Housing Project

Westmount Presbyterian New Church (Multi-Function Building) and Social Housing Development Partnership with Right at Home / Intermet / EICHS
original Church building (front view)
Old Church building

It took a long time to get to where we are going… but we are almost there!!  We anticipate our first service to be October 29,  2017 in the new multipurpose building.

 Photo September 19, 2017 Randy Osgood

It started with the congregation first taking several sessions to determine what core values we believed in and what our mission and values were. We had large expenses coming up, though nothing immediate such as roof replacement. Repairs could probably have lasted for up to 8 years and we could have put a mortgage on the building if we had to.

We took our time and consulted extensively with the community. The congregation gave direction and was updated periodically on the progress. The initial plans were not the final product, which came about as a result of collaboration with multiple parties. The driving force was Cam MacDonald from Intermet Housing Society (an offshoot of Edmonton Inner City Housing Society not specifically dealing with the inner city), now called Right at Home.

Westmount Presbyterian Church Site Redevelopment Concept
Drawing by Peter Amerongen (Habitat Studios)

We met with Edmonton City officials to determine what the re-development would require by way of parking and other concerns. We involved the North Glenora Community League who set up a committee and had several neighborhood information meetings. The Coronation School daycare was consulted as a potential tenant and the Mennonite Society for Immigrants and Refugees will be assisting the newcomers, and are likely co-users of our new “Church/Multi-use building”. Importantly, many volunteer hours were donated by Peter Amerongen of the award winning Habitat Studios.

Photo by Tom Trace

Photo by Tom Trace  May 7,  2017

A design showing the social housing  is located at Habitat Studios and more on the townhouses for large families project is at E.I.C.H.S. Westmount Presbyterian Church Site Redevelopment.

Photo by Tom Trace May 7, 2017
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT:

The building has been designed to achieve very close to net zero energy performance. The energy modeling so far indicates that the housing is capable of being the first net zero energy multi-family building of this scale in Canada.

The heating energy load on the building has been cut by over 50% by using very high levels of insulation, air tight, thermal bridge free construction with high performance windows and heat recovery ventilators. The roof has been designed to accommodate a photovoltaic electricity array that, combined with a geothermal system, is large enough to provide all of the heating, hot water, lighting, and appliance energy over the course of the year.

Solar Panels! May 7, 2017
Photo by Tom Trace
HOW OTHERS HAVE DESCRIBED OUR JOURNEY:
Church/Multi-use building fully enclosed (late December)
Photo by Tom Trace

More photos of construction by Tom Trace:

January 22 and 26, 2017

 

February 14, 2017