Building with the Planet, Not Against It

Look, we're not gonna pretend sustainability's just a checkbox for us. It's literally how we think about every single project that comes through our door. After fifteen years of watching the industry talk more than walk, we decided to actually measure what matters.

Sustainable architecture

Our Real-World Impact

Numbers don't lie - here's what we've actually achieved across our projects

47%

Average Energy Reduction

vs. baseline code

62%

Water Conservation

per square meter

89%

Material Recycling

during construction

2.4M

kg CO2 Offset

annually across portfolio

Energy Performance by Project Type

Residential Projects 52% reduction
Commercial Buildings 43% reduction
Mixed-Use Developments 46% reduction

Renewable Energy Integration

Solar Photovoltaic 78% of projects
Geothermal Systems 34% of projects
Rainwater Harvesting 91% of projects
Certified green building

Certifications That Actually Mean Something

We've been around long enough to know that badges can be pretty meaningless if you're just chasing them for marketing. That's why we only pursue certifications that push us to design better buildings - ones that'll perform decades from now, not just on opening day.

LEED Accredited

23 certified projects, 8 Platinum achievements

Passive House

12 certified Passive House buildings

Living Building Challenge

3 projects in certification process

WELL Building Standard

5 certified healthy buildings

How We Actually Do It

No magic formulas here - just careful planning and sweating the details

Site analysis

Site-Specific Design

Every site tells you what it needs if you're willing to listen. We spend weeks analyzing sun paths, wind patterns, and local climate data before we even sketch a wall. Cookie-cutter solutions? Not our thing.

Sustainable materials

Material Intelligence

We track embodied carbon in everything from concrete mixes to window frames. Local sourcing isn't just about reducing transport emissions - it's about supporting regional craftsmanship and getting materials that'll actually last in our climate.

Energy modeling

Performance Modeling

We run energy models throughout design - not just at the end to check a box. It's kinda nerdy, but watching how a 2-degree rotation affects annual heating loads? That's the stuff that gets us excited about our work.

Passive design strategies

Passive Design First

Here's our honest take: if you need tons of mechanical equipment to make a building comfortable, you probably messed up the architecture. We design for passive heating, cooling, and ventilation first. Tech and systems come second, filling in the gaps - not carrying the whole load.

That means properly oriented buildings, thermal mass where it makes sense, natural ventilation paths, and shading that works with the seasons. Yeah, it takes more upfront thinking, but your utility bills will thank us for decades.

Net zero project
Net Zero Achievement

North Shore Community Center

This one pushed us hard. A 3,200 sq meter community hub that needed to hit net-zero energy while staying on a tight municipal budget. We combined a super-insulated envelope with a 180kW solar array, geothermal heating, and a whole lot of passive ventilation tricks.

-73%

Energy vs. baseline

LEED Gold

Certified 2022

$0

Net annual energy cost

98%

User satisfaction rating

Two years in, it's actually performing better than our models predicted. The facility manager jokes that he forgot what it's like to pay utility bills. That's the kind of feedback that keeps us going.

Our Sustainability Toolkit

The software and methods we rely on to back up our design decisions

Energy Modeling

IES-VE, EnergyPlus, and PHPP for detailed performance predictions

CFD Analysis

Computational fluid dynamics for natural ventilation and wind studies

Daylighting Simulation

Radiance and DIVA for optimizing natural light while managing glare

LCA Tools

Tally and Athena for life cycle assessment and embodied carbon tracking

Hygrothermal Modeling

WUFI for moisture management in building assemblies

Post-Occupancy

Real-time monitoring and verification to ensure predicted performance

Sustainable materials

Rethinking Materials

Here's something that surprised us when we first started tracking it: materials often account for more carbon impact than operational energy over a building's life. That realization completely changed how we specify things.

Our Material Priorities:
  • Local & Renewable: Mass timber from BC forests, regional stone, and salvaged materials when they make sense
  • Low Embodied Carbon: We spec concrete mixes with 30-50% SCM replacement and track EPDs religiously
  • Durability First: Cheap materials that need replacing every 10 years? Hard pass. We design for longevity