Architect
Superkül
Engineer
Quail Engineer
Photos
Great Gulf
Active House Centennial Park is the world’s first labeled Active House.
It is about bringing an easily maintained, environmentally friendly home to the consumer, improving their quality of life.
COMFORT
Great Gulf’s Centennial Park Residence was designed to improve human comfort and well-being. The house is the result of a highly process-driven approach to building an energy-efficient home through the collaborative expertise of a team of building science professionals, award-winning architects, and Great Gulf, a respected builder committed to evolving the Active House concept in Canada. Its clean modernist architectural aesthetic comes with energy-saving and environmentally conscious features such as interior and exterior LED lighting systems, low-flow water fixtures, and finishes that are easy to maintain. But what ultimately makes this home so appealing is an approach to design that maximize opportunities for natural daylight and ventilation.
Essential to the success of Active House Centennial Park is Great Gulf’s Home Technology system; an advanced indoor automated manufacturing plant that allows roof, wall, and floor assemblies to be built as integrated panels in a controlled environment to ensure unprecedented workmanship standards and integration of the home’s components.
ENVIRONMENT
It is the strategic use of natural sunlight that defines the true character of the Great Gulf Active House, where little to no artificial lighting is required during the day. Visitors immediately notice the light-filled double-height C-shaped courtyard which forms an architectural “anchor” for the entire home.
The ground floor is laid out in an open plan with no barriers to obstruct daylight, and double-height spaces vertically connect upstairs spaces.
ENERGY
To reduce the energy required for air conditioning, Active House Centennial Park contains features that boost air quality while mitigating fan energy. Large operable windows and skylights facilitate natural air flow to help keep the house cool during warmer months while ensuring effective ventilation throughout the year. Fully programmable VELUX skylights feature an intuitively designed intelligent interface to maintain their automatic functioning for natural ventilation purposes.
Innovation and design strategies that support the Great Gulf Active House Centennial Park work holistically, triggering an emotional appreciation — and not just a scientific curiosity — for healthy and sustainable living.
