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Frank Llyod Wright Inspired Parry Sound Cottage
At Coolearth we are currently working with a couple to build their retirement home just outside of Parry Sound. The clients were attracted to Coolearth because of our sustainable specialization as well as portfolio of modern homes. At the first design consultation they brought arm fulls of books on Frank Llyod Wright’s houses: and we […]
Read moreThe Goal: Zero Greenhouse Gas Building, A Manifesto
Getting to the right vision, and expressing it simply, is not easy. Zero Green House Gas Emissions (GHG) is the right vision for us, because it says what we need to accomplish most succintly. 1.) Do we care about all Green House Gases? Yes. Therefore we need to stop burning gas entirely, starting now. The […]
Read moreDesigning for Future Ontario Climates – Homes and Cottages
Map showing the extreme daily maximum temperature change in degrees Climate change is topping national, provincial, and municipal conversations these days: and for good reason. The fast few years have been the warmest on record (“NASA, NOAA Analyses Reveal Record-Shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015“) and the perils of business-as-usual become apparent. Ontario is implementing a Cap and […]
Read morePaper as Insulation
At the firm as part of our conversation around insulation types, one of the Principals, Marty, mentioned that we have been using newspaper to insulated walls for hundreds of years. Indeed if anyone has done a renovation or addition to a home in Toronto from the early 1900’s, they might have found old newspapers still […]
Read moreReframing “Sustainable” Payback: Cost or Comfort?
A common element in Sustainable Design is projected payback period. Payback is in this sense defined as cost savings in dollars that the sustainable measure will have over the long term, i.e by using less electrcity or natural gas. Here is an example of a typical pay-off calculation: If the typical home is 1500 […]
Read moreSustainability of Typical Insulations, by Material
Sustainable architecture encompasses the energy a building uses, as well as the materials used. Any reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions required to product a building will contribute to the global effort to fight climate change, immediately. This is the idea of doing things efficiently: accomplishing the same task with less energy allows us to either store, or […]
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