Wednesday, September 28, 2011, Calgary, Alberta – There’s a lot of colour when it comes to green building technology. Amidst blue wood and purple insulation, Avalon Master Builder and SAIT Polytechnic today showed off the unique elements or “guts” of Discovery 5 during a construction tour of Calgary’s newest Net Zero home.

“Building a home that generates as much or more energy than it consumes over an annual period is an exciting project to work on,” says David Silburn, Green Building Technologies Research Associate with SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services. “It provides us with the opportunity to research the latest home building technologies while providing students with hands-on learning in an emerging field.”

The Discovery 5 House was constructed on SAIT’s campus to research, test and demonstrate the latest in environmentally efficient building technologies. The two bedroom, 1,817 square foot home took 10 months to build. Less than two weeks ago, the fully assembled two storey structure was relocated to Altadore, an established southwest Calgary neighbourhood.

"The home being built on an infill lot rather than in a new neighbourhood has made this a unique project and a different challenge compared to our other Net Zero homes,” says Ryan Scott, CEO of Avalon Master Builder. “Our continued partnership with SAIT on research for green building technologies has been eye-opening for us. We are confidently incorporating new elements that bring us closer to meeting our vision of building Net Zero homes at no additional cost to consumers by 2015.”

Discovery 5 features advanced grey water recycling and rain water collection to reduce reliance on the municipal water system. For example, a green roof that filters rainwater for use in toilets, cold water laundry and irrigation can be found just off the master bedroom.

A solar chimney is used to heat water, while a solar photovoltaic system on the roof and garage utilizes the sun’s power for electricity and heating throughout the home.

The kitchen contains a “living wall” filled with many plants and herbs to improve indoor air quality and reduce cooling requirements. Wood containing blue vegetable-based coating to prevent mildew and mould, along with wall tight eco foam insulation – dyed purple for easy recognition – can be found beneath the fixtures throughout the home.

Discovery 5 will be rated/certified under the following programs – Holmes Approved Homes, LEED for New Homes, and EnerGuide. Expected occupancy of the home will be in November.

The Green Building Technologies program was established by SAIT’s Applied Research and Innovation Services department in 2008. With funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the program provides training to students in green building technologies and works with industry to implement and help commercialize these findings. The Discovery 5 House is the second Net Zero home built at SAIT for applied research.

Additional details on the Discovery 5 House can be found at: www.avalonmasterbuilder.com.

SAIT Polytechnic is one of Canada’s most exciting destinations for post-secondary education, offering more than 100 career programs that position people for success in technology, trades and business. A leader in innovation, SAIT also collaborates with industry on applied research and delivers corporate training worldwide. SAIT is a member of Polytechnics Canada and one of Alberta’s Top 50 Employers for 2011.

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