Project Profiles

•    Commercial

Biological Research Unit The Living With Lakes Centre, a 30,000 sq.ft.  laboratory and office building, was established at Laurentian University to study impact of human activities on the lakes, streams and wetlands in Northern Environments. Implementing the sustainable design strategies and renewable energy supplying all demands on an annual basis, results in a high-performance building with a quality work environment that has a small ecological footprint.

Fogo Island Inn The Inn is a community development by the social entrepreneurship, Shorefast Foundation, in an outport setting located off the north shore of Newfoundland.  The 29-room hotel will house offshore tourists as well acting as a restaurant, community centre and library for local inhabitants. 

Red Barn Theatre, Originally built in 1876, Sustainable EDGE designed and implemented an architectural sensitive envelope retrofit a cooling system requiring minimal electricity and no refrigerant.  The result is a comfortable silent interior environment with greatly reduced energy operating costs and CO2 emissions.

Southdown Carter Centre, a 17,000 sq. ft. building, is a quiet retreat and conferencing centre for clergy.  To maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact, Sustainable EDGE designed HVAC and plumbing systems that take advantage of a low energy envelope, the naturally cold well water for radiant cooling, and vegetation for waste treatment.

Tatry/Arbour Mills Housing Complex is a non-profit housing project on two separately owned pieces of land, sharing a district heating system. The UN award-winning project achieved a performance target of 80% CO2 reduction.

Green Phoenix Project is an initiative by the Parkdale United Church Foundation for renovations and additions to a 52,000 sq. ft. high-rise and a new 4300 sq. ft. building in response to concerns from the client about the availability of affordable, environmentally responsible housing in Toronto

Atkinson College Residence is a 360,000 sq. ft. building that houses 300 students in an environmentally friendly facility at York University in Toronto.

Whole Village is a cooperative community dwelling designed to house about 30 people.  Sustainable EDGE informed the community design process with a broad range of sustainable design issues and was responsible for the mechanical systems design of this sustainable community.

•    Institutional

Bahen Centre for Information Technology is a 300,000 sq. ft. computer and electronic information building at the University of Toronto with an energy-efficient, high-quality working environment that is supported through operable windows, external solar control elements, displacement ventilation with room controls, direct/indirect lighting, and enthalpy control.

Boyne River Ecology Centre is a 6000 square foot educational facility at the Toronto Board of Education's natural sciences school located on the Niagara Escarpment. Principles of environmental responsibility such as 100% renewable energy supply, zero sewage discharge, natural building materials, healthy indoor environment, material durability, and minimum site impact guided the design process

Community Centre Renewal As a result of the transference from Federal ownership to the City of Toronto, the municipality’s plan called for conversion of this early twentieth century post office building to a state-of-the-art green community centre building. Sustainable EDGE prepared the feasibility study and implementation plan for a comprehensive sustainable retrofit.

Guelph-Humber Building at Humber College is a joint initiative between the University of Guelph and Humber College. The 100,000 sq. ft. building contains lecture halls, classrooms, computer labs and offices. The most visible feature is a four-storey Living/Breathing Wall which acts as a biofilter, removing indoor air pollution, circulating clean air through indoor environments

Integrated Learning Centre at Queen’s University is a building designed to both house student facilities as well as to provide a multidisciplinary learning environment for students to integrate engineering theory and practice with a focus on sustainable design. The 75,000 sq. ft. facility houses administrative offices, group workrooms, labs, workshops, and a computer plaza 

Cambrian Sustainable Design Centre, located in Sudbury, Ontario will be a Living Building Challenge project, incorporating 100% renewable energy supply, zero sewage discharge, natural building materials, healthy indoor environment, and minimum site impact HVAC features include ground source heat pump, radiant heating and cooling, and displacement ventilation driven by occupancy gains and solar-induced stack effect that will preclude the use of fans

YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y Earth Residence, a rural 4000 sq. ft., 40-person residence for the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA Environmental Learning Centre, embodies sustainability principles to support the client’s commitment to environmental values, knowledge, and practice

•    Residential (single family)

Ketchum Residence, located in south-central Ontario, about 60 kilometres northwest of Toronto, is off-grid and functions on 100% sustainable energy. Sustainable EDGE designed the Ketchum residence in response to the clients’ desire for an ecologically responsible house in a country setting