We’re happy to announce that we’ve completed the rezoning application for what is now the largest and tallest Passive House development in the world! The project is located at 1400 Alberni Street and 740 Nicola Street in Vancouver and consists of two residential towers (43 and 48 storeys), amounting to about 650,000 SF (60,387 m2). The towers will have approximately 358 condominium units, as well as 133 market rental apartments. There will also be an onsite childcare facility, a new park, and improvements to the public realm.

Our clients are Landa Global and Asia Standard Americas. The post-modern design of this project is by New York-based architect Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) and local Vancouver architect Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership.

News to date:

• Vancouver Sun – Oct 2, 2017: In print and online
• CBC Radio Vancouver – Oct 2, 2017: online and newscast
• City TV Vancouver – Oct 3, 2017: On Breakfast TV
• Real Estate News EXchange – Oct 3, 2017: online
• Sing Tao Daily Newspaper – Oct 3, 2017: online
• Ming Pao – Oct 3, 2017: online
• Daily Hive – Oct 3, 2017: online
• Western Investor – Oct 11, 2017: online
• Construction Business – Oct 25, 2017: online
• BNN TV Interview – Oct 31, 2017: On TV and online
• CBC News – Dec 11, 2017: online

We’ve been experimenting with the application of augmented reality for green buildings.

According to Wikipedia: Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. 

We believe the potential for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is huge.  In fact, research firm IDC recently published a study saying worldwide revenue for the virtual and augmented reality market would grow from $6.8 billion in 2016 to more than $213 billion in 2020.

The applications in the building industry are endless.  Here’s a video by Trimble about the way they see using AR for architecture:

Some other applications for AR include:

• Interior Design: walk a tenant or prospective tenant through a proposed interior design concept within the actual physical shell space.  Many people have difficulties visualizing 3D, so this would actually allow a tenant to walk into and through a holographic interior design concept at a scale of 1:1.  The interior designer could also switch concepts and possibly change the design on the fly based on client feedback.
• Education: learn about the environment around you; share interactive holographic media in groups; learn about green building features that are typically invisible (look through walls).
• Civic Engagement: do presentations at City Hall and public consultations using interactive shared holographic buildings. Shadow studies and traffic studies could be animated in 3D and allow individuals to interactive with them.  Proposed developments could be viewed at a 1:1: scale on the actual proposed site, with the ability to turn shadows on an off.

Through a partnership with Limpid Logic, we’ve co-developed an augmented reality app for viewing and interacting with 3D buildings using a SketchUp input file.  The app is run on Hololens and allows the user through voice and gesture command to place, move, rotate and zoom in and out of the 3D model.  We demoed the app at our 10th Anniversary Party on Oct 14, 2016.  Here are a few videos testing the app at Vancouver City Hall:

If you’re interested in exploring applications for augmented reality for architecture, interior design, real estate, or education, let’s talk!

We’re happy to announce a radical new employment program for parrots!

Here’s a copy of the news article from CBC:

In an effort to streamline LEED project management, local green building leader Recollective hired big data giant Palintir to analyze the company to look for efficiencies. At the CBC studio in downtown Vancouver last Wednesday, Recollective CEO Eesmyal Santos-Brault explains to reporters the Palintir insights that led to the remarkable staff resources shift. “You know”, Eesmyal explains, “green building consulting is very technical and requires highly skilled staff. But when you add the documentation intensive green building rating system LEED into the picture, things change. According to the petabytes of Recollective data analyzed by Palintir, 63.7% of the time expended by staff on LEED projects can be summed up into the following singular request: ‘Give me your LEED documentation’. I was surprised and disturbed by Palintir’s conclusions”, says Eesmyal. What he did next with these results shocked the world. “I’ve always been an animal lover”, Eesmyal told reporters with a tear welling in his eye, “so giving an opportunity for gainful employment to animals just made sense to me. It took only one day to train the parrots to recite the LEED incantation, and since then we’ve seen a 57% improvement in employee satisfaction, as their time is now unlocked to become more effective green building strategists.”

We’re happy to be launching a new initiative for our clients, the Mobile Green Building Clinic: recolabs!

Take advantage of this limited opportunity for free support on your green building projects!  Whether you need help completing your LEED documentation, or that complicated ASHRAE 90.1 Envelope checklist for Building Permit, or you just need a second set of eyes to review your specs, we’re here to help.  Take advantage of our expertise in energy and daylight modelling, Living Building Challenge, LEEDv4, Natural Capital Studies, Passive House, etc.

We come to you!  We’ll set up our drop-in clinic in your office for 1.5 hours with two senior staff.

Interested in a free 1.5 hour consultation?  Call us at 604.669.4940 x203, or email us at labs [at] recollective [dot] ca.

Our very own Director of Green Building Services, Jason Packer, will join our client Rob St-Onge, Energy Manager of Okanagan College, for a panel presentation on “Lessons Learned at the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence” at the upcoming Colleges and Institutes of Canada 2015 Energy Symposium, November 5-7 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

If anyone would like to meet with Jason while he’s in Medicine Hat during the conference to discuss Living Building Challenge strategies on their project, or general green building opportunities, he’d love to connect.  Jason can be reached at “jason [at ] recollective [dot] ca”.

Congratulations to Binghang Li for becoming BC Hydro’s newest approved Energy Modeller!  BC Hydro’s rigorous New Construction Program requires approved energy modellers to lead the application and energy modelling process that enables clients to save energy and take advantage of substantial financial incentives.  If you are interested in finding out if your new building is eligible for these incentives, please contact us at energy [at] recollective [dot] ca.