The Hive
Sustainable Design
Welcome to The Hive; a self-sustaining townhouse complex that has been retrofit with environmental design as the driving force. This townhouse retrofit will highlight the advantages of eco design through its green roof system, exterior live wall, passive heating and cooling, double insulated walls, in floor heating system, and water recovery and storage system. It is through this design that this project will save costs in heating and cooling, create a livable and comfortable environment for its inhabitants and cut down on waste produced in new construction costs. In her book Building Reuse, Kathryn Rogers Merino states: “Through the sustainable retrofitting of existing buildings, two fundamental elements are united: historic preservation and environmental conservation.” Are you ready to be part of this movement?
Environmental Assessment: Sun Study and Site Plan
This retrofit began at the site: the most important piece when creating an environmentally sustainable living space. Being situated in an established neighbourhood with mature trees and a strong southern exposure made it an advantageous location for a retrofit and ideal for this project. The layout of the townhouse complex is such that the southern exposure hits the balconies and partially each south-facing wall. The layout of these townhouses provides wind shielding for the live wall and balconies which provides distribution through passive cooling with air flowing from the side profile of the building.
This live wall is a main feature of this home offering thermal control in both the winter and summer months. The bamboo for the casing and construction was locally sourced and chosen for its tensile strength and lightness. This is a person powered system where the user pulls by hand each different sized box and pushes it up notches in the bamboo. Once the box is too high a pole is used to situate each box to its desired height. These individual layers can be used as either an awning or placed directly against the exterior façade.
