[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||28px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”95%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||-24px||false|false” custom_padding=”55px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][wahi_breadcrumb _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][wahi_breadcrumb-link title=”Real Estate 101″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”link_option_url” _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjcyMiJ9fQ==@” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/wahi_breadcrumb-link][wahi_breadcrumb-link title=”Buy” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”link_option_url” _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjE2MzIifX0=@” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/wahi_breadcrumb-link][wahi_breadcrumb-link title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIn19@” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” _module_preset=”default” module_text_color=”#686E6E” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/wahi_breadcrumb-link][\/wahi_breadcrumb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”3.5rem” header_line_height=”4.5rem” header_font_size_tablet=”42px” header_font_size_phone=”2.75rem” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_line_height_tablet=”4.5rem” header_line_height_phone=”3.2rem” header_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMT4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDE+In19@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”1px||1px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][wahi_socialsharing _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/wahi_socialsharing][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||8px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”24px” text_line_height=”1.5em” custom_margin=”||10px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
In anticipation of Earth Day, Wahi looks at four very eco-friendly homes built in the Greater Toronto<\/a> Area, from green condos to a pioneering straw-bale house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.18rem” custom_margin=”||5px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n By Josh Sherman<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>| 8 minute read<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_title title=”off” author=”off” date_format=”M j” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-6px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||3px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px||9px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” width__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9mZWF0dXJlZF9pbWFnZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7fX0=@” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _dynamic_attributes=”src” _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”1px||29px|||” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” border_radii_tablet=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” border_radii_phone=”on|0px|0px|0px|0px” border_radii_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.75rem” custom_margin=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_tablet=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_phone=”|10px||10px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The Plant is recently completed condo development in west-end Toronto that has a unique urban-agriculture theme.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”6px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n When architect Felix Leicher emigrated to Canada from Germany in 2015, the lack of sustainable housing caught him off guard. \u201cIt was surprising,\u201d says the founder of Toronto-based architecture firm baukultur\/ca.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Check out the stories behind the homes below.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f0faf4″ min_height=”334.8px” custom_padding=”27px||0px|||” global_module=”849″ saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”49px||61px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#38505b” header_2_font_size=”2.63rem” header_2_line_height=”3.2rem” custom_margin=”||25px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”|5px||5px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” header_2_font_size_tablet=”2.63rem” header_2_font_size_phone=”2.4rem” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_line_height_tablet=”3.75rem” header_2_line_height_phone=”2.5rem” header_2_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#e8db3a” text_font_size=”20px” text_orientation=”center” min_height=”35.8px” custom_margin=”-24px||32px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|26px||26px|false|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Join Wahi today and find out how easy it is to get real estate in the GTA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”Divider” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” height=”5px” height_tablet=”” height_phone=”1px” height_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”||0px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”] [\/et_pb_divider][wahi_wahiButton url=”\/ca\/en\/real-estate\/sign-up” button_font_color=”#000000″ button_color=”#EB7161″ circle_color=”#000000″ border_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” focus_color=”#000000″ is_white_hover_text=”on” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n GET STARTED<\/p>\n [\/wahi_wahiButton][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/RS3690_013-ArchetypeSustainableHouse.jpg” alt=”Archetype Sustainable House” title_text=”RS3690_013-ArchetypeSustainableHouse” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.75rem” custom_margin=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_tablet=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_phone=”|10px||10px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Photos courtesy the TRCA<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Nobody lives in the Archetype Sustainable House \u2014 and that\u2019s the point. \u201cIt\u2019s an educational facility, but it\u2019s also turned into a research facility,\u201d says David Nixon, a specialist from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)\u2019s Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program. Together with the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and a host of partners, the TRCA completed the experimental semi-detached home in 2006 (Nixon oversaw the home\u2019s energy systems). The idea was that one unit would demonstrate the technology of the day, and the other would showcase what the future of sustainable home building could look like. <\/span> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/RS3691_014-ArchetypeSustainableHouse.jpg” alt=”Archetype Sustainable House interior” title_text=”RS3691_014-ArchetypeSustainableHouse” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The home \u2014 which is located in the Kortright Centre for Conservation, in Vaughan<\/a> \u2014 has 14 different heating and cooling systems. These include a variety of green technologies such as solar and wind, though not everything has proven energy efficient. \u201cUrban wind is not a thing,\u201d explains Nixon. \u201cThe tower is too short for it to really get into the wind,\u201d Nixon says of the turbine that\u2019s hooked up to the Archetype Sustainable House, which has evolved along with advances in tech. These days, for example, the project is a testing ground for heat pumps, a technology used by <\/span>6% of Canadian homes<\/span><\/a> as a primary heat source and described by Nixon as \u201ca reversible air conditioner.