Natural Resources Canada (NR Can)spearheaded a national demonstration project to engage the residential industry in designing and building net-zero energy houses. The goal was to showcase industry leadership in realizing such an ambitious goal while delivering homes attractive to the marketplace.
Designed by Q4A, Mattamy Home’s first net-zero energy home opened its doors on November 25, 2015.
Net-Zero Homes
Q4A Calgary has been in continuous operation for more than a decade. In these 10 years our studio has developed a strong understanding of the unique conditions and defining characteristics of designing for the Alberta market.
This experience was leveraged to design and evaluate the buildability of our first Net Zero homes, and the related research and development to see it through to occupancy and long-term performance.
This was a groundbreaking project, on 1.7 acres in Calgary, Alberta. Beginning in 2014, Q4A designed five discovery homes and two net-zero homes as part of a Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) initiative to promote net-zero within the housing industry.
Our unique homes showcased various technologies that provide alternative sources of energy and efficiencies, with the goal of producing all the energy required to run and maintain the homes.
In addition to this incredible sustainable approach, the homes were designed to be integrated into the context of the area, with a distinctive contemporary, but ‘home like’ feel.
To achieve the goals of the project, the following materials / technologies were researched and implemented:
