The Construction Source

THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA certified to be the most energy efficient school in Ontario and fourth most energy efficient in Canada. Then in 2007, their Glengarda Child and Family Services project, renovated from an abandoned hospital laundry facility industrial building, was determined to be the most energy efficient school in Ontario and third most efficient in Canada all as determined by Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa. Passa Architects also completed a new washroom building for the Essex Region Conservation Authority at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area on the shores of Lake Erie. The structure was designed and built as a “net zero” building, with the capability of running entirely on solar photovoltaic panels. The hot water for the plumbing fixtures was powered by solar thermal panels, and the project included a green roof, which allows birds to nest naturally while cooling the building. In general, Joseph says green roofs havebecomea specialtyof the company – Passa Architects has incorporated some of the largest green roofs in Southern Ontario into their projects. Passa Architects is also regarded as a specialist when it comes to green architecture. Joseph has been requested on numerous occasions to speak to various groups and conferences on sustainability issues, and he has authored and published several articles on the topic in the past. One particular article was for the Journal of Green Building from College Publishing in Virginia, USA – a worldwide publication where Joseph and David Rompf, a long-term associate, co-authored a 16-page article Proposed Windsor Office Building - Passa Architects.