DIDE261 Products & Materials: Residential

Assignment 2: Case Study

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Sophia Da Cruz
February 5th, 2019
Professor: Susan Hall

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Table of Contents

Floor Plan………………………………………………………...3
Products and Materials…………………………………………4-8
Digital Documentation……………………………………….......9
• Exterior Findings…………………………………………...10
• Interior Findings……………………………………………11
Residential Description……………………………………...12-13
Sustainable Features………………………………………...14-15
Unsustainable Features…………………………………………16
Recommended Modifications…………………………………..17
• Living Building Challenge (Petals)………………………..18
• Modification Application………………………………19-20
References……………………………………………………....21

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Floor Plan

Main Floor Plan

Second Floor

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Products and Materials
Kitchen

• 10” x 24” polished porcelain tile flooring

• Glass mosaic backsplash

• 125” x 68” x1.18” quartz stone counter top

• Wood veneer cabinets

• Customizing zebra roller shades

• LED recessed lights / Pendent lights / LED strip lights

under cabinets

• Stainless steel appliances

• Benjamin Moore paint – free of VOC’s

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Dining Room

• 10” x 24” polished porcelain tile flooring

• Chairs – Wooden bed / legs and polyurethane foam

chair cover

• Customizing zebra roller shades

• LED recessed lights / Pendent lights

• Benjamin Moore paint – free of VOC’s

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Living Room

• 8” wide and 3/8” thick birch engineered hardwood

flooring

• Leather couch with metal base

• Micro suede one seater chairs

• Natural stone – ledgestone with cast iron fireplace insert

• Glass coffee table

• Customizing zebra roller shades

• LED recessed lights

• Benjamin Moore paint – free of VOC’s

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Bathroom

• 12” x 24” matte porcelain tile flooring

• Granite vanity with wood base

• LED recessed lights

• Benjamin Moore paint – free of VOC’s

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Bedroom

• 8” wide and 3/8” thick birch engineered hardwood

flooring

• Custom medium density fiberboard open closet

• LED recessed lights/ pendant lights

• Benjamin Moore paint – free of VOC’s

• Metal bedframe with polyester and viscose blend with

button tufts headboard

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Digital Documentation
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 Exterior Findings

East Elevation (Front) West Elevation (Back)

Composite Wood Deck

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Interior Findings

Nest Smart Technology LED lighting conserves energy as you

thermostat allows for energy can control the lighting through
conservation through Wi-Fi. dimmers.

Zebra roller shades provide lighting,

Residential ventilation air heating and cooling control. Do not attract
exchange system. This whole dust and require low maintenance.
house system, ventilates and
filtrates the air to effectively
eliminate airborne pollutants
as well as excessive moisture 11
Residential Description
Location and Physical Context

The residential space chosen was my personal home, which

is located in southern Mississauga in a small court off of the
main intersection of North Service road and Cawthra road.
The home is 4.6 kilometers north from Lake Ontario, facing
east. There is a high traffic flow due to being near a main
intersection that enters and exits the city’s main highways.

Physical Characteristics

This 2900 square foot residential space is two stories with 4

bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a finished basement. The
home is made of brick with a stone driveway facing east.
The front and back deck are made from recycled wood
having a total area of 280 square feet. The 21x17 foot
garage can hold two cars and has an area of 357 square feet.

Location and Parking

This residential home has a 24 foot set back from the paved street on Ajyn Court. The stone driveway can comfortable fit four vehicles and faces a
garage with an additional two vehicle parking space.

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Location of Public Transit

A bus terminal is located on the main intersection of North

Service and Cawthra road which is around a three-minute
walk from the property. This source of public transit
connects to Kipling subway station and Square One
terminal where people can be further transported to the
airport and have access to the Grey Hound bus service.
A benefit of living in Mississauga and having a nearby
terminal is that the public transit allows you to travel
anywhere in the city as there are bus stops and terminals
located everywhere. Our public transit system also
connects to other cities transit systems such as Toronto or
Brampton, so you are able to travel to any location. This is
a great option for warmer seasons for commuting to reduce
the use of your car.

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Sustainable Features
Exterior

The home is located near Cawthra forest as well as Lake Ontario which has several parks. There is a tree planted on the front lawn and two large fruit
trees that were grown in the backyard, these trees allow for more privacy and control any unwanted sun and wind coming from the east. Our front
and back deck is made from recycled wood and plastics, this is called composite decking which is highly durable, require low maintenance and needs
no toxic painting or staining. Solar lighting is located in front of the garage, the front entrance as well as the back deck. Solar lighting provides
lighting while allowing for conservation of energy, zero emissions, renewable resource and by using dark sensors it can be used and controlled at
night.

Lighting and Controls

Upon entering, the open concept space includes large windows throughout the west end on the main level of the home to allow for a lot of natural
light in the morning. The windows have zebra roller shades that provide custom lighting control and privacy to your own liking. These window
treatments help to conserve the use of energy for lighting throughout the day as natural light can be adjusted and also helps in conserving heating and
cooling costs.

LED recessed lighting can be found throughout the home with several light switches as well as dimmers to help with unnecessary energy use.
Dimmers are also beneficial in conserving the life cycle of your bulbs with the convenience of controlling light levels. LED strip lighting can also be
found under the cabinets as accent lighting, again LEDs are a great option as they conserve energy, do not contain mercury or other harsh chemicals
making them completely non-toxic and recyclable. LED strip lighting also emits low UV light.

