SUSTAINABLE STYLE
Ottawa-area builder takes green design to outstanding new level in Alta Vista home
Nestled on a tree-lined street in the desirable Alta Vista neighbourhood stands a remarkable home. Designed by award-winning architect Christopher Simmonds and built by RND Construction, it boasts a seamless contemporary design. No detail too small, the home seems to flow from outside in and from room to room. “We spared no expense in the home,” explains award-winning builder Roy Nandram. This is obvious from the moment you step into the foyer. The main living area — consisting of a 17-foot curved feature wall, glass walls to highlight the den and study area and stately dining room — is warm and welcoming. It’s hard to decide where to start, but the jaw-dropping kitchen is where you’d immediately want to gather. And it’s all due to the care in design. The custom kitchen boasts stainless steel appliances, a massive centre island, coffee bar area and access to the back deck, expanding the space in warmer months. Everywhere you look in the home you think luxury — which is exactly what Nandram and Simmonds wanted. Clean lines, hardwood, Cambria countertops, a wine cellar and more. The bathrooms are spalike, and the natural wood features lend a hint of Scandinavian chic. It’s a knockout. But, these style details aren’t the only things that set this home apart. Instead they almost belie the most important feature of this home: it’s green. “To me, this home is like a Tesla,” says Nandram. “It combines efficiency without sacrificing luxury.” It’s astonishing to stand in this five-bedroom, six-bathroom smart home and comprehend that it could also be green. “Green homes are usually small and owned by energy and budget conscious families,” says Nandram. “We wanted to show that you could do green in a big home too.” Nandram’s company has been building green homes for close to 30 years, but this is the first time he’s tackled a project of this scale. “This home was designed for sustainability,” says Simmonds. “We were lucky with the orientation of the property — the rear of the home faced south. The building was designed as a high-performance envelope — RND increased insulation in walls roof and foundation to get more heat savings and used triple-glazed windows — and then it’s a matter of getting the right mechanical systems with high-efficiency ratings. This work combined with the home’s orientation on the property really set the home up for sustainable success.” Many people think that building green is going to be hard or unsightly, but Simmonds assures us this just isn’t the case. “I think that the tendency in the past was for people to focus on energy efficiency at the expense of design, but in this home I think we’ve created beautiful space that’s livable and has fluid openness — there’s a grandeur and a connection to the outside. “This is what many people would call a big house, but spaces are designed to be no bigger than they really need to be. There’s an openness and visual interconnection between spaces, which reduces the need to pump up the footprint too much. “When people walk through they understand you can get the spacious feeling in an efficient footprint — this is because we design carefully around how people will lay out their furniture and use the space.”
“Nearly everyone coming to us wants to be more energy efficient and green, so my work is to help them understand the standards they might want to achieve and the costs associated to them,” Simmonds continues. “Once you’ve achieved a certain level of insulation and air-tightness, the size of the mechanical equipment goes down significantly.” Nandram agrees. Which is why he took on the risks to build this spec home, which is listed for $2,495,000. “I’m really concerned about the environment,” Nandram explains. “There’s a change in our environment caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and we need to slow these effects down and eventually reverse them. “Our kids and grandkids are going to inherit something we’re responsible for, so I’m doing as much as I can in my lifetime to protect and preserve the environment.” For Nandram, living green came somewhat naturally. Born in Guyana, his family lived green as a way of survival. It was part of being frugal — of not wasting not only money but also resources. When he began building, it made sense to him to keep doing what he knew. “When people decide they need glasses it’s often long after their eyes have started to deteriorate,” Nandram explains. “Deterioration of the environment has been gradual, there hasn’t been one event to really wake people up. I took on this project because I really wanted people to think about green options when buying or building a home. Green should be something they consider — like location and number of bedrooms — so the information needs to get out there. I personally try to show that there are ways to make homes more efficient, without giving up on style or comfort.” Nandram isn’t the only green builder. Many offer Energy Star ratings, and R2000 is the current Canadian standard, which is 50 per cent better than general building codes. To achieve a R2000 rating homes include high levels of insulation (walls, ceiling and basements), high-efficiency heating, windows and doors, minimal air leakage and water conserving fixtures. But Nandram doesn’t think this is enough, so he’s working toward net zero ratings — which means the house will produce as much (or more) energy as it consumes. This home is net zero ready, if that’s what the homeowners want. As it is, it’s sixty-seven per cent more efficient than the current building code, thanks to LED fixtures, smart framing, open web floor joists, increased insulation, high-efficiency energy recovery ventilator, shower drain heat recovery pipe and even two 220-volt electrical rough in for a car charger. It’s designed not just for today, but for the future. Nandram is living what he preaches. RND’s offices are already Green certified, but he’s working toward a net zero rating. “When people come into our offices they see a business that’s bright, open and modern. I point out that it is all these things, and sustainable as well. I can’t just tell people to go green — I need to go there and show them that it’s a worthwhile investment.” Nandram hopes that this home showcases to homeowners, buyers and builders that there are options — big and small — that each of us can choose to make our homes more efficient. “By 2030, the Canadian government is proposing to change building codes to be net zero. We’re showcasing that we’re ready to be there now.”