The Heritage and Sustainability Nexus

I am delighted to serve as the moderator for a Vancouver Heritage Foundation symposium happening today at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue. The featured speaker is Carl Elefante, the guy who coined the phrase: “The greenest building is the one that is already built.” He is Director of Sustainable Design at Qunin Evans Architects, Washington, D.C.

While the event is sold out, it is being videotaped and much of the discussion will be available afterwards. Here is the line up:

Keynote Speaker

Carl Elefante, FAIA, LEED AP, Quinn Evans Architects, Washington D.C.

Carl Elefante is Director of Sustainability for Quinn Evans Architects, with offices in Washington DC and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and design principal for a broad spectrum of projects including architecture, historic preservation, and community revitalization. Mr. Elefante lectures nationally on historic preservation and sustainable design topics. Mr. Elefante served on the Sustainable Communities Task Force of President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development and sits on the Board of Directors of AIA Maryland and the Association for Preservation Technology International.

GREENEST CITY 2020

Mark Hartman, Buildings Energy Programs Manager at City Of Vancouver

Mark works in the Sustainability Group at the City of Vancouver. He is responsible for meeting city council's climate protection and sustainability-related targets to lower the energy use and associated greenhouse gases in new and existing buildings. In addition to working on Vancouver's new Green Homes Program, Vancouver's upcoming commercial renovation by-law, and projects related to the retrofit of civic facilities, Mark has established a number of community incentive programs to encourage conservation in existing residential and commercial buildings to help Vancouver work towards its goal of becoming the greenest city in the world by 2020. Mark has worked 25 years in the energy industry, holds an M.B.A. from Heriot-Watt University and is a LEED accredited professional.

Now House® -- Zero Energy Retrofits

Lorraine Gauthier, Partner, Work Worth Doing

Lorraine Gauthier is co-founder of Work Worth Doing a design firm with a mission to create positive social and environmental change. Since 2006, Lorraine has led the firm’s boldest enterprise, the Now House project – an award winning process for retrofitting older homes to near zero energy use. Their first Now House was completed in Toronto in 2008, and was selected as one of 12 winning projects from across Canada in CMHC’s Equilibrium Sustainable Housing Design Competition. The team has replicated the Now House process in four cities in Ontario including, most recently, the Now House Windsor 5 project carried out with Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation. Lorraine has served on the faculty of design at OCAD University and is a member of the board of Homes First Foundation, supporting homeless families and individuals in Toronto.

Energy Efficiency in Traditional Homes

1. NATALIE CUSHING, CITY GREEN SOLUTIONS

Natalie is a recent graduate of the Environmental Technologies program at Camosun College. She has been involved in many local environmental groups, including Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, LifeCycles Project Society, Camosun Students for Environmental Awareness, and the Compost Education Centre, where she has been a board member for the past two years. Past work experience in this field includes stints as Project Assistant for the Black Gold Challenge at the Compost Education Centre and as Project Coordinator for the Homes and Habitats project – a four-home naturescape project at Habitat for Humanity site. Recently Natalie’s focus has shifted to urban issues, including participating in her local neighbourhood action group and conducting a research project on boulevard trees health and sustainability. Natalie assists the Executive Director and Coordinators in a variety of business and program development projects.

2. Pam Copley or Richard Linzey,

Province of British Columbia Heritage Branch

LEED FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS + GREEN-UP

Daniel Roberts, Dip. Eng. Design, LEED® AP, Kane Consulting

As Founder of Kane Consulting, Daniel is committed to providing a synergistic approach for the advancement of sustainable design from individual buildings, to our community and beyond. He has a strong understanding of the integrated design process and believes this holistic process is ideal in aiding a project team to fulfill their sustainability goals. Daniel has a proven track record as a strong resource for implementing sustainable design practices and has extensive project experience utilizing the LEED at every level.

