Laneway Homes: The Top Ten Reasons to Build Small

August 21,  2012 at 3 pm ET
Presented by Dale Parkes, Project Green Architecture

A laneway house, or carriage suite, is a small, detached dwelling unit located on the same property as another home. Popular for many years in older cities where old carriage houses were converted to dwellings, this building type is seeing a resurgence in urban areas where there is a desire to increase housing density without losing the existing housing stock and neighbourhood character. Many municipalities are changing zoning regulations to encourage this type of development in order to limit urban sprawl and decrease the infrastructure demands associated with suburban development. This  type of development is an opportunity to deliver net-zero energy housing at an affordable price. This webinar will discuss current strategies for designing sustainable laneway homes and answer questions relating to this topic.

Key Topics:    

• The benefits of building smaller. 
• Affordability is the number one obstacle to building net-zero homes. This obstacle can be overcome by building small.     
• Simplification can occur at small scale that can not occur in larger homes.                 
• Good design becomes much more important at small scale to make efficient use of space and mitigate potential problems.

About the Speaker:

Dale is the principal of Project Green Architecture, a firm specialising in innovative, sustainable design. Dale has earned a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Bachelors of Environmental Design Studies Degree and a Maters of Architecture Degree from Dalhousie University. His background in Environmental Design and science influences both his belief in the importance of sustainable design and the ‘laboratory’ approach he takes in his approach to design. Dale is a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, the Canada Green Building Council, the Net-Zero Energy Home Coalition, and the Kamloops Laneway Home Builders.  He has experience in a wide range of work including tenant improvement, mixed-use and high-rise residential projects. Having worked in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax, Dale now resides in Kamloops. In addition to his design practice, Dale is a full-time instructor in the Architectural and Engineering Technology Department at Thompson Rivers University, responsible for the architecturally focused classes.