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The home also includes a smart thermostat which is connected through Wi-Fi and helps to conserve energy with the use of sensors throughout the
house, this automatically programs the temperature if there are people in the home. It can also be controlled through an app on your cellular device so
you can control your temperature wherever you are. Another great feature within the home in the ventilation air exchange system, which ventilates
and filtrates the air to provide comfortable, safe and healthy indoor air quality. This system removes carbon dioxide, odors, dust, air borne pollutant
and excessive moisture by providing fresh air.

Equipment

The house uses dual flush toilets in each bathroom which allows you to decide between a lower or
higher flush rate to save on water consumption.

Products and Materials

We chose to install engineered hardwood throughout the majority of the house because of its many
influences. Engineered hardwood requires light maintenance and unlike conventional hardwood
floors, engineered hardwood has moisture content control so the floor is more stable and durable.
Also, this material has the low embodied energy, in terms of manufacturing, as opposed to other
flooring materials and can be repurposed.

We painted the entire home using Benjamin Moore paints which are acknowledged for being VOC's free. Volatile organic compounds contribute to
global warming as well as our health, which is why we decided to take another approach and do further research.

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Unsustainable Features
It is not likely for us to have a home that operates a truly sustainable design, however, a sustainable home requires us to make environmentally-
conscious choices about the way we live and what products and materials we choose to incorporate within our home. The residential space chosen
possess various features that would be considered as sustainable, but like any space, there is always an opportunity for improvement.

For further water and energy conservation, there can be additional improvements with any and all plumbing fixtures such as the faucets and shower
heads as well as high-energy efficiency rating appliances such as the dishwasher and laundry appliances. This is noted in my professional manifesto
as a sustainable design principle that allows for the conservation of energy and natural resources. Another improvement that can be made is the
materials used in the space by substituting paper towels with wash clothes, biodegradable garbage bags and using faux leather furniture. This was
also noted as a principle in sustainable design which allows for a minimization of waste. Lastly, a potential improvement would be to choose eco-
friendly materials and finishes with low embodied energy and also buying locally, toxic stains and sealers were also used for the wooden stairs going
up to the second floor as well as descending to the basement.

A design principle that I believe is most beneficial is “Holistic Thinking” which is also highlighted in my professional manifesto. To live a
sustainable lifestyle, you would need to think sustainably and implement your knowledge to numerous elements throughout your space as well as
your way of living.

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Recommended Modifications
Living Building Challenge (Petals)

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Living Building Challenge (Petals)
For this residential space I chose to use the Living Building Challenge (Petals) rating system and
applying each facet (or “petal”) to the existing elements of the interior and exterior. This system is
comprised of seven performance areas with distinct goals and intentions that cover all aspects of
sustainability. These seven performances are described the chart below.

Performance Description
Energy Rely on renewable sources of energy, net-zero energy

Water Water conservation, net-zero water, and ecological water flow

Site Where to build and what makes it appropriate (“Habitat Exchange”)

Avoid red list materials, embodied carbon footprint, sourcing,

Materials conservation and reuse

Beauty Aesthetics, elevate our spirits, innovation, inspiration and education

Health Safe IAQ, fresh air, and human interaction to natural systems

Human scale, ADA and ABA approved, rights to nature and

Equity promotes interaction

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Modification Application
Energy

Lighting
• LED lighting accompanied with dimmer switches should be included in all spaces throughout the home. Solar or sensor lighting should and
can be included in rooms that are used less often including, storage/cold rooms, attic or garage as well as exterior dark sensor lights to
conserve as much energy as possible and rely more on renewable energy.

Equipment
• All equipment and appliances within the space should have an Energy Star rating. Include Energy Star rated fan in all bathrooms to conserve
energy and keep moisture at bay. Incorporate Solar Hot Water, which conserves energy by using solar energy to heat water for all uses
throughout the home.

Water

Plumbing Fixtures
• Installation of low-flow shower heads in each bathroom conserves water as well as energy used to heat your water, these also include built in
filters that filtrate impurities, chlorine and other chemicals which in turn benefits your health. All sinks should include motion sensor faucets
to avoid unused water from flowing.

Net-Zero Water
• Installing a rain water collection system will improve water conservation and costs and is best used for all landscaping needs.

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Materials

Red List Materials and Chemicals

• Avoid and replace all materials that contain red list chemicals that are toxic to the environment and overall health. These include, any light
bulbs that are not LED that contain mercury, sealers or stains or any wood treatment containing chloroprene, creosote, arsenic or
Pentachlorophenol, and lead based plumbing pipes which contaminate water.

Materials and Finishes

• Replace materials with high embodied energy by sourcing local materials that are able to be repurposed or recycled.

Health

Windows
• There are smaller windows located on the second floor, specifically in bed rooms, this allows for minimal natural light relying on electricity
to light the upper floor and its spaces. The main floor bathroom does not have an operable window. There should be more natural light to
promote better wellbeing, by incorporating a skylight this allows for more natural light to brighten the second floor as well as the main floor
entrance as the design is open concept.

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References copy

• Air exchangers: How it works & Understand ventilation | vänEE. Retrieved from http://www.vanee.ca/en/understanding-ventilation.html

• What is the Living Building Challenge. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.ecohome.net/guides/2296/what-is-the-living-building-challenge/

• Team, H. (2018, January 16). Understanding the Living Building Challenge and Its "Petals". Retrieved from

https://www.hourigan.group/blog/understanding-living-building-challenge-petals/

• Binggeli, C. 2008. Materials for Interior Environments. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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