Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
St. B condos gold-certified as eco-friendly
First for residential complex in province
Marten Duhoux (left) and Cam Dobie with the LEED for Homes Gold Certificate at 193 Horace St. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
A geothermal heating and cooling system, double-insulated walls and a rooftop patio have earned a St. Boniface condominium a gold environmental certification from the Canada Green Building Council.
The four-unit complex, located at 193 Horace St., is the first residential property in Manitoba -- and only the second in Western Canada -- to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes designation. The rating system, with platinum as the highest ranking, is recognized internationally and bestowed on sustainable buildings that are healthier for the environment and the people who inhabit them.
The ECO4 Condominium scored points for its location -- an existing infill lot in an established historic neighbourhood -- in addition to green design, construction and performance features, said Marten Duhoux, chairman of the council's Manitoba chapter.
"They used the existing community instead of going out into the country and having a new sewer, water and power system put in," Duhoux said of Dobie Properties, a Winnipeg-based residential and commercial builder. "They dismantled the house that was there and reused most of the materials."
ECO4 also won the gold for having interior walls insulated to R40, twice the minimum R value required for new-home construction; using low volatile organic compound finishes in paint, carpeting and flooring; under-floor ventilation to prevent buildup of the radioactive gas radon and landscaping with plants that don't spread and require little watering.
Duhoux said a growing number of prospective homebuyers are asking real estate agents if properties they're viewing are green -- a natural extension of the trend toward eco-friendly workplaces.
"It makes sense that if you want to work in a healthy, sustainable place, you also want to live in one," he said.
The 1,400-square-foot condominium units have all sold for $295,000 and $320,000.
At a time when "greenwashing" -- companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly -- is on the rise, Dobie Properties president Cam Dobie said the LEED gold rating is a welcome stamp of approval.
"It sets a benchmark for what it means to build green and energy-efficient," Dobie said. "It's a green building because an independent, third party says 'Yes, in fact, these guys have built a green and energy-efficient building like they said they were going to.'"
This fall, Dobie Properties will begin construction on two more LEED condominium complexes, on River Avenue in Osborne Village and Eugenie Street in St. Boniface.
carolin.vesely@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 2, 2009 B1
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