Our Mission is:
To design buildings for human prosperity within a flourishing planet
Services:
Building Energy Analysis & Retrofits
Coolearth understands sustainable building design as well as sustainable energy policy. We use Passive House or eQuest to create energy models that show energy consumption, thermal bridges, heat transfer, and details.
Passive House & Net-zero Homes
Coolearth delivers custom-tailored residential spaces that are beautiful, sustainable, efficient, comfortable, cost-effective, and enjoyable. We specialize in integrating Passive House and Permaculture Design into our homes.
Institutional Buildings
Offering comprehensive architectural and consultancy services to help developers, municipalities, institutions, hospices, daycare providers, and townships develop and implement their vision.
Acting as an Expert Witness
The Principal of Coolearth, Sheena Sharp, is often called upon as an Expert Witness to act in disputes that arise on work executed by others, either to help explain the issues to the Court in a litigation or mediation.
About:
Coolearth Architecture inc. is a full services Architecture firm located in Toronto and Parry Sound that offers comprehensive architectural our services include Passive House and Net-Zero Homes, Institutional & Commercial Buildings such as Hospices or Childcare Centre, Building Energy Analysis and Policy work, Acting as an Expert Witness, and Permaculture Design.
Our Mission Statement is to design buildings for human prosperity within a flourishing planet.
We look at the impacts our building has on occupants, as well as on the ecosystems and world around it, to make smart, sustainable solutions that can help inspire positive feedback loops and positive change.
We work closely with a trusted network of professional Engineers, landscape architects, and other design professionals, as well as using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and energy modelling via Passive House, to deliver the spaces people need!
Featured Projects:
Mount Dennis Net-zero Energy Childcare
This project is an Net Zero Energy childcare facility for the City of Toronto. The building is designed to Net Zero Energy and to Zero Carbon Standard emissions.
This is the first City of Toronto Net Zero Energy building and is a showcase for the TransformTO program. It uses heavy timber beams and CLT (cross-laminated timber) for the floors, and minimizes the use of concrete to ensure a low-embodied energy.
Many sustainable design strategies where used in this project, including: Solar Panels and a Geothermal system to achieve 100% of the building’s total energy consumption via on-site generation; Maximizing glazing in playrooms for daylight and views, with operable windows for natural ventilation; enclosure details designed to form a continuous air control layer for airtightness; and, integrated and iterative energy modeling for rigorous data-based decision making throughout the design process.
Date | Estimated 2023 |
Size | 19,000 sqft |
Project Type | Childcare, Daycare, Institutional |
Client | City of Toronto Children Services |
Sustainability | Net-zero Energy and Zero Carbon Standard |
Collaborator | CS&P Architects |
Learn more | More Information |
Parry Sound High Performance House
This project is a 2,200 sqft permanent residence for a couple looking to move to their dream property on a lake near Parry Sound, Ontario. They were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and we incorporated this throughout the projects, including with natural cladding and colours, strong horizontal lines, variation in ceiling height, and more.
The principles of Passive House are used throughout to minimize thermal bridges and create a very air tight yet well-ventilated envelope. The combination of this elements provides a whole-house solution in a very comfortable house.
By combining our client’s inspiration with our design and technical abilities, we created a four-season high performance house which is bright, well insulated, functional and flexible.
Date | Completed 2017 |
Size | 2,200 sqft |
Project Type | Custom Home |
Sustainability | Low-Energy and High Performance |
Sammon Passive House – Energy Retrofit
This project is a 234m2 GFA (2,500 sqft) detached home located in the Danforth on the east end of Toronto that has achieved Passive House EnerPHit Certification via the Passive House Institute.
The Sammon Passive House is a full energy retrofit and renovation of the existing home and an addition at the rear to create a living, dining, and kitchen area. Our design maximizes the sunlight and solar gains in the South during the winter and shades the window in the peak of summer via an overhang.
The heating load is also optimized by reducing the thermal bridging of the enclosure to the minimum, requiring only the equivalent of an electric heater to heat the house in the peak of the winter. Triple glass windows with high-quality frames will make the whole house comfortable and provide natural light to the rooms.
Date | 2020 |
Size | 2,500 sqft |
Project Type | Home Energy Retrofit and Addition |
Sustainability | EnerPHit Certification (2022) |
Learn More: | Construction Update and Drawings |
High Performance Rammed Earth Home and Guesthouse
The main house is separated from the guesthouse by a covered breezeway/carport and three-season screened porch. On the south is a perennial herb and flower garden, while on the North is a small fruit fruit and nut tree orchard.
The project is constructed from stabilized rammed earth in variegated light cream colors, and shaped to harvest the sun in winter/fall and shelter the building in the summer from the hot sun. A feeling of massive-ness from the rammed earth walls is offset by plentiful sunlight from windows, skylights, and clerestory’s.
The main living, dining and kitchen area features a wrap-around window on the south-facing wall with subtle chamfers and reveals in the rammer earth walls to evoke the feeling of massive stone blocks and create a rich-palette of light-effects and shades.
Date | Fall 2024 |
Size | 3,000 sqft |
Project Type | Single Family Residential & Short-term rental B&B. |
Sustainability | Stabilized Rammer Earth, Plywood slab, Passive Solar Design, Permaculture |
Learn more | More Information |
Mariposa House Hospice
Having the choice of where to spend the last days of life is a valuable consideration for many of those in palliative care. Hospitals often lack the comfort of a patient’s own home and yet, homes lack the support and ready assistance that a hospital provides.
The Mariposa House Hospice offers 5 residential beds for its residents to receive assistance and support for their last days. Every room has large windows (with bird feeders outside) and a private deck with an extra-wide door that the medical beds can be rolled through for residents to enjoy the gardens.
The design was inspired by proportions and shape of traditional Ontario houses and cottages. The aim is to provide a feeling of comfort and evoke memories of past experiences and places.
Features such as the “saltbox house” roofline, verandas, materials such as wood and stone, as well as careful massing, assist in evoking those memories.
We sought to ensure the building fits within its surroundings while providing privacy to residents and visitors.
The building itself is designed to be warm, comfortable, and inviting for residents, visitors, and staff using carefully designed building systems.
Date | 2021 |
Size | 7,000 sqft |
Project Type | 5-bedroom Hospice & associated facilities |
Sustainability | Super-insulation, Low Impact Development rainwater strategy, Permaculture Gardens, Walking Trails. |
Learn more | More Information |
Testimonials:
“Pushing for better and showing how! Total attention and understanding! Great research and solution driven approach.”
Luc Winzten, of Luc Wintzen Design Inc Project: LEED Certification & Building Code Consultant
“Informed and engaged. The services provided were highly customer focused. Highly responsive and easy to deal with.“
Eliseo Subranni Project: Residence Addition
“Thank you for all your hard work… we really enjoyed the process… it has been more than pleasant dealing with you and your firm throughout.“
Tom and Maria Project: Toronto Home, Interior Design
“We were impressed with the overall designs and research efforts to find construction methodology and energy saving solutions.“
Wayne, Hawkstone Development Corporation Project: Eco Condos — Net-zero Off-grid Vacation homes