and processes, the building will be built to Certified Passive House Standards. Passive House buildings are “high-performance sustainable buildings”, meaning they are designed and built to maximize the reduction of energy use for heating while providing the highest level of air quality and comfort. This is achieved in its simple well-designed building envelope with NO thermal heat transfer from the building itself. Minimal heat loss means minimal energy required to heat the building.

The building is super insulated with no technology or complicated mechanical systems, just a simple envelope, high-quality windows and high-quality air control through Heat Recovery Ventilation. Conceptually, the idea is much like the old European farmhouses with two foot thick stone walls that keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. Vancouver Heights will be one of the largest Passive House buildings in North America and the largest in Canada.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.pembina.org/blog/canada-s-largest-passive-house-under-construction-vancouver