We Passed the Passive House Airtightness Test With Flying Colours!
Christine Thalita
Kindred Construction and Community Land Trust are thrilled to announce that our 5085 McHardy Street development has passed the Passive House airtightness test with flying colors! With an impressive 0.24 air changes per hour (ACH), we’ve far exceeded the required 0.6 ACH, showcasing our commitment to energy-efficient and sustainable housing.
Located in the vibrant Renfrew-Collingwood area, this project will offer 102 units of permanent, affordable co-op housing. It includes 1,300 square feet of indoor amenity space across the main and fourth levels, plus a rooftop outdoor area. The development features a single-level, below-grade parkade with nearly 27 parking stalls and over 170 bicycle spaces.
Every aspect of this building was conceived to maximize efficiency. On the energy efficiency side, the project aims to meet Passive House standards. One of the ways it will achieve this is through its building envelope that uses a layered approach: 6-inch mineral wool exterior insulation to minimize heat loss, 3/4-inch plywood and interior Batt insulation, a vapor barrier, and drywall ensure airtightness. The project team worked together to minimizes thermal bridges and integrate solutions that enhance energy efficiency and prioritize comfort such as high-performance triple-glazed windows, metal-less shading systems, and fero bracket systems for the exterior wall. On the construction efficiency side, light wood frame hybrid structure to lower embodied carbon emissions by reducing the use of steel and concrete, and to ensure cost-efficiency. By prioritizing pre-fabrication approach, the project aims to increase industry capacity for off-site fabrication, improving construction efficiency, reducing waste and energy consumption during construction.
Passive House projects like 5085 McHardy are crucial in Vancouver, where both the climate change and housing affordability crises are calling for urgent need to bring innovation to our construction practices in BC.
A big thank you to ZGF Architects and RDH for their invaluable support. We look forward to continuing our collaboration as we near project completion.
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