Passive House and LEED for Home Platinum status will provide healthy living conditions to a vulnerable population, whilereducing ongoing operating costs
Ottawa Construction News staff writer
Construction of Salus Clementine, an environmentally-sustainable $7.5 million, 42-unit project to provide housing for individuals living with mental illnesses is expected to start next April, says project architect Sonia Zouari of CSV Architects.
“The project has been designed to achieve LEED for Homes Platinum status, while adhering to the Passive House standard – with energy savings performance of 80 to 90 per cent compared to conventional Canadian construction,” she said.
As well, non-profit Salus Corporation project has been designed to provide support services for vulnerable men and women, 16-years-old and over.
“Building energy efficient and a durable building will keep operational costs low, and allow Ottawa Salus to stretch its resources to provide the best possible service to its clients,” Zouari said.
The four-storey apartment building, to be constructed by Taplen Construction, has been designed “as a bright and engaging building that the residents will identify as their home.”
The energy efficiency and durable design will reduce operating costs, allowing Salus to focus the ongoing savings to the benefit of the building’s residents.
The passive house design achieves thermal performance through solar orientation, advanced building envelope design, high-performance windows and mechanical ventilation with high efficiency heat recovery, Zouari said.
The project will be funded by the three levels of government, as well as Salus’s own equity.
