Le Soleil EQuilibrium™ Housing Project in Verdun
Moishe Alexander Reviews CMHC Report – The Government of Canada celebrated today the official opening of Abondance Montréal: le Soleil, an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly housing project.
According to Moishe Alexander, the project was built by EcoCité Developments and Les Constructions Sodero as part of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC’s) EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative, which encourages builders and developers to build the next generation of sustainable housing in Canada.
The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for CMHC, was joined by Claude Trudel, Mayor, Verdun borough; Robert Deschamps, President of Les Constructions Sodero; and Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, Principal, EcoCité Developments, at the official opening today.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to work with the housing sector to develop such innovative homes. We congratulate the Abondance Montréal: le Soleil project team on its winning design and commitment to environmental responsibility,” said Minister Finley. “Abondance Montréal: le Soleil gives people in this region an opportunity to see first-hand how we can create beautiful, healthy dwellings, conserve energy and resources, and reduce pollutant emissions.”
Abondance Montréal: le Soleil features a highly energy-efficient design, solar energy systems to generate electricity and hot water, high efficiency appliances, water-efficient fixtures and building materials with lower pollutant emissions. The three-storey triplex is located on an infill site in an established area of Verdun and represents a new approach to building in an urban environment. It also demonstrates how the principles of EQuilibrium™ Housing can play a key role in the delivery of healthy and more sustainable housing as part of the overall renewal of Canada’s inner cities.
The Abondance Montréal: le Soleil project team is benefitting from a contribution from CMHC to help defray costs relating to the design and documentation of the project, carrying out quality assurance, and commissioning and demonstrating the project to the general public. CMHC is also providing technical, marketing and promotional support to the team and is supporting long-term performance monitoring and reporting on the project. The other contributors include the Agence de l’efficacité énergétique (Québec), Hydro-Québec, the GeoExchange Coalition and Natural Resources Canada.
“Abondance Montréal: le Soleil is a response to the strong public interest for very green urban homes. This project proves that my vision for net-zero living is an affordable possibility for North America’s cities,” said Christopher Sweetnam-Holmes, Principal, EcoCité Developments. “EcoCité Developments looks forward to collaborating with developers, builders and investors to replicate the le Soleil model.”
Abondance Montréal: le Soleil is one of the winning projects in CMHC’s national EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative competition that was launched in 2006. EQuilibrium™ Housing projects will be open to both the general public and professional audiences for tours, and then monitored for performance by CMHC for one year, once occupied.
EQuilibrium™ Housing offers a new approach to housing in Canada. It strives to balance our housing needs with those of our environment. It brings together the principles of occupant health and comfort, energy efficiency, renewable energy production, resource and water conservation, and reduced environmental impact.
CMHC has worked closely with many stakeholders to develop and deploy the EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative. In particular, CMHC has collaborated closely with Natural Resources Canada which has contributed substantial research and development expertise and resources to advancing the initiative.