The Construction Source

MARCH 2021 on their sustainable buildings. Further requests for papers and speaking engagements from conference locations in China, Scotland, Singapore, Denmark, Tokyo, and Barcelona still come in regularly. Moving forward, the firm wants to continue leading in that sustainable space, and they want to do it by example. That means incorporating green technology whenever possible, sourcing environmentally friendly building products, and working with suppliers who support that vision. “It is important to have suppliers that understand sustainability and create products that can be embraced for this effort,” Joseph says. “We must stop our excessive carbon use globally,” he reiterates. “We’ve got to change our way of thinking before we’re forced to. With buildings being a high contributor of carbon globally – they contribute 45 per cent – this is an area we can make a huge difference.” For Passa Architects, leading the way in sustainability also means delivering different kinds of building products, and embracing urban densification. To that end, the firm has recently designed a semi- attached townhouse product which is intended to be utilized on small urban lots. They will be building models this year to prove their concept. Each of those units will have a secondary suite and take advantage of densification as much as possible. The buildings will be electrically heated and air conditioned to reduce their carbon footprint, and they will include solar panel arrays on the roofs. Highly efficient windows will create maximum daylight harvesting and be controlled with sunshades and light shelves. The models will not only be produced using pre-manufacturing techniques but will also create sustainable and efficient living conditions by having natural convection air flow requiring less air conditioning. Joseph anticipates a learning curve delivering those units and he hopes to apply that gained knowledge to future projects for clients. He wants to ultimately deliver green sustainable projects that are not only “net zero,” but “net positive.” He envisions those projects as being the future of building. Greenwood Business Centre - Passa Architects.