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Plant-view-from-Dovercourt.jpg” alt=”The Plant condos” title_text=”Plant – view from Dovercourt” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.75rem” custom_margin=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_tablet=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_phone=”|10px||10px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Photos courtesy Windmill Developments<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Urban development professional Alex Speigel believes today\u2019s home builders still need to do more to incorporate sustainable features into their multi-family housing projects. \u201cThat\u2019s central to our approach,\u201d says Speigel, partner, design and development, at Windmill Developments, a sustainably-minded real estate company. Perhaps no Windmill project encapsulates this approach better than The Plant.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Plant-amenity-room.jpg” alt=”The Plant amenity room” title_text=”Plant – amenity room” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Also on the third floor, but indoors, there\u2019s a shared kitchen amenity space that continues the project\u2019s urban-agriculture theme. \u201cIt is also south facing, so it acts like a greenhouse for people to get an early start on their planting, and they can plant their seedlings there, get them started, and then take them to their balcony gardens,\u201d adds Speigel. \u201cWe have very large, oversized balconies for all the suites to encourage people to use them as outdoor rooms and encourage outdoor garden planting and that type of thing.\u201d As a finishing touch, a vine has been added to the 74-unit building\u2019s southern facade.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/straw-bale-house.jpeg” alt=”straw bale house” title_text=”straw-bale-house” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.75rem” custom_margin=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_tablet=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_phone=”|10px||10px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Photos by Terry Tao for Houssmax Realty Marketing Ltd.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Cheryl Bradbee has been interested in sustainable homes ever since she, along with a couple of her friends, commissioned the construction of one in Mississauga<\/a> in the late-90s. \u201cI\u2019m irritated by bad design, and I\u2019m irritated by inefficiency, and I\u2019m a strong environmentalist,\u201d she says. \u201cHousing is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The home, which was split up into three separate units with a common area so Bradbee and her friends could live together but have privacy, is dubbed \u201cthe Straw Bale House.\u201d That\u2019s because of its unique \u2014 and highly effective \u2014 insulation, which helped it earn a <\/span>2007 Urban Design Award<\/span><\/a>. The main level of the nearly 6,900-square-foot post-and-beam build is insulated with stacked straw bales that are held together by chicken wire and steel needles and coated with stucco. The materials were chosen in keeping with a goal to build an eco-friendly house entirely out of non-toxic elements (bamboo flooring and rolling steel doors are some of the other finishes).<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/straw-bale-house-interior.jpg” alt=”Straw Bale House interior” title_text=”straw-bale-house-interior” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n There are solar panels on the roof, and batteries in the basement store enough power to last up to two days. The latter is a rare feature today, but with power-grid uncertainty, Bradbee expects many other homes to incorporate the option in the future. While she sold the home \u2014 designed by pioneering green architect Martin Liefhebber \u2014 over the pandemic after buying out the other two co-owners, she\u2019s pleased with its legacy. Bradee, who now lives in what she calls an \u201calmost\u201d passive house<\/a> that she built on the east coast, says a contractor recently told her that the Straw Bale House \u201cis a historically important home in Canada.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wahi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/zero79.jpg” alt=”zero79″ title_text=”zero79″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_radii=”on|32px|32px|32px|32px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”1.13rem” text_line_height=”1.75rem” custom_margin=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_tablet=”||2px||false|true” custom_margin_phone=”|10px||10px|false|true” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Photos by Michael Peart<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Designlines Magazine<\/span><\/i> had the following to say about Leicher\u2019s Greektown infill project named zero79, which he spearheaded with his firm baukultur\/ca<\/span>\u00a0in 2017<\/span> to showcase sustainable homebuilding techniques and untapped potential for gentle density: \u201c<\/span>These intertwining semis might be Toronto\u2019s greenest homes<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span>
So, two years later, he took the chance to show what could be done in terms of eco-friendly design with a sliver of property in the Greektown neighbourhood, in Toronto\u2019s east end. The resulting project, zero79, saw a single-family house replaced with a creatively laid out semi-detached home that was built to last. Leicher\u2019s project is one of four eco-friendly homes that digital real estate<\/a> platform Wahi is showcasing for Earth Day, a day dedicated to environmentalism and that takes place each year on April 22.<\/span><\/p>\nWe put the real<\/em> back in real estate.<\/span><\/h2>\n
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1. Archetype Sustainable House\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>Suppliers donated all kinds of materials to the project, from sustainably sourced lumber to paint and drywall that had been recycled. \u201cIt\u2019s got a lot of recycled content\u2026 that\u2019s a whole other theme,\u201d explains Nixon. The home\u2019s steel roof is made of old soup cans, and the interior glass countertops are recycled wine bottles put to creative use. It was constructed using an advanced-framing technique, which requires using 20% less lumber than with standard stick-frame construction. \u201cIf you\u2019re a tree that\u2019s interesting\u2026 but what it really means is there\u2019s that much more insulation in the walls, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/ul>\n
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2. The Plant Condos\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Completed in the summer of 2020 in conjunction with Curated Properties, the 10-storey mixed-use condo development in Toronto\u2019s West Queen West neighbourhood was designed with a number of eco-friendly elements. In addition to the terrace atop the third-floor podium, there are planters for communal gardening as well as an \u201cintensive\u201d green roof that acts as a pollinator garden, Speigel explains: \u201cA lot of buildings in Toronto have extensive green roofs, which are planted sort of like fields, but this is an intensive green roof so it has quite a bit more soil depth and more capacity for more robust plant life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>
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3. The Straw Bale House\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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4. zero79\u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/span>To replace a single-family home with a semi on a very narrow lot, Leicher got creative. There wasn\u2019t room for a conventional side-by-side setup, so he went with something else. \u201cInstead of arranging them on top of each other, they\u2019re more or less front and back,\u201d he explains. The door to the second home is tucked toward the back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The home is a sort of case study in how to add livable <\/span>Missing Middle homes<\/span><\/a> \u2014 which fall somewhere between detached houses and mid-rise buildings and are desperately needed, housing advocates say \u2014 on tiny lots.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
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