REEP House Updates
June 25th, 2008
Staff Design Charette #2
Today REEP had its second design charette which included all of our staff. “Charette” is a fancy word for a collaborative design process, named after the cart that the designer would place a finished drawing into after a stretch of brainstorming and refining ideas in a group. The charette is one aspect of the LEED standard that we are working according to. (More about LEED US and LEED Canada.) It allows us all to give input.
At this charette we focused on 24 Mill Street, the future home of the REEP Green Office, where REEP staff will hold meetings and sit at computers for hours on end, and where our energy advisors will drop by to scan documents, pick up materials, and much more. We each bring unique perspectives on the practical day-to-day use of the place, as well as environmental aspects of the structure and materials.
Graham Whiting, our project architect, gave us paper copies of the floor plans and let us get creative. Being right in the rooms that we were talking about was so helpful. We could really visualize the changes.
Some of the practical concerns that came up were the location of the bathroom and kitchenette. For one of the larger office spaces, the idea of task-lighting seemed great, especially if we could find LED lamps. Also, a main electrical switch that could shut off power to the whole house, except for our server and fridge, would be a great energy-saver for evenings and weekends when the office is closed. Graham mentioned that there are a few such options available on the market today, and more coming.
We also looked at heating system options. An air-source heat pump is one. It would include either an electric resistance or a natural gas backup. Another option is a high-efficiency gas furnace. One of our Certified Energy Advisors mentioned the idea of cogeneration that is gaining popularity in Germany, but might not be the most practical for us on Mill Street.
Graham will take all of our ideas, work through them, present them to the design committee, and then bring them back to us. Soon we hope to choose a builder who will also take part in this ongoing process.
March 29th, 2008
Open House and Public Forum
Through the development of the REEP House project, REEP invites public input. On Saturday, March 29th, fifty members of the community joined us at this Open House and Public Forum to discuss the project.
At 1pm, neighbours and the general public were able to view the REEP House before our extensive renovation work begins. At 1:45, everyone headed across the street to Joseph Schneider Haus for a presentation and discussion of REEP’s plans for the houses, which ran until 3:30pm.
REEP presented photographs and architectural drawings of the houses, including some discussion of heritage design features. Results of the ecoENERGY evaluations of the houses were also presented, indicating energy usage and problem areas. We invited ideas and comments on what the community would like to see demonstrated in these homes.
January 28th, 2008
Graham Whiting to design REEP House for Sustainable Living
REEP is pleased to announce that Graham Whiting of Whiting Design has joined the REEP House team. Graham will work with the team to create a design and retrofit plan for both the REEP House for Sustainable Living and REEP Green Office. Construction is expected to begin this fall and continue through to Spring 2009.
Designs for the two Mill Street houses will include the most advanced energy-saving retrofit technologies. At the same time, the early 20th century heritage features of the buildings, such as the brick exteriors and front porch features, will also be incorporated, if not enhanced.
Graham Whiting specializes in environmentally sustainable design. He has worked on a number of residential and commercial renovation projects in Waterloo Region such as the Princess Twin theatres, and the Regina St. Common that includes the Generation X video store and Absolute Hair. For more information about Graham’s work please visit www.whitingdesign.ca.
REEP is looking forward to working with Graham and getting started on the design process.
October 4th, 2007
REEP House Project Announced!
Region to lease houses for energy efficient demonstration project
As part of the Region of Waterloo’s ongoing commitment to promoting environmental sustainability, the Region has agreed to lease two houses to Waterloo Region Green Solutions (WRGS) as part of their Residential Energy Efficiency Project (REEP).
REEP will use the property at 20 Mill Street to demonstrate practical and advanced technologies for energy and water conservation, as well as renewable energy, with a particular emphasis on the possibilities for older residential buildings. The neighbouring house at 24 Mill Street will be used as office space.
The Region encourages residents to consider sustainable choices and is pleased to support environmental education through this partnership with REEP.
REEP was founded in 1999 as a joint initiative of the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence. In 2006, REEP became an independent environmental non-profit organization under the name Waterloo Region Green Solutions. It has since been involved with a range of community-based environmental programs and services, public education campaigns, research and community partnerships that work to promote healthier homes and sustainable communities.