The Next Green – Innovation in Sustainable Design is an initiative stemming from our Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture award research that entailed travel to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to study innovative sustainable housing prototypes and sustainable approaches and technologies for Northern climates that are applicable to the Canadian context.
This research included meetings with some of Scandinavia’s leading architectural practices in sustainable design and architecture, tours of significant high-performance buildings, participation in conferences and symposium on sustainable architecture, and explorations of cutting-edge research on building-integrated sustainable systems and materials at research and academia institutions. Ultimately, the intention has been to explore how architects in these countries set new standards for buildings for sustainability while developing a unique spatial and artistic architectural language in which energy efficiency and design merge seamlessly. This research and best practices was explored specifically to develop approaches for the Canadian climate
Our research and findings have been shared extensively through principal Heather Dubbeldam’s lectures across Canada at conferences and universities alike. The knowledge gained during this ongoing research project has had a profound influence on our practice and our approach to projects, leading to the integration of design and applied-research component to the practice.
