Brightside Community Homes and the 8725 French Street Redevelopment Feasibility Study in Vancouver, British Columbia

Brightside Community Homes Foundation (BCHF) is an established nonprofit that owns and operates 26 affordable housing buildings in Metro Vancouver. A lack of sufficient accessibility features at the already aging 8725 French Street complex pushed the decision to redevelop the site to a more accessible 100-unit multi-unit residential build that will in large part serve a senior demographic. This feasibility study will validate a targeted total energy use intensity of less than 80kwh/m2/year using Passive House design principles and referencing the BC Energy Step Code. BCHF will also assess the relative energy use behaviours of the current residents, and how those interplay with the future design of the redevelopment. FCM previously approved financing on another BCHF building (GMF#17623 – Brightside Campus Project). Innovative aspect(s): The study will consider the following innovative designs: · The application of Passive House cooling and thermal bridge design · The use of non-standard materials such as passive house windows and fiberglass rainscreen clips to improve performance Replicability: · Passive House, while recognized internationally as a leading certification model for sustainable buildings, is still a relatively new methodology for multi-family buildings in Vancouver Affordability: Sustainable Passive House design and durable approaches to building systems will help lower the operating costs for BCHF and improve building longevity. (Project description from original funding application)