Kaid Benfield writes glowingly of our work, and that of our partners, at Dockside Green — in The Atlantic magazine, no less!   Kaid is one of the creators of the LEED for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system, which rates new developments on walkability, reduced automobile dependence, green infrastructure and mix of uses. His profile is one of the most complete we’ve seen, and gives the reader a host of different perspectives on the project and links for further reading.  Enjoy!

By Paul Barker

Rising energy costs and concern for the environment are the catalysts behind a deluge of devices and breakthroughs designed to reduce electricity consumption in homes, schools, office buildings and factories across Canada.

Constantine Eliadis, vice president of business development with home energy audit organization GreenSaver, says that with the daytime cost of electricity virtually doubling overnight in Ontario, for example, it is “hitting a lot of folks hard.”

Adopting a more energy-conscious lifestyle, he says, requires more than new technology, however; he notes it’s important to change the way you think and act where energy use is concerned.

“There are great technologies out there, particularly on electricity displays in the home that tell you the real-time cost of electricity and consumption and train you to look out for waste,” says Eliadis. “That is a big opportunity. You can install all the compact fluorescent light bulbs you want, but if you leave them on you are wasting electricity.

“If you are sitting in your living room reading the paper and the tap in the kitchen is gushing water, you don’t ignore it and keep reading. It is kind of obvious, but electricity is invisible and you can easily sit in your same living room chair, while the lights are on in the basement and the television is on in the bedroom.”

Businesses face the same need to save energy and reduce costs as individual consumers, but finding solutions can be complicated. Speaking at the Construct Canada conference in Toronto, Dan Wendl, a vice president with the Trane, Hussmann business sectors of Ingersoll Rand, summed up the situation on the commercial side by noting while energy conservation is about turning the lights off, it’s hard to work in a dark room.

Wendl says even many of the world’s best companies do not have effective business processes to align facility infrastructure needs with their business plan.

“As a result, facilities engineers who are responsible for the comfort, health effects, operating specifications and utilities management often get trapped in a deferred maintenance/catch-up loop,” he says.

But linking building performance to business objectives, he says, benefits owners, facility engineers and occupants; successful strategic energy plans combine the latest climate control technology with consistent monitoring and personal decision.

“The proxy for behaviour control in the commercial and industrial sectors is automation,” says Eliadis. “There are products that have sensors that can detect when people are there or not, and bring up lights. One of the wonderful things about electricity display is that you can see real-time costs. They can reduce electricity consumption by 20 per cent.”

Rodney Wilts, a partner with BuildGreen Solutions, highlighted at the conference products, systems and technologies he says are becoming more accessible and affordable.

These include:

• Control4, an IP-based software interface from a Salt Lake City company of the same name. The device is described as a “control freak” that works with energy monitoring devices that allow home and commercial building owners to manage energy consumption. In the Dashboard setting, for example, the price per kilowatt hour can be tracked. The Electricity Use setting allows an individual to identify spikes in usage and adjust his settings.
• The Modlet, a web-enabled device that Wilts says “automatically kills vampire power, informs users what power is actually being consumed and suggests strategies to reduce consumption.” Developed by ThinkEco Inc. of New York, N.Y. , the company says the modlet, short for modern outlet, rethinks how to prevent plug load waste – the power consumed by plugged-in equipment when not in use. ThinkEco claims an overall utility bill can be reduced with no change in office routine.
• The Freewatt, a micro-sized combined heat and power (Micro-CHP) cogeneration system for homes that provides the necessary heat and can also operate as a backup power supply should a power outage occur. The system, powered by a Honda engine, has been popular in Japan, says Wilts, and is now starting to impact the North American market.
• The Twinfire (distributed in North America by Wittus Inc.), which Wilts described as the most efficient wood stove in the world, with an efficiency rate of 93 per cent through something called down-draft dual-burning technology.
• So-called Smart Windows, touted as a technology that could revolutionize the industry. Switch Materials Inc. of Burnaby, B.C. and its team of scientists are currently developing smart windows and lenses that the company says will darken when exposed to the sun and “rapidly bleach on command when stimulated by electricity.” Last year, the B.C. provincial government announced it would invest $2.1 million into the company as part of its Innovative Clean Energy Fund.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Cottage Chores… We have staff for those! Family Fun… You have time for that! Fractional Ownership… Everyone can afford this!

