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Coquitlam gets its first Passive House building

52-unit townhouse project can reduce energy costs by 90%

The first development in the Tri-Cities to utilize Passive House environmental standards capable of reducing energy costs by 90% was approved in Coquitlam Monday night.

According to the developer, Edward Kolic, it will all come down to the thickness of the walls of the 52-unit Foster Avenue townhouse, which can accommodate larger amounts of insulation.

“It is about simplicity,” he told The Tri-City News. “The analogy I use is the farm houses built out of stone. The walls are thick. It keeps it warm in the winter and cooler in the summer. It is that simple.”

Well, almost that simple.

Passive House buildings also require high-quality windows set to be as air-tight as possible, preventing any leakage. Filtered air is supplied to all of the living spaces, primarily the living room and bedrooms, while air from the “wet areas” — the kitchen and bathroom — is extracted.

Last year, an 85-unit market rental building in Vancouver called The Heights opened at Skeena and Hastings streets near Boundary Road, billed as the largest mixed-use complex built to Passive House standards in Canada. - File Photo

According to project architect Scott Kennedy, this means the temperatures remain stable year-round throughout the home and residents receive excellent air quality.

“They are very comfortable buildings,” he said. “They don’t leak any air in or out.”

Only a handful of developments of this kind have been approved in Metro Vancouver, including an 85-unit apartment building at Skeena and Hastings Street in Vancouver that opened last year.