Sustainable Design
Lanewave is dedicated to providing a sustainable housing alternative to Vancouverites.
Why Laneway Housing is Sustainable
There are many ways in which laneway housing is inherently green:
- Adding density to the least-dense parts of the City means that more agricultural and wilderness land around the City can be spared from suburban and ex-urban sprawl, which retains carbon-reducing greenery and avoids carbon-producing vehicle commuting
- At the level of density provided by basement suites and laneway houses, single family residential communities are able to support public transport, cycling, and walkable shopping areas, which reduces car and truck trips, making people healthier and cutting greenhouse gas emissions
- By retaining the single family lot character, laneway housing maintains a significant amount of permeable ground, mature trees and green space, a strategy that supports greater habitat and better stormwater runoff than denser residential approaches such as condominiums and highrises
For more information on the sustainable nature of urban density, see the City of Vancouver’s EcoDensity initiative, and UBC’s Design Centre for Sustainability.
What about a Green Laneway House?
In addition to the natural greenness of density supported by laneway housing, Lanewave is proud to offer green features on your laneway house. These green features are founded on certain core principles, namely:
- The importance of passive design, including passive solar heating/cooling and highly-insulated exterior walls, as a means of providing comfortable indoor temperatures without the need for mechanical heating and cooling
- Adaptation of the design to the site, including attentiveness to solar orientation, massing and shadowing, and the preservation of existing trees and greenery
- A focus on cost-effective technologies, in other words, technologies that will provide a return on investment over a reasonable time frame
- The use of high quality, natural, reliable materials that make for durable, long-lasting, non-toxic housing
Because many of the choices related to design and technology are dependent on the particular nature of the site, as well as the homeowner’s expected plans for the laneway house, Lanewave will always provide a complementary green consultation at the beginning of the project. This way, our designers can work with you to adapt the design and choose technologies that make the most sense for your project.
