2010 Challenge in Today's Vancouver Woman (Shared Vision)

What was to be a 12 month series on the 2010 Challenge appeared this month in Today's Vancouver Women Magazine (formerly known as Shared Vision magazine).

The first article, [online here] outlines the complications arising out of waste removal as old homes are torn down - particularly in finding people to do deconstruction (essentially construction in reverse, allowing as many materials as possible to be reused and recycled).

The article highlights Coro Strandberg and Phillip Legg's new construction - Light House's first 2010 Challenge project participant.  Full text of the article below.

Green Building Challenge
By Amanda McCuaig

Light House Sustainable Building Centre is challenging Metro Vancouver residents to green their homes and workplaces in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. First up: Coro Strandberg and Phillip Legg

Coro Strandberg has lived in a heritage home all her life. “I had ‘power-smarted’ and brought in the improvements that I could,” explains Coro of her regal 96-year-old home. “However, as much as I love this house, my life is changing, and I want to start a new chapter.”

Her new chapter began when Coro decided to give up the old place and, with her fiancé Phillip Legg, build her dream home. They partnered with the non-profit Light House Sustainable Building Centre and became a pilot project for Light House’s 2010 Green Building Challenge.

Coro and Phil’s new home will be the first of 10 Vancouver households and businesses to receive free technical assistance for their green renovations. Coro and Phil’s “reno” will include the deconstruction (read: not demolition) of an existing house and the reconstruction of a new one. In other words, the house currently on their property will be taken apart and recycled, and a new energy-efficient, water-saving, toxin-free home will be built in its place.

All Challenge participants will work with Light House to meet ambitious targets in waste, water, and energy efficiency—with each home targeted to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by four tonnes per year (the average Canadian household produces 13 tonnes annually.

“We have decided to work with the Built Green checklist,” says Coro of the method they’ll use to guide their decisions. “We’re going for the highest level we can.”

Built Green is a voluntary rating system that helps homeowners find and use technologies, products, and practices that can help meet environmental goals and earns them points for choices they make. “It’s very user-friendly,” adds Julie Hardy, the Light House consultant working with Coro and Phil. “The list just acts as a guide for the design process to help you see all of your options that can be used for your green home.”

“It’s curious to note the environmental trade-offs that one is forced to consider,” notes Coro of their experience reviewing the Built Green list. “For example, some synthetic products get a higher ranking than wood products because of their energy efficiency. We found this result surprising because it leads the builder to choose synthetic products over those made of renewable materials.”

Owners using Built Green should involve contractors from the start to outline the costs and desired materials and products for their green goals. “We found ourselves playing catch-up to the construction process,” says Coro, who had enlisted a contractor before getting involved with Light House and the Built Green program. “While the bulk of the sustainable options are still available, the rapid pace of development foreclosed some options for green innovations.”

Coro and Phil’s experiences are valuable lessons for upcoming Challenge participants, who will be choosing which green technologies they want to incorporate into their own renovations. Many own heritage homes or the oft-derided “Vancouver specials.”

Despite some initial hurdles, Coro’s thrilled with how the construction is progressing. “I’m looking forward to living in a first-class, high-performance, environmentally responsible home.”

Next month, we’ll look at Coro and Phil’s initial challenges in deconstruction.