1.5 ConEd Learning Hours
8:30 a.m.‐ 10:00 a.m.
As Canada faces a housing crisis, a climate crisis, as well as economic challenges following the pandemic, Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) is stepping up to the challenge by looking to affect change in all three areas through its new portfolio of buildings. One of these projects is Phase 1 of Gladstone Village—the first part of a transit‐oriented, affordable housing neighbourhood. The OCH and Diamond Schmitt teams will speak to the opportunities, challenges, and aspirations of the project, aiming for Passive House levels of performance through energy‐efficient building systems, renewables, and a high‐performance envelope.
Learning Objectives
1 . Learn how to achieve successful client and architect collaboration on high‐performance buildings.
2. Understand how to build an inclusive community within multi‐unit high‐rise residential, including growing families and an ability to age‐in‐place.
3. Learn about designing high‐performance, high‐rise residential, while maintaining a design vision and good design principles from early phase through contract administration.
4 Leverage high‐performance building to address resiliency and a changing climate
Arne Suraga, OAA, CPHD Associate
Diamond Schmitt Architects
Arne Suraga joined Diamond Schmitt Architects in 2013, and became an Associate in 2019. Throughout his career, he has been engaged on projects of truly varied scales, from temporary pavilions sheltering dozens through to multi‐tower developments housing thousands. His portfolio of experience includes a broad range of building typologies, from institutional academic facilities to residential projects, through to commercial spaces and installations. Developing designs hand‐in‐hand with sustainable objectives is a key element of his design ethos, and this belief in implementing real‐world solutions drew him to become involved in the PH community, culminating in becoming a Certified Passive House Designer in 2017.
Eva Russell, OAA, LEED AP, CPHD Project Manager, Construction Ottawa Community Housing
Eva Russell is an architect and Certified Passive House Designer with over 15 years of experience in the field of sustainable architecture and energy efficient design. Currently working as a project manager with the New Construction Team at Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), Eva has a passion for affordable housing and dedication to meet OCH’s goal of delivering 1000 new homes a year. Eva has been instrumental in incorporating Passive House principals into OCH’s new affordable housing projects and seeks to collaborate with the trades to improve construction sequences and details with the ultimate goal to deliver the best and most energy‐efficient buildings possible.