SAIT’s Green Building Technologies is partnering with Woodpecker European Timber Framing to build one of the greenest homes on Earth for an Alberta family.
A new home, named “The Confluence,” produces more energy than it uses, captures water on site and creates a positive impact on its people and the environment.
It is located northwest of Calgary in Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
“The Confluence is unlike the three other fully certified LBC projects before it,” said Tracey Chala, principal investigator of SAIT green building technologies.
After three years of construction, the Confluence will now undergo a 12-month process to certification — a process SAIT and its partners will monitor and report on during the coming year.
If the new home achieves full certification through the world’s most rigorous green building rating system and sustainable design framework from Living Building Challenge (LBC), it is anticipated to be the world’s fourth home of its kind.
The 2,338 sq. ft. custom home must adhere to seven areas of sustainability including growing their own food and incorporating biophilic design- a design that connects humans and nature through the architecture and landscape- as well as installing solar panels and low-flow toilets.
“The home is located in a remote hamlet bound by the challenges of a northern climate compared to its suburban, more southerly counterparts.”
SAIT’s project team, along with homeowners of the Confluence, diverted approximately 90-100% of construction waste from landfills.
“We’re doing things that have never been done before,” said Chala, in a Zoom interview.
Chala describes the house as “regenerative, healthy and has a positive impact on human and natural systems.”
“It will act as a showpiece of innovation for, for everybody in Alberta, or Canada and around the world.”
Chala describes the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the biggest challenges to overcome.
“It’s been really challenging to quickly pivot to doing everything virtual.”
Construction for the new home took place last year in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreaks.
Another challenge the GBT team had to overcome was weather temperatures.
“Throughout the year, we had to design our walls for our buildings quite differently,” said Chala about the wide range of temperatures in the northern climate.
The Green Building Technology (GBT) team consists of 19 SAIT students and 5 SAIT graduates all of whom worked on the Confluence project.
Keith Leung, a SAIT graduate involved on the project, called the experience “great,” adding it was something he “couldn’t necessarily do in school.”
One of the biggest challenges for Leung was researching materials, particularly FSC certified wood, all over North America.
“It was interesting and challenging at the same time.”
Leung describes the project as something that “hasn’t really been done before.”
“Everybody was focused, devoted and dedicated to what we are doing,” says Leung.
“It was a highlight in my education, and a rewarding experience to have been a part of the team,” says Leung.