PAGE C2 – January 2008 – The Ottawa Construction Ne ws
Christopher Simmonds
previous stores, more electrical light was
needed to counter the glare from direct sun-
Continued on page C1
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light.
In addition, Simmonds and Chapman
There are two paths that Christopher brought in CO2 sensors and introduced vari-
Simmonds Architect walks on, and he has able volume ventilation in order to reduce
become a leading expert in both fields. With the energy used in heating and cooling. The
both custom homes and environmentally- sensors detect how many people are in the
responsible buildings, Simmonds has estab- store, and in turn, can determine how much
lished himself as one of the foremost ventilation is needed.
architects in Ottawa and across Ontario. Built before LEED (Leadership in En-
Most recently, Simmonds won the 2006 ergy and Environmental Design) was intro-
Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders’ Associa- duced in Canada, the building utilized
tion Best Project Award in the Sustainable LEED standards in the United States as a
and Green Housing category, and the 2006 guideline to minimize the environmental
Ontario Home Builders’ Association Most impact of the building. Not only did this re-
Outstanding Custom Home in the 2,500- flect the mandate of MEC, but it coincided
5,000 square feet category. with Simmonds’ views on architecture and
Both projects highlight the outstanding at critical junctions.” ensure sunlight came in very indirectly. design.
role Simmonds has played in the custom In order to achieve the energy reduction, Utilizing solar shading and light diffu- On the site of the new MEC building,
home and environmental design market, and Simmonds and Chapman looked at a num- sion, Simmonds and Chapman were able to they deconstructed an old, one-storey gro-
his philosophies of sustainability, creating ber of different elements, but specifically reduce the amount of sunlight that directly cery story and reused the steel structure,
community and holistic design. the energy used in lighting and heating/cool- entered the store as well as reducing the foundation and terratso floors. In addition,
In fact, since the business began in 1996, ing. A key feature with the lighting was to need for spotlights in particular locations. In the previous masonry was reused, and by
these have been guiding principles. How- the end of deconstruction, Simmonds ex-
ever, it was really in 1999 when he was plained they “had a whole yard of useable
asked by Linda Chapman to work with her materials.”
in designing the Mountain Equipment Coop They also utilized materials from around
store in Ottawa’s Westboro community that the area. Old log booms salvaged from the
Simmonds really started working with en- bottom of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence
vironmentally sustainable principles. The Rivers were used, hardwood from an old
building was the first commercial building barn was used for flooring, and stone exca-
in Canada to achieve a C-2000 rating. vated from service trenches was used to re-
“That was really the start. They wanted clad the building. In addition, they used very
the building to achieve a 50 per cent energy little finishes in the final product, maintain-
reduction [from the Model National Energy ing materials in their original condition.
Code of Canada for Buildings],” Simmonds The building has since been acclaimed
explains about the MEC project. “We for its eco-friendly and energy efficient de-
achieved this by using an integrated design sign, and as Simmonds points out, it has
approach and bringing together different
people to brainstorm key parts of the project
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Continued on page C3
We'll Roof You Arriscraft International
3 x 36 3 x 36
108 lines 108 lines
1/10 page 1/10 page
RND Construction WadeTech
3 x 45 (135 Lines) 3 x 45 (135 Lines)
1/8 page 1/8 page
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