L’Abri creates a magical sustainable family home in Canada
The Saltbox Passive House by L’Abri is a primary residence designed for a family of four and built on the Southern flank of Mont Gale in Bromont, in the Eastern Townships. L’Abri is an architecture and construction firm based in Montreal. The workshop specialises in ecological, healthy, and sustainable construction.
The 3,100sqft single-family home, built on three levels, sits in a meadow at the edge of a wooded, protected area on a 2.5-acre lot. The house in Bromont, Canada, whose design is inspired by the region’s architectural heritage, achieved LEED Platinum and PHIUS 2018+ certifications, making it the third house to obtain passive house certification in Quebec.
The design was carried out using an integrated design approach and is the result of a close collaboration between the architects, consultants, builder, and PHIUS consultant.
The house faces South to favour passive solar heating and panoramic views over the valley. The construction on three levels is nestled into the mountain to minimise the visibility of the retaining walls. By building the rear part of the ground floor at garden level, and by opting for a roof slope that mirrors the land, the house echoes the topography of the location while remaining discreet from the street, revealing itself only once visitors are on the driveway. The third and lowest level houses a garage which also serves as a workshop and remains hidden until the final approach.
Inside, the living spaces are generous and bright. Illuminated by three large openings which contribute to the passive heating of the building, the central double-height room is the real heart of the house. Its functions are organised around a central block which comprises the mudroom, the kitchen, the pantry and a powder room. This white volume abuts the second floor corridor which serves as a passageway to the bedrooms and a small mezzanine home office.
To the North, the children’s bedrooms are lit by narrow horizontal bands that frame the forest which borders the house, all while limiting heat loss. In the crook of the L sits a terrace partially protected by pergolas which serve as sunscreens and passively regulate the interior temperature of the house.
The term Passive House refers to a high-performance building standard that promotes energy efficiency, comfort and the sustainability of buildings. Developed 30 years ago in Germany by the Passivhaus Institut, the standard means, among other things, heating and cooling energy savings of around 80%.
The basic principles of the standard are simple: a highly insulated and very airtight envelope, superior heat recovery of the mechanical ventilation system and a design which optimises the orientation and sizing of openings to promote passive heating of the building.
Contrary to popular belief, these buildings are not off the grid but their energy consumption and their dependence on utilities are drastically reduced. Achieving the performance criteria of a passive house is only possible with the close collaboration of the architect, the consultants and the builder, which is why we favoured an integrated design approach from the very start. This experience confirmed to us that a building can be both aesthetic, in harmony with its environment and extremely efficient.
In the case of the Saltbox house, all design decisions were first validated by performing an energy model of the building which then steered us toward a double-stud structure for the insulation of above-ground walls and triple-glazed UPVC windows. Beyond the energy targets determined by the PHIUS standard, we also aimed to reduce the building’s carbon footprint by carefully choosing the materials used, such as wood siding and cellulose insulation.
Photo credit: Raphaël Thibodeau
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This newest sustainable community in Abu Dhabi is offering Spanish-inspired villas!
Jubail Island Investment Company has unveiled its designs for the first phase of villas currently under construction, offering Mediterranean-inspired living at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s newest sustainable community.
With four distinct styles to choose from, the villas provide a range of unique designs to suit buyers and are available for sale immediately. The developer has drawn inspiration from the historical styling of original Spanish haciendas, offering residents a contemporary, stylish and unique family residence amid a beautiful natural setting.
Taking design cues from traditional Spanish architecture such as overhanging terracotta pitched roofs, coloured external renders and classic Spanish metalwork, the villas represent an organic, luxurious and modern take on the hacienda. In addition to main entry courtyards, special features include towers concealing staircases, balconies, and colonnades as well as covered terraces – all adding the element of discovery, yet facilitating practical living spaces for modern families.
The Mediterranean-style villas will be offered across multiple villages in Jubail Island: Marfaa Al Jubail, Souk Al Jubail and Seef Al Jubail, and Nad Al Dhabi.
Mounir Haidar, managing director of Jubail Island Investment Company, said: “We are delighted to announce that our Mediterranean villas are on sale, providing families with a traditional design built to the most modern standards of construction using the best materials available.”
“Set amid Abu Dhabi’s outstanding natural beauty, discerning purchasers have the choice of four separate styles – yet each one connects luxury with the aesthetic of a true hacienda house. We set out to demonstrate a sense of Mediterranean architecture mixed with the luxurious, bespoke features that perfectly represent the vision of Jubail Island. These villas are perfect for families seeking a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary living,” stated Haidar.