WHITEWATER VILLAGE Luxury Cottage Club, ON – Windmill Developments GroupLtd., one of Canadaʼs leading green developers is proud to announce their WhitewaterVillage Luxury Cottage Club development as a finalist in Ottawaʼs Tourism PartnershipAwards. Windmill Developments partnered with Wilderness Tours Rafting to develop a34 acre peninsula of land to host 34 eco-friendly, luxury cottages with unbelievablewaterfront.

“We are changing the way people think of cottage life in Ontario, fractional ownership of a vacation property makes so much sense.” Stated, Jonathon Westeinde – Managing Partner of Windmill Developments. ”Maintenance free contemporary cottages, with a goal to be greenhouse gas neutral is turning heads with its savvy appeal and luxurious living.”

Interested families can enjoy the opportunity of investment in a recreational 4-season cottage on the beautiful Rocher-Fendu Lake with a gorgeous south facing sandy beach and a long list of amenities.

“Fractional business is new to Ottawans, although already a popular trend in the Muskokas”, stated Susan Finlay, Director of Marketing for WHITEWATER VILLAGE. “We offer so much to our fractional owners including: fully furnished luxury log homes, a Club House, new docks, sauna, golf carts, kayaks, canoes and a childrenʼs play structure to make each vacation a spectacular experience!”

Toronto has enjoyed the benefits of fractional vacation properties for years and it is finally a lifestyle available just one hour west of Ottawa. With waterfront property prices sky-rocketting and travel oppurtunities diversifying, fractional ownership is the smart solution. Whitewater Village is affiliated with RCI (Resort Condominiums International), making every owner a member of the worlds largest vacation exchange organization. Weʼve made all vacationersʼ dreams come true – cottaging and travel.

The strong sense of community and great locality makes Whitewater Village a smart investment for all vacation seekers. Owners enjoy every minute of their cottage time without ever having to maintain, replace or even clean their cottage! Stroll along the graceful boardwalk promenade, taking in wide-open views of water and sky. Discreetly out of sight, youʼll find the cottages that make up this vacation community. The ease of a fabulous family cottage and the social horizons of a resort community are woven into the design of Whitewater Village so seamlessly that everyone, no matter how social or
private, will enjoy themselves.

Meet friends at the beachside village clubhouse, or cocoon with a book on your private deck. Take the kids for a swim at the expansive beach, or get active canoeing, biking the trails, putting your kayak skills to the test. If you happen to visit during the winter months, pull out your skates or skis and explore the wilderness.

Whitewater Village is at the heart of one of North Americaʼs most celebrated natural playgrounds and Canadaʼs best whitewater rafting and kayaking. Yet some days you may want to relax and let the world go by. “Its like that here, a world of comfort and choice for people of all ages, breathe clean air, swim in fresh water, and be with those you love, creating fond memories for generations to come” states Jonathan Westeinde.

Whitewater Village was created as one of the only sustainable cottage clubs in the world and the many details that warrant this make the devlopment 40-50% more energy and water efficient.

Open for tours every weekend from 10am – 4pm – directions available at www.whitewatervillage.ca

By Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen

After decades of trying to develop its lands on Cathedral Hill, the Anglican diocese finally received approval to go ahead with a project that will see, among other things, a condominium tower on the southwest portion of the site that will be 21-storeys high -or more than three times the height that’s currently allowed.

Council’s planning committee Tuesday unanimously approved the proposal to construct a 21-storey condominium tower, a row of four townhouses and a 12-storey office building around Christ Church Cathedral at the west end of Sparks Street. The plan was also approved last week by the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee.

However, the plan did not sit well with the half-dozen or so residents who came to argue that the development was too dense and that heights will block important views.

For the spot where the condo building will be built, the existing zoning allows for heights of 20 metres. Tuesday’s decision, which will go to council today, allows a maximum height of 73.6 metres.

The new towers will be slightly higher than the cathedral spires and “considerably higher than the other existing heritage buildings” nearby, according to a city report. “Do not foist this development on us,” said James McGraw, whose wife owns a condo on Bronson Avenue. “This is going to overwhelm the cathedral and its attendant buildings.”

Hugh Finsten, who lives on Bay Street on the eastern edge of the site, told councillors he was worried the views of the Ottawa River from his condo will be blocked, and could affect the value of his home. But more importantly, he said later, the development “is a real detriment to downtown Ottawa.”

