Photo courtesy Rodney Daw

Earth Day Launch: BILD and TRCA representatives pose with George Smitherman, deputy premier and minister for energy and infrastructure (second from left), in front of the Archetype Sustainable House.

Launched last month on Earth Day, the Kortright Centre's Archetype Sustainable House in Vaughan, Ont., is one of the most efficient, renewable energy homes in North America.

A joint initiative between the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the house will serve as an educational facility for best practices in building green and emphasize changes consumers can make to achieve more sustainable homes.

Consisting of two semi-detached units, the house showcases the best green building practices currently available, as well as those possible in the future. Its features include:
• in-floor radiant heating;
• triple-glaze windows;
• solar power;
• compact fluorescence light bulbs;
• advanced plumbing with timed recirculation of hot water;
• landscaping with bioswales;
• cork flooring;
• low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints and solvents; and
• high-volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC).

Year-round educational programs will include solar, wind, and earth energy workshops providing hands-on seminars, as well as customizable industry tours of the house.