Culture and CommunityAqua + Vento was the first project in Canada to include affordable housing by means of a Green Loan. Windmill partnered with the City of Calgary on the Green Loan to enable an affordable home ownership structure. The project’s focus on community also included a pedestrian-friendly design, transit accessibility, main street retail, energy efficiency, and a common courtyard which both serves as a green roof and supports residents’ personal and communal gardening initiatives.

Materials and ProductsThe development incorporated many green materials, including high fly-ash content concrete and rapidly renewable and non-offgassing interior finishes to produce some of the first VOC-free kitchens on the market. Cedar siding, coupled with red brick, which is reminiscent of the old hospital on the site, reinforces the existing commercial zone while providing an appropriate scale to encourage active transportation, including by walking.

Sustainable WaterIn arid Alberta, water conservation was an important design goal. Existing building codes did not foresee or allow greywater recycling systems, which created challenges to designing truly innovative water systems. Through consultation with building officials, careful engineering, labeling and sizing of pipes, we were able to create a precedent-setting combination system for water storage and rainwater recycling. We also installed water-efficient fixtures and implemented a robust storm water management program.