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Style Meets Sustainability First Multi-Res Customer for Deep Lake Water Cooling
July, 2007
By Andrea Civichino
Sustainable living means different things to different people. For one of Canada's foremost interior designers, green living means making conscious decisions without compromising style.
"You don't have to sacrifice design or aesthetics for sustainability," says Andrea Kantelberg, as she sits comfortably on one of the environmentally friendly sofas she designed.
One of Kantelberg's most recent projects is the Eco-Suite - a 1,900-square-foot suite located on the 21st floor of Element in Toronto. It is Tridel's first completed 'Naturally Better' green community, which is part of the company's program to promote healthy, environmentally friendly, sustainable condominium living.
The commitment to sustainability begins with selecting land within urban communities to take advantage of existing infrastructure and services. When ready to build, each construction team faces a strict mandate, including at least a 75% waste diversion rate and using recycled materials that are locally manufactured or harvested.
The Eco-Suite was designed to educate and showcase detailed green design options for everyday living. The suite highlights environmentally friendly materials, décor and appliances, each with their own story about how they've been repurposed, recycled or are energy efficient.
For example, the dining room table was built from walnut slabs originally recovered from a Tridel development site in Scarborough, and the ensuite bathroom's countertop is made from recycled glass. Other features that aren't immediately visible include the recycled drywall, low VOC adhesives and sealants, BASF spray foam insulation and two in-suite Energy Recovery Ventilator systems.
Kantelberg and a team of six worked with a wide variety of local suppliers who developed new sustainable products for use in future green communities. Along the way, they discovered new suppliers and craftsmen who shared their passion for unique and sustainable, hand-crafted designs.
"It wasn't designed sustainable first," Kantelberg says. "The space was designed and then the sustainable materials were found to work within the design."
Both Kantelberg, and Stacey Fruitman, Eco-Suite producer, admit that some of the products were difficult to find and required research. "We were very conscientious about finding and using local suppliers because a big part of sustainable living is buying locally," Fruitman notes.
All materials for the Eco-Suite were reviewed by two LEED accredited professionals who ensured that all the products and materials were high-performing, durable and easy to maintain. For example, the wall hanging in the suite is printed on recyclable paper by an artist who only uses environmentally friendly materials. Added to the list is the FSC-certified, custom designed bed frame and sofas, along with low VOC drapery, paints, carpets, flooring, and a custom-designed concrete fireplace with a high percentage of slag (a waste by-product).
The suite also showcases a range of ways to reduce energy and water consumption. The kitchen includes appliances and water efficiency features that reduce water consumption by 40% or 75,000 litres, based on two occupants. Throughout the suite, there are low-flow faucets, low-flow high-pressure showerheads, dual flush toilets, and an Energy Star double-drawer dishwasher and a washing machine.
The suite is outfitted with energy-efficient LED lighting to reduce overall electricity consumption by an estimated 9,000 kilowatt-hours annually and energy-efficient electronics. In total, the suite is expected to produce 3.5 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Element is also the first residential building to connect into the Enwave deep lake water cooling system (DLWC) - a joint venture between Enwave District Energy Limited and the City of Toronto to reduce energy consumption, reduce urban air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. The DLWC technology uses naturally cold water that is just above freezing as a sustainable cooling source, drawing on the reservoir of 4( C water that lies at the bottom of Lake Ontario approximately five kilometres off Toronto Island.
Element has qualified Natural Resources Canada's Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP), which recognizes and rewards energy efficiency that is at least 25% greater than the standards set in the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation Officer, Peter Love, has also presented Tridel with a Certificate of Recognition for its significant contribution in the area of energy savings.
"When builders offer choice not only in suite design, but also in energy efficient appliances and environmentally friendly materials, we all win," Love says. "Less electricity is used, fewer greenhouse gases are released and the customer saves money."
Andrea Civichino is Editor of CondoBusiness. The preceding article is reprinted from the June 2007 issue.
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