330 Goldstream

Setting the bar for affordable, sustainable living.

Bringing affordable, sustainable design to the multi-unit housing market.

330 Goldstream is one of the largest sustainable and new affordable rental projects in Canada. Designed to the international Passive House standard, the development creates 102 apartments—ranging from studios to 3-bedroom units—for individuals, couples, and families with low to moderate incomes.

Type

Multi-Family Home

Institutional

Status

Completed 2021

Client

Greater Victoria Housing Society

Location

Colwood, Canada

Size

6 storeys, 102 units

Awards

No items found.

Highlights

Roof ready for photovoltaic panels in future.

Large bike storage rooms to encourage cycling.

3 high efficiency HRVs zoned to respond to different solar orientation.

High performing airtight building envelope with 6” of exterior insulation.

Solar shading elements incorporated.

Triple pane Passive House Certified windows.

Juliette balcony doors increase air-flow.

No items found.

Designing a dense, high performance building to satisfy the need for local housing, while fostering a sense of community.

This 6 storey, highly sustainable residential project was developed by the Greater Victoria Housing Society - a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing affordable rental housing for low-to-moderate income families, seniors, working singles, and adults with disabilities who live independently. On this project we collaborated together to find innovative ways to provide housing that is both environmentally and socially sustainable, and create a benchmark for future developments.

The overall approach was to design a dense, high performance building that would satisfy the need for local housing, create a thriving community of residents, and bring activity to the area, within a limited budget. The plans maximize the comfort and quality in the residential units and create a series of common areas at the ground floor that bring tenants together and allow them to connect with the broader community.

No items found.

The site is located behind the Pacific Center for Family Services Association’s Center for Well-being (PCFSA), and the design responds directly to that unique context. Two sloped roof forms complement that structure, which is located directly in front, across a landscaped parking area. The main entrance is situated on axis with the central gateway of the PCFSA building, forming a relationship with the building but allowing ample space for residents and visitors of both.

A generous covered entry is created by lifting the forms of the building on thin two story columns. The columns define the main entry and adjacent common area while also blending the building into the landscape. This overhang is continued around the corner with a one storey arcade, clustering the building’s shared amenities, which include a common room with a full kitchen, a meeting room, and a laundry facility extending outward to an exterior patio with seating and outdoor play spaces for children.

No items found.

These common indoor and outdoor spaces are surrounded by landscaped green space, which connects from an extensive green roof, through a continuous planter to the main entry, and wraps down as a treed landscape to the local multi-use trail connection along the south side of the site. The sloping site also provides direct access from the public multi-use trail to the bike parking in the parkade one level below.

‍

No items found.

To achieve a durable design and high level of energy performance, and help maintain affordability into the future, the project follows rigorous Passive House design and construction strategies.

These include 6” of exterior insulation and triple pane Passive House Certified windows, three high efficiency HRVs located in mechanical penthouses under the sloped roof, providing continuous fresh air to the building while reducing energy demand for heating and cooling. Solar shading and deep window reveals optimized to reduce the impact of solar heat gain in the summer while still allowing lots of natural light during the winter months, and fully openable Juliette balcony doors allowing fresh air while maintaining high thermal performance.

No items found.

By combining all of the indoor communal amenities and surrounding them with covered and landscaped outdoor spaces, the design creates a sense of internal connection amongst residents, while also reaching out to the broader community.

Andy Guiry, Project Architect, Cascadia Architecture

The goal was to demonstrate that a dense, multi-family development could be designed to a high level of performance on a limited budget, setting a benchmark for future large Passive House projects on Vancouver Island and beyond.

This project demonstrates that much-needed, high-quality housing can be created to rigorous sustainable standards, if designed with a dedicated client and team, and creative and flexible solutions.

No items found.

The Team

Client Greater Victoria Housing Society

Architect Cascadia Architects Inc.

Electrical Engineer Williams Engineering

Contractor Kinetic Construction

Civil Engineer Westbrook Engineering

Structural Engineer RJC Engineers

Mechanical Engineer Williams Engineering

Landscape Architect LADR Landscape Architects

Next Project

You've reached the end of the Case Studies list. Return to the Case Studies page.

330 Goldstream

Bringing affordable, sustainable design to the multi-unit housing market.

Type

Status

Client

Location

Size

Awards

Highlights

Designing a dense, high performance building to satisfy the need for local housing, while fostering a sense of community.

The Team

Next Project

Our Newsletter

Contact