Green Design at EBW

Young Welcome Centre under construction. Photo: Bill DeneauIn transforming this site from an abandoned brick factory into a vibrant public space, Evergreen and its design partners confronted many of the challenges that city builders face today.

At every stage of the revitalization project, efforts were made to heal contaminated landscapes, reuse and redesign buildings, and regenerate surrounding ecosystems. Sustainable techniques informed the initial planning, design and construction of the site, as well as its daily operations and current programming.

Today, Evergreen Brick Works is a global showcase for green design and urban innovation.

We hope that the green design features highlighted below, along with our lesson learned over the course of this 10-year project, will offer some inspiration in creating sustainable cities of the future.

The Don Valley Brick Works site during construction

Adaptive Reuse

Too often, urban spaces are designed at the expense of natural ecosystems and landscapes. At Evergreen Brick Works, our goal was to encourage nature and all of its biological processes to thrive.

Architect's rendering of the site

Brownfield Remediation

Brownfields are derelict, dysfunctional or underused spaces—often in strategic locations in the heart of urban communities—where redevelopment is complicated by contamination. The situation here was challenging, but not insurmountable.

Centre for Green Cities and Young Welcome Centre

Building Envelope

The building envelope at Evergreen Brick Works—its walls, insulation, facade and windows—is airtight, highly insulated and built to last, resulting in 34% annual energy savings and a 14-tonne reduction in CO2 emissions.

Cross-section of Centre for Green Cities building

Heating and Cooling

A digital network controls the heating, cooling, ventilation, mechanical and lighting systems in the only new building on site, and feedback from this system allows operators to optimize the energy and water used.

Welcome Court at Evergreen Brick Works

Resource Conservation

From energy-saving light fixtures to rainwater harvesting cisterns and waterless urinals, Evergreen Brick Works was designed to save both energy and natural resources.

 

Back to top ↑