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Nicolle Pittman has a decent history with renovations. She grew up with a handy dad and spent much of her 20s playing Calgary’s real estate market and fixing up old houses. But she wanted her home in the city’s Marda Loop neighbourhood to be different. "I didn’t want to build an average house," she says.
"I wanted it to work as a system."
No average system, either. With architect David Ferguson’s innovative design (and the help of boyfriend Scott Findlay and parents Anne and Peter Pittman, who make up her company, Coley Homes), Pittman now owns Calgary’s first soon-to-be-certified LEED Platinum home.
Translation: It’s about as green as you can get. Indeed, a tour of the home is a lesson in environmentally sensitive systems. Every aspect of the property is working in harmony: from the geothermal wells that run 200 feet underground, bringing back 46°C heat to keep the place warm in winter; to the solar panels on the rooftop that negate the home’s electrical bills. The concrete floors act as heat sinks in the winter-capturing low winter, light and releasing it back as heat into the home-and stay cool in summer. And the 25-foot steel and concrete joists that run the length of the ceilings easily radiate warmth throughout the home.
Those are some of the more obvious, visual cues that the home is a little different than its neighbours. Behind the scenes, there’s more: all of the systems-from the lighting to the heating to the DVD player and game consoles-are connected to a computerized program that automatically moderates the home environment at all times. When the homeowners get up to use the ensuite at night, soft lights are activated to greet them. The program cues the water tank to send hot water to the taps-saving energy over a traditional system, where the hot water is circulated throughout the home at regular intervals rather than as needed. Should any of the systems start to act up-a leaky pipe, a faulty connection-the program alerts the owners that maintenance is required.
Materials played an important role in winning the home its LEED status. Formaldehyde-free Columbia pure-bond plywood makes up the kitchen cabinets, while the stairs are constructed from retired grain elevators. The concrete counter in the kitchen contains recycled glass, keeping it stain-resistant while reducing its environmental footprint. And though Pittman decided that recycled-glass tile would have broken the bank if used to cover the 900-square-foot bathrooms, she opted for a product from a company that recycles its tile-meaning all waste from the project went back into production.
The big green tricks are all here: they’ve chosen low-energy LED lights, so Pittman could install fewer solar panels on the roof. And smaller tricks, too: perennial thyme is planted on the balconies, low-maintenance and fragrant through the summers. Going as green as she could became a bit of an obsession, Pittman readily admits. "While we were building this, all of my friends were having kids," she smiles. "This home was my labour of love." wl
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