This Lakeside Cottage Might Just be What You Need

Architectural Sustainability in Cabin Design

This Tay Valley Township small cottage home by Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc. uses environmentally responsive architectural design. The designers have the expertise to achieve a high level of environmental sustainability and energy performance through all their cabin building project types ranging from single family home designs to commercial and multi-family. Although there are many paths that a cabin building project can take, they simplify the process by helping their clients prioritize specific goals through a custom approach, suited to the specific needs of each cabin building project.

Non-Toxic Building Materials for a Healthy Home

One of the ways to make sure your small cottage home or cabin building is good for the environment is to use building materials that are non-toxic. Most homes are built with building materials that are laden with toxic chemicals, to include formaldehyde which is found in particle board, pressed wood products and plywood and solvents that release harmful VOCs that are often used in paints, stains, adhesives and preservatives. Building and remodeling your small cottage home or cabin building with non-toxic building materials means reducing or eliminating these types of hazards, making the cabin building as healthy as possible. You want to use VOC-free paints, natural carpeting, and non-toxic woods, which are great examples of alternative building materials for a healthy home.

Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc.: Leaders in Contemporary Design

Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc. was established in 1996 and is recognized as one of Ottawa's leading practitioners of contemporary architectural design. The architectural design firm is Led by Principal, Chris Simmonds, along with a talented and experienced team of architects, technologists and designers. Their diverse portfolio of award-winning architectural design projects from custom home designs to larger scale public and commercial buildings demonstrates their commitment to architectural design excellence at every level. They work locally and across Canada with residential and commercial developers, residential clients as well as non-profit groups, always to exceed expectations. Their commitment to environmental sustainability is shared across their team which includes several LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professionals and a Certified Passive House Designer. Their collaborative approach to a project enables us to work with each of their clients in a creative and unique way and has allowed the reputation of being a leading architectural design firm in modern design.

Understanding Passive Home Design

Passive home design is designed to be as energy-efficient as possible so that it doesn't take a lot of power to heat or to cool. To be designated as passive home design, a cabin building must embody a set of specific practices that seal the home design from the outside temperatures while still maintaining a stable inside temperature and a high level of air quality. Passive home designs need to be air-tight, triple-paned windows, have continuous insulation, and a great system for controlling the indoor air quality. The passive home's design also needs to eliminate any thermal bridging which might occur when the temperature of one building material transfers to another through physical touch, such as a room feeling cold in the winter because the steel beam that supports the floor is touching the freezing brick on the exterior.