CASE STUDY: BUSBY PERKINS + WILL OFFICE

David Dove, MAIBC, MRAIC, LEED® A.P., Busby Perkins + Will

David Dove is a Principal with the award-winning Vancouver office of Busby Perkins+Will, which has been producing leading-edge Green building designs for 25 years. David leads the firm’s Civic, Corporate, Commercial / Mixed-use studios. With a portfolio of projects that range from the 65 s.m. White Rock Operations Centre (Canada’s first LEED Gold new construction building) to a 95,000 sm Marine Gateway mixed-use development, the common thread of David’s work is an adherence to a rigorous modern aesthetic and a commitment to sustainable design solutions. David has worked on projects in Canada, the US and overseas and has lectured broadly on issues of Sustainable Architecture and the work of his office.

NATHANIEL FUNK M Arch, IA (NCARB), Shape Architecture

Case Study: 662 + 666 Union Street

Nathaniel brings a critical and exploratory approach to SHAPE. His experience with large commercial projects, residential design and material fabrication enables him to deliver projects of all scales and complexity. Before arriving in Vancouver, Nathaniel spent several years practicing architecture in Chicago where he played a significant role on the award winning Macomb Daily Press Hall, Hospira Laboratory and Technical Center and the Kalamazoo International Airport. His work with the University of Chicago, Michigan State University and Abbott Laboratories has given him experience managing technical and visioning aspects of institutional projects. Nathaniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Judson University and a Master of Architecture from UBC. He continues to pursue research in digital design and fabrication and he maintains an architecture instructor position at Arts Umbrella in Vancouver. Nathaniel is currently taking the lead on coordinating the construction of the UBC Tennis Centre.

EESMYAL SANTOS-BRAULT, Dip. M.Tech., LEED AP

Principal, Recollective Consulting

Case Study: Friedman Building, UBC

Eesmyal has over eight years experience in the field of sustainable design and has worked as a green building strategist and LEED consultant since 2003. His building industry experience includes office, institutional, laboratories, residential, mixed-use, and heath care facilities. Eesmyal was a LEED project reviewer for the Canada Green Building Council and has played a leading or support role on over 40 LEED projects. He is very active in the Vancouver green building community and serves on several committees and initiatives. In addition to his green building background, Eesmyal spent several years working for environmental organizations in the fields of renewable energy research and climate change education. Eesmyal is a Director of Open Green Building Society, an NGO dedicated to the creation and advancement of freely available open-source green building resources. He is also a Director of Vancouver Design Nerds Society, a network of collaborating designers and artists who share a desire to engage design opportunities with a spirit of creative play and to challenge the normative environment of the city.

STEPHANIE MAINGOT, (and John Flipse)

Case Study: 1636 Charles St.

Stephanie & John’s Edwardian house just turned 100-years-old and is still standing strong! It was featured on the 2008 VHF heritage house tour, as well as in VHF publication “New Life, Old Buildings.” It’s in the heart of Commercial Drive, one of Vancouver’s most eclectic neighbourhoods. Stephanie says, “I first fell in love with Commercial Drive when studying for my undergraduate degree. I shared the upper floor of a heritage home just a few blocks away from where we live now. My roommate and I each had a little balcony off our bedrooms, with stunning views of the cityscape and mountains. That’s when my dream of buying and renovating a character home in the area first took root.” In 2004, Stephanie and John renovated their unfinished basement with these principles in mind: a long-standing appreciation for heritage architecture and preservation, energy efficiency, and the effective use of space. Now we’re official amateur designers, decorators, building contractors, painters, and much more!

Homeowners are often left so shell-shocked by renovating heritage properties, they swear they’ll never do it again. This is unfortunate, since learning effects are lost and preservation is such an important contribution to sustainability. To help remedy this, Stephanie is currently working on a book proposal entitled Dodging Divorce Dust: A Homeowner’s Guide to Renovations with Happy Endings. The book concentrates on the emotional world of homeowners, helping them navigate the psychological pitfalls of renovating. Sample chapters include “Keeping Renovations Family Friendly,” and “Renovating with a Conscience.”