Ottawa Community Housing Corporation

Published purpose

Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) will take an existing 1960s two storey duplex and perform a panelized exterior energy retrofit while also adding 3-4 additional units behind and over top the existing homes. The same low embodied carbon off-site manufactured panels used in the retrofit will compose the envelope of the additional units, which will have a new centralized mechanical system to provide heating and cooling for all units. The new roof will house solar panels producing onsite renewable energy. Ultimately, the existing building will reduce its energy consumption by over 60% and additional high-performance units will be added to the property, addressing both the housing crisis and climate crisis in one project. This model is intended to be highly replicable with an intent to implement in additional units within the OCH portfolio as well as across the private residential sector .