BUILDING ECOLOGICAL HOMES
Quebec-based Belvedair embarks on condo project in Mont-Tremblant
Belvedair, a Quebec-based ecohouse builder with an integrated approach to design and construction, is out to show that ecological housing can be built for less than most homebuyers might expect.
Increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption are the two main goals of an eco-house, said Patrick Ranger, Belvedair’s director, and there’s no reason it should cost more to build than a regular home.
“We have a very low-tech approach and the less amount of technology we can use the better,” Ranger explained. “Instead of using geothermal energy, for example, which is very expensive and involves a lot of mechanical pieces with a fairly short lifespan, we just use good insulation. It lasts for over 50 years and doesn’t require any maintenance.”
Belvedair has worked on houses with unusual insulation materials like hemp and bales of straw, but what it uses most often is cellulose, which is made of recycled newspaper.
“It’s a very interesting material, at the ecological level,” said Tiphaine Delhommeau, a project manager at Belvedair, “and we use it along with insulation made of stone wool, which is made from 55 per cent recycled materials.”
While proper insulation is one of the most important features of an ecological home, the first thing to consider when building one is its shape.
“To have a durable, energy-efficient house you have to start with its shape and simpler is always better,” Ranger said. “An L-shaped house with the same amount of square feet as a rectangle-shaped house will lose more heat because it has more exterior walls.”
The same applies to the roof as well. A flat roof is more efficient than a gabled one because it has fewer weak points.
Another cost-effective way of saving energy is by having triplecoated windows or a small wallmounted heat pump. “It saves residents two to three times more money than a ground-coupled heat exchanger, which is the more hightech option but not necessarily the better one,” Ranger said.
When it comes to interior design, using an eco-friendly paint is another inexpensive option, as is using a paint like Boomerang, which is made from unused portions of paint that have been returned to the store for proper disposal and which are low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), making the end result both environmentally friendly
and healthier.
“There aren’t 400 colours to choose from but it’s an excellent material and it’s less expensive than other brands, so it’s a good example of a material that’s ecological, healthy and takes people’s budgets into account,” Delhommeau said.
It’s important for Ranger to work with the most natural materials possible because, in addition to energy efficiency, he’s also concerned with the health effects of regular construction materials.
“A lot of finishing products can have a major impact on the health of occupants, because of the glue and formaldehyde in them, which
remain forever sealed in the house,” he said.
In addition to building singlefamily homes, Belvedair has launched a condo project in MontTremblant in partnership with local promoter Aymeric Brisset, who wanted to create an ecological condo development in the heart of the old village. The Écoluminis project will include three buildings with three condos each. There are twoand three-bedroom condos available, and the project will be both LEED and Novoclimat 2.0-certified. Zenith, the first of the three buildings, is slated for completion this summer.
LEED certification, much like Belvedair, aims to encourage the building of homes that are energy efficient, have better indoor air quality and a less negative impact on the environment.
Novoclimat 2.0 is the Quebec government’s new construction certification program that is designed to improve a home’s energy performance by at least 20 per cent.
“All of our houses are certified Novoclimat 2.0 and we have built several LEED-certified houses as well — it all depends on what the client wants,” Belvedair’s Tiphaine Delhommeau said. “LEED certification costs our clients money but Novoclimat 2.0 makes them money, so that’s the major difference.”
In describing the appeal of eco housing, Ranger said “there’s a certain amount of security that comes with having a house that’s energy efficient — especially during a power outage.” A well-built, well-insulated eco-home can stay warm for up to four days at 17 degrees Celsius during an electricity failure.
And while ecological housing may not be a booming trend yet, Delhommeau said it is seen as a lot more normal and accessible now than a few years ago.