Is a green building defined by what it looks like? Should it have various ‘sexy’ technologies like solar panels, green roofs, and straw bale insulation? Or does it need to have low off-gassing materials,...

Building new homes and modernizing existing ones can be expensive. Project budgets are sometimes exceeded with unexpected surprises and elaborate aspirations; upgrades with crown mouldings, hardwood floors, cabinetry, and countertops all increase costs to...

Canada’s climate is one of the more diverse on the planet. It varies based on geography, ranging from long, cold winters and sunless days in the Far North to four distinct seasons along the...

Of all the components of a building enclosure, windows can have the greatest impact on energy consumption. This can be disproportionate to the area of the enclosure the windows cover. Therefore, it is important...

In both Canada and the United States, there is increasing awareness of the building envelope’s role in conserving energy. New energy codes and standards include prescriptive requirements for continuous insulation to minimize heat loss...


Brampton, Ont.’s Chapelview has become the country’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum affordable housing building. The project is one of only about 17 LEED New Construction (NC) Platinum buildings in...