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<TITLE>Re: [GSBN] Our new building project</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>Very well done and well stated Chris. An ideal-real project, students benefiting during the process and at the saleable end, openly sharing it all, and some lucky individuals will get a great house. Great work. Promote away.<BR>
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Martin<BR>
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On 1/24/12 6:13 AM, "Chris Magwood" <<a href="chris@chrismagwood.ca">chris@chrismagwood.ca</a>> wrote:<BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'> Hi everyone,<BR>
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I wanted to write in to let you all know about the first major project we're undertaking with The Endeavour Centre, our new not-for-profit sustainable building school here in Ontario. It's an urban infill project in Peterborough, Ontario, and it's going to use prefabricated straw bale walls as the exterior, load-bearing walls for a two-story home. We're also designing and building to meet the Living Building Challenge, so it's an all-round exciting project.<BR>
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I'm sending it to this list for two reasons. First, it's a cool project and I thought you might want to know. Secondly, and more importantly, Endeavour was started in part because our program at Fleming College was not able to accept students from outside Canada. We are keen to open our program to students from around the world, and are hoping that you might direct anybody you know who's looking for a well-rounded sustainable building education to the program and this project.<BR>
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I hope that's not too "promote-y" for this list!<BR>
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The announcement for the project is below...<BR>
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Cheers,<BR>
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Chris<BR>
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'>January 18, 2012
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><B><I>Canada’s Greenest Home</I> to Be Built by Students
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<IMG src="cid:3410232187_10075812" >What does it take to build the greenest, most sustainable home in Canada? That is what 20 students enrolled in The Endeavour Centre’s <I>Sustainable New Construction: Building a New Future</I> program will learn this summer, as they take on the role of lead builders on a single family residence in downtown Peterborough, Ontario.<BR>
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Interest in green building has been increasing exponentially over the past decade, but the training of new builders to design, contract and build highly sustainable homes has not kept pace. The 5-month, full-time certificate program offered at the not-for-profit Endeavour Centre is one of the few offerings in the world that allow students a thorough, hands-on opportunity to learn what goes into meeting and exceeding the highest standards of green building.<BR>
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The 2,000 square foot, two-story home will be built on an infill lot in an older neighbourhood in central Peterborough. It will meet LEED Platinum requirements and go beyond this high standard by attempting to become the first Canadian home to fully meet the Living Building Challenge. <BR>
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Chris Magwood, Executive Director of The Endeavour Centre, says the Living Building Challenge is the most thorough sustainable building standard in the world. “We’re excited to be able to undertake the Living Building Challenge,” he says. “It represents the meeting of high ideals with practical, achievable solutions that the whole staff at Endeavour have always tried to realize.”<BR>
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When completed, the home will use a fraction of the energy of a conventional home and have met stringent requirements for sustainable building materials, indoor air quality and construction waste management. “Simply put,” says Magwood, “our goal with Canada’s Greenest Home is to make substantial improvements in every measurable aspect of this home’s performance, including net zero energy use, while keeping it affordable, accessible and beautiful.”<BR>
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Students at Endeavour work with a team of instructors who are experts in the use of natural building materials, renewable energy systems, water collection and treatment, healthy finishes and all aspects creating a truly green home. Students are <BR>
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<FONT FACE="Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:11pt'><B><I>Canada’s Greenest Home</I> to Be Built by Students, cont’d
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on site each day throughout the construction and perform the majority of the work on the home. In class, they learn the building science theory and construction business know-how that will allow them to reproduce the level of performance achieved on this project.<BR>
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Their five month experience will include experience installing energy efficient foundations, prefabricated straw bale walls, grid-tied photovoltaics, solar hot water, rainwater collection, composting toilets, natural paints and finishes and much more.<BR>
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The home built by the students will be put on the market at the end of the program, and proceeds from the sale of the home will help to offset tuition costs. Privately funded with no government grants or public assistance, Magwood hopes “that the sale of this house on the open market will be an indication to other builders that there are buyers hungry for this level of environmental performance in a new home purchase.”<BR>
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During construction, the students will contribute to the Canada’s Greenest Home blog, where they will document the complete construction process online. Part of the educational component of the project will be tracking and documenting the real environmental impacts of the construction of this home, and making the findings public. This transparency will make Canada’s Greenest Home a unique project, with clear environmental goals established at the onset of the building and accurate accounting of how the finished house measures up to the targets.<BR>
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“We hope to generate a lot of interest in Canada’s Greenest Home,” Magwood enthuses. “A lot of people think we’re far from being able to live lightly, and comfortably, on the planet. We’d like this project to show that it’s a goal well within reach.” <BR>
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The Canada’s Greenest Home blog can be followed at www.endeavourcentre.org <<a href="http://www.endeavourcentre.org">http://www.endeavourcentre.org</a>> .<BR>
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For more information, contact Chris Magwood at 705-876-0569 or <a href="chris@endeavourcentre.org">chris@endeavourcentre.org</a>. <BR>
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