“I thought that this proposal doesn’t fit at all in the neighbourhood,” said Finsten. “The cathedral is going to be walled in. Yes, it’s true, you’re going to be able to see it from the parkway, but the rest of the view is all blocked up.”

The site is bounded by Bronson Avenue to the west, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church to the east, Sparks Street to the north and Queen Street to the south. Christ Church owns all the property except St. Peter’s and three Queen Anne revival houses on Queen Street.

The Anglican diocese wants to develop the land surrounding the 138-year-old building to generate income for its ministries and to pay for the ongoing restoration of the heritage building, which costs at least $100,000 a year, Rev. Shane Parker, dean of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and rector of Christ Church, told the committee Tuesday.

“It’s a Victorian Gothic building in the middle of one of the coldest climates on earth and the wear and tear is significant,” he later said.

Although the financial details of the diocese’s deal with Windmill Development Group of Ottawa to undertake the project were not made public, Parker said the complex leasing deal will provide the church with revenue “in perpetuity,” and that will free up money for the church to invest “in things related to people, as opposed to the structure itself.”

The church is also in discussions with Habitat for Humanity to provide some affordable housing units in the 136-unit residential development.

Cathedral Hill is a designated heritage district, and new buildings are supposed to be sensitive and complementary. The design has morphed from a boxy, 15-storey residential building into a skinnier 21-storey residential tower, which the city’s design review panel prefers because the more slender tower will be less dominating. The tower has also been moved farther from the cathedral, to provide a better view of the church from the north side.

Somerset Councillor Diane Holmes represents the ward where Cathedral Hill is located. She supports most of the project, as well as the church’s requirement for revenue, but said “the height is a real problem.” “It’s either fat and squat or tall and thin,” said Holmes, who in not on the planning committee and hence could not vote on the issue. “We don’t ever seem to be able to have a less-tall-and-thin discussion, it’s always an extremely-talland-thin discussion.”

The plan calls for demolishing the 1950s Cathedral Hall facing Sparks Street and constructing a new hall in the centre of the site. That allows the designers to build a narrow tower behind Roper House -a heritage-designated site -and put lower-scaled townhouses where the church hall was on Sparks.

Proposal now goes to city planning

By Meghan Hurley, Ottawa Citizen

A proposal to build a 21-storey condominium tower, a row of townhouses and a 12-storey office building around the Christ Church Cathedral will move ahead to the city’s planning committee after it was approved by the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee on Thursday night.

The committee voted in favour of the proposal going to the City of Ottawa planning committee May 9 and then to council on May 11 for approval.

The Anglican cathedral plans to develop the land surrounding the 138-year-old building to generate income for its ministries.

The design aims to transform a patchwork of parking lots and historic structures into a coherent urban block that integrates contemporary buildings with the cathedral.

The diocese and cathedral have a deal with Windmill Development Group of Ottawa for a 220,000-square foot development on 35,000 square feet of leased land.

The site is bounded by Bronson Street to the west, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church to the east, Sparks Street to the south and Queen Street to the north.

The backdrop to the church is a wall of residential highrises.

Cathedral Hill is a designated heritage district, and new buildings are supposed to be sensitive and complementary.

An earlier design showed a boxier, 15-storey residential building. Now it is 21 storeys plus a mechanical floor. The top two storeys are penthouse units set back from the rest of the tower to shape the top and to respect protected sightlines related to Parliament Hill.

The designers suggest that a taller, more slender tower can better address urban design issues on the site, compared with a shorter building of the same interior size.

However, community associations have expressed concern about the size of the proposed development.

“Normally, a neighbourhood would end tapering down, and this would do the opposite. It tapers up,” said Charles Akben-Marchand, president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association.

“You can see how the office building really crowds the steeple of the church.”

The keys to unlocking the potential of the site while keeping the houses are the removal of the 1950s Cathedral Hall facing Sparks Street and the construction of a new parish hall in the centre of the site.

That allows the designers to slip a narrow tower behind Roper House and put lower -scaled townhouses where the church hall was.

The townhouses are key elements in the urban design strategy. They provide a lower building along Sparks Street to make a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape and use stone to relate to the older buildings. The townhouses match Roper House in scale at its west end while deferring to the cathedral to the east.

The cathedral will be framed by new buildings and have a new plaza in front. There will be new pedestrian routes between Sparks and Queen.

The townhouses are set back more than the present church hall so the cathedral is more visible.

The office building is pushed back further than in an earlier scheme to allow a clear view from St. Peter’s to the cathedral.