Block Group Design + Drafting

We use green principles to design highly efficient single family and small multi family homes.

Whether your idea is drawn on the back of a napkin or trapped in the dark recesses of your mind, we bring it to life.

Here are the “neat-o” tools we use and services we provide:

Building Code and Bylaw Reviews

CAD Drawings (Floor Plans, Elevations and Details)

BIM and Energy Modelling

Site Plans

3D Visualizations

We use a full suite of computer modelling techniques to get the data you need into your design. From building code and bylaw review to 3D visualization and complete sets of construction drawings, we’ve got you covered.

Design may be an art but the way buildings perform is science. It may be less sexy than it’s interior design counterpart but building science and its implications on your health and comfort are dramatic. Block can help you improve your existing home or consult on new designs to get the greatest performance from your dwelling.

Want to go one step further? Passive House is what you are after. Heating a home accounts for approximately 59% of its energy consumption. While many green rating systems target a variety of bits and pieces, Passive House tackles that 59%. One could heat a Passive Home simply by using a hairdryer in the morning. Don’t worry, we include a heating system in our designs, we just don’t think you’ll need to turn it on.

Gil Sissons

Gil is an Architectural Technologist and Certified Passive House Designer. She is interested in Passive House, net zero buildings and historical restoration. She has a passion for building materials and products that perform well (Life cycle! Thermal mass!) She is a computer modelling whiz and is dedicated to building design that is smart, performs well, and is suited to both the customer and the world around us.

Gordon Redden

Gord brings the common cents to Block. He cut his teeth in the housing industry with a 12 year stint at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, first as a Portfolio Manager, and later as a Senior Financial Analyst. Since forming Block he’s been working with Developers and Investors concocting feasibility studies and financial strategies. His background in business and accounting helps keep Block and your project on track.

Why Invest in Your Home’s Energy Efficiency?

Today 17% of all energy used in Canada goes towards running our homes.

This generates 15% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, which makes your home a great place to start in reducing your ecological footprint.

(Source: Natural Resources Canada)

Not only does improving your home’s building envelope and increasing your home’s insulation help the environment, it helps your wallet too.

Average annual heating demand of a Canadian home built in 2010

140kWh/m2

Maximum allowable annual heating demand of a Canadian home built to the Passive House standard

15kWh/m2

Average monthly cost to heat a 2000 square foot home built in 2010 (based on 7 cents per kWh)

$151.74

Average monthly cost to heat a 2000 square foot home built to Passive House standards (at 7 cents per kWh)

$16.26

Contact

Send us an email or drop us a line. We love talking about what we do.

Get in Touch