Awards

SAB Magazine Sustainable Architecture Award Winner, 2008

Canadian Construction Association Environmental Achievement Award, 2007

Environmental Design+Construction Excellence in Design Award Winner Multi-Family Residential Category, 2007

The Vento is a three-storey mixed-use urban infill project located in Calgary, Alberta. The design team incorporated an extensive variety of sustainable design strategies, particularly unique for a project of its size. As a result of its broad array of strategies, The Vento Residences (the residential component of the development) has earned North America's first LEED Platinum certification for a multi-family residential project.

Calgary's hot dry summers, cold dry winters, and year-round sunshine significantly informed the building's design, massing and suite layouts, and sustainable design elements. Residential suites are oriented around south-facing, wind-protected landscaped terraces. Second floor decks provide additional outdoor amenity space and double as sunshades. Terraces also offer a welcomed interaction space for residents, greatly contributing to the sense of community often lacking in multi-family residential projects.

The first phase of a redevelopment of a former inner-city site, The Vento is located in an older single-family neighbourhood. This prompted careful consideration of the projects's massing, articulation, material palette, and relationship to the public realm. Ground floor retail shops front onto an existing street that serves as the commercial heart of the neighbourhood. 20 two-storey townhouse suites are situated above the retail space and two additional affordable suites, owned and operated by the City of Calgary, are located at grade. The project is located within walking distance of neighbourhood amenities, green space, a new community centre, Calgary's downtown core, and to the city's bus and light rail transit networks.

The client, Windmill Development Group, initiated the project out of a desire to bring environmental sustainability to the public consciousness. Windmill and the design team worked carefully with the developer and the design team of the project directly to the south of The Vento to develop a landscaped, mews-like courtyard between the two buildings. Normally this zone would be occupied by a characterless service lane, but the designers' collaboration has turned the space into a multi-purpose outdoor amenity, providing access to parking and a play area for neighbourhood children.

The Vento's interiors feature an airy open design: daylight penetrates deep into the building, 95% of spaces have direct views outdoors, and operable windows are positioned to promote effective cross ventilation. The design team specifically chose materials that were regionally sourced and manufactured, low-emitting, rapidly renewable, recyclable, constructed with a high recycled content, durable, and contextually appropriate. The Vento also achieved a 44.4% more energy efficient building than the Canada Model National Energy Code for Buildings baseline, resulting in a 42% cost savings.

Because the current economic boom is placing unprecedented strain on the city's water supply, water conservation strategies proved key to minimizing the environmental impact of The Vento on municipal resources. The most significant conservation strategy involves greywater recycling. Along with 100% of the rainwater falling on the site, water from sinks, showers and bathtubs is collected, stored and re-used for toilet flushing and site irrigation. This is the first project in Alberta to be granted approval to do such.