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Caparol Arabia introduces Nano 360 for sustainable projects
Caparol Arabia launches ‘Nano 360’, its latest innovative and eco-friendly solution for sustainable projects. The new product is a superior quality exterior paint with advanced Nano technology specially designed to withstand the harsh Middle East climate and weather.
Following several years of research and on the back of established evidence, Nano 360 has proved to offer excellent dirt pick-up resistance, outstanding colour retention, enhanced solar reflectance, increase durability and longer protection to any type of building (up to 5% energy savings and 22% cost savings over the lifetime of a building). The confidence in the performance of Nano 360 led Caparol to provide customers with a unique and unmatched 25 years warranty.
In the Middle East, buildings consume in general up to 80% of all electricity generated and this is essentially to power air conditioning systems. According to Germany’s Max Plack Institute, by 2050 temperatures in the MENA will be 4°C higher. By the end of the century, daytime highs could reach 50°C, with 200 days of exceptional hear every year.
Mowaffaq Balish, Commercial Director at Caparol Arabia said: “Nano 360 strengthens our exterior portfolio. It is a sustainable, energy efficient and cost savings solution that aims to make facades look bright, fresh and vibrant even in the harshest climatic conditions of the region. It is conceived as a futuristic paint reducing the cycles of maintenance to make sure that frequent repainting is not required as the paint stays fresh and vibrant for longer periods of time compared to other paints.”
Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, sustainability trends accelerated, and the issue has climbed the top of national agendas. As we enter a recovery phase, governments and businesses are putting more efforts to address environmental crises and challenges. In the midst of the pandemic, Caparol was already one of the leading companies that introduced products such as CapaCare Protect, a tested and approved solution able to curb the spread of coronavirus and other microbes.
Nano 360 offers the maximum resistance to the soiling particles from the air, algae and fungal attack, hot and humid weather with very high dust and low rainfall.
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Caparol Arabia introduces Nano 360 for sustainable projects
Caparol Arabia launches ‘Nano 360’, its latest innovative and eco-friendly solution for sustainable projects. The new product is a superior quality exterior paint with advanced Nano technology specially designed to withstand the harsh Middle East climate and weather.
Following several years of research and on the back of established evidence, Nano 360 has proved to offer excellent dirt pick-up resistance, outstanding colour retention, enhanced solar reflectance, increase durability and longer protection to any type of building (up to 5% energy savings and 22% cost savings over the lifetime of a building). The confidence in the performance of Nano 360 led Caparol to provide customers with a unique and unmatched 25 years warranty.
In the Middle East, buildings consume in general up to 80% of all electricity generated and this is essentially to power air conditioning systems. According to Germany’s Max Plack Institute, by 2050 temperatures in the MENA will be 4°C higher. By the end of the century, daytime highs could reach 50°C, with 200 days of exceptional hear every year.
Mowaffaq Balish, Commercial Director at Caparol Arabia said: “Nano 360 strengthens our exterior portfolio. It is a sustainable, energy efficient and cost savings solution that aims to make facades look bright, fresh and vibrant even in the harshest climatic conditions of the region. It is conceived as a futuristic paint reducing the cycles of maintenance to make sure that frequent repainting is not required as the paint stays fresh and vibrant for longer periods of time compared to other paints.”
Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, sustainability trends accelerated, and the issue has climbed the top of national agendas. As we enter a recovery phase, governments and businesses are putting more efforts to address environmental crises and challenges. In the midst of the pandemic, Caparol was already one of the leading companies that introduced products such as CapaCare Protect, a tested and approved solution able to curb the spread of coronavirus and other microbes.
Nano 360 offers the maximum resistance to the soiling particles from the air, algae and fungal attack, hot and humid weather with very high dust and low rainfall.
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Times Square Center announces energy-efficient and sustainable foodcourt
Times Square Center is getting ready to reveal its newly refurbished, sustainable, and energy-efficient food court area ‘Picnic Square,’ and has announced limited space availability for any new brands hoping to move into the mall and tap into its exclusive, family-focussed audience.
“The plan is to transform our current, traditional food court to one that includes market-style fruit and vegetable stalls and less, ‘fast-food, more good-food’ styled eatery options,” says Nancy Ozbek, general manager of Times Square Center
In line with Times Square Center’s sustainability focus, it has commissioned Summertown Interiors, a specialist sustainable contractor to execute the exciting new Picnic Square. Summertown Interiors, with a female-led project team, will also assist Times Square in attaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the new community, family-focussed dining area.
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