Habitat 1
Point St Charles, Montréal
November 2003 - Occupants moved into Canada’s first EcoCondos, located in Montréal’s south-west neighbourhood of Point Saint Charles. The innovatively designed project provides affordable housing choices that also make it easy for people to reduce their impact on the environment, save money and improve their health.
Buildings Basics:
The whole project is about 9,900 sq ft, with 8 multi-storey units and a large common area.
The unit typology breaks down as follows:
4 units at 870 sq ft on two storeys
2 units at 1,200 sq ft on two storeys
2 units at 1,200 sq ft on three storeys
The expansive atrium entrance space serves as a gathering area, a light-well, and a ventilation plenum. This exceptional design feature provides all the units with a source of natural light and fresh air as well as a natural place where neighbours can convene.
Key features of the building:
- Radiant heating and cooling
- Visible structural systems, minimizing a number of wasteful building materials
- A garden for every unit, either at the ground level or on the roof
- Sustainably harvested and healthy finishes, such as bamboo flooring and low/no VOC paints, sealants, glues and finishes
- 80% less energy consumption than conventional new housing construction
- Reduced water use through the inclusion of low-flow faucets and toilets
- Central location facing a park, and close enough to all basic needs to encourage occupants to walk for all basic needs, and bike or take public transportation into the centre of the city
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