Our team has extensive experience with a wide range of different construction methods (including exterior mineral wool, prefab SIPs, ICFs, Durisol etc.).

The majority of our recent projects, however, use a 17” double stud wall system with exterior air barrier, rain screen cladding, and dense pack cellulose, together providing high performance along with a reasonable cost, and very small environmental footprint.

This system was developed specifically for urban projects in Vancouver (which often have basements) but it can be used anywhere.

There are pros/cons to every building system, but we aim for:

• Cost competitive
  (relative to other passive house building systems)
   

• Quick to frame and 'get the roof on' but also easy to dry out
   

• Conventional foundations 
  (that work in seismic zones and are familiar to most construction crews)
   

• It's easy to use heavy cladding materials like stone and stucco
  (which often can't be installed on exterior-insulated walls)
   

• It's also easy to attach exterior features like balconies, roofs, awnings etc. without worrying about thermal bridging
   

• Easy to make airtight
  (we eliminate fussy details like 'box joists' and window installation is simple)
   

• A proven system we've been using for years (and tested for moisture tolerance with both site-measurements and computer models)