"Bringing the outdoors in" is Our Kind of Language!

Image Montage by Wo-Built: Wo-Built and PeapodLife Logos + “pPodLite” Rainforest Ecosystem alongside Full-page Article from The Toronto Sun’s New Homes and Condos Section: “Bringing the outdoors in” by Erica Geldman, “Condo Chic.” 

Source: virtual.homes-extra.ca: Toronto Sun: New Homes & Condos: Condo Living

"Bringing the outdoors in" - The Toronto Sun Lives up to its Name

"The Light which shines in the eye is really the Light of the heart."

~ Rumi, Ancient Sufi Poet

Source: allgreatquotes.com: Love Poems of Jalal ad-Din Rumi

We love light. Natural, full-spectrum, warm, inviting, comforting, Vitamin-D-enriching, plant-nourishing, soul-rejuvenating, glorious light.

So here’s a shout-out to Erica Gelman of The Toronto Sun. Her recent “Condo Chic” column in the paper’s New Homes & Condos section (Friday July 19th & Sunday July 21st, 2013), simply entitled: “Bringing the outdoors in” was right up Wo-Built’s alley.

Erica’s argument in a nutshell?...

“...we can’t always rely on Mother Nature to provide us with ideal outdoor weather. … Why not design spaces that allow you to bring the outdoors in and enjoy summer living all year round [and]…rejuvenate in your own oasis all year long.” 

~ Erica Gelman, “Bringing the outdoors in, ” Toronto Sun

Wo-Built couldn’t agree with you more, Erica!  That’s why we began PeapodLife Building EcoSystems & Technology: to create Advanced Human Habitat that makes your home literally feel like it’s situated, not just in the woods, but in a rainforest!

Erica suggests “choosing pieces that reflect the outdoors will automatically refresh your home,” even if it means simply “having fresh flowers on your kitchen table.” (Erica Gelman, “Bringing the outdoors in, ” Toronto Star) PeapodLife Rainforest EcoSystems do much more than that! Just look at a smaller “pPodLite” systems:

Image: PeapodLife Composite photo rendering: “pPodLite” Rainforest EcoSystem spruces up drab interior.

Bromeliads, orchids, and lush moss leap from the one-of-a-kind Living Wall Ecosystem, filling your senses with a symphony of colour while trickling waterfalls gently fill your ears with the sounds of life.

All the while, the high-order ecosystem scrubs the air of toxins, allergens, VOC’s and those nasty “I’m stuck inside a building” aromas that can ruin your outdoors-indoors experience. Ecosystems produce air naturally, and can make your indoor air quality up to 10 times fresher and cleaner than outside!

If you’ve got the budget and are looking for something a little more dramatic, an addition or complete re-design and re-build of your home is no problem for Wo-Built. We specialize in taking older Toronto properties and giving them spectacular contemporary overhauls: 

Image: Complete Overhaul & Second Storey Addition Before & After by Wo-Built

As you can see from the before and after photos, above, Wo-Built is known for delivering:

• High ceilings
• Lots of natural light
• Plenty of practical, useable space
• Innovative designs (no cookie-cutter approach here)
• Pleasant design & build experience with a woman-owned company

Image: Kitchen Makeover Before & After by Wo-Built

For more information on how Wo-Built can help you get more outdoors, indoors, visit our website.

To literally get the best of nature into your home, office, spa, etc., visit peapodlife.com today.

Livegreen Toronto Festival 2013 Offer

Montage: Live Green Toronto Festival

Image Credit: livegreentoronto.ca

It is this time of year again: the LiveGreen Toronto Festival is back. At Yonge-Dundas Square on July 27 between 11am and 9pm.

There will be a street market, kids zone, BEER GARDEN!!! And lots of free concerts.

Last year was a great turnout and we had a lot of interest for our PeapodLife idea.

Sadly, this year we are unable to participate, but we have a great offer.

Image: Ppodlite units: Muro and Angolo Rainforest Ecosystems

2013 @ peapodlife.com

Until the end of August we have a special pricing for our Ppodlite units: Muro and Angolo Rainforest Ecosystems. LiveGreen Toronto Members get two year of Biocare included in the price, a value of $10,000.

Have a great day at the festival!

Martina Ernst

Poster: Live Green Toronto Festival

Yonge-Dundas Square, July 27, 2013; 11 am - 9 pm

livegreentoronto.ca

Image Credit:  City of Toronto: Live Green Toronto Festival

Daylighting - Why Are We Regulating?

Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
"...we could brighten the staircase with two large and spectacular side by side skylights."

Photo © Wo-Built Inc.

Daylighting - Why Are We Regulating Even Limiting One of the Best Resources in Buildings

Yesterday I attended the IES Toronto Chapter technical session on Daylight Harvesting since daylight is such an important part of PeapodLife, our holistic approach to Energy, Shelter and Food.

The session covered good daylighting design, it's importance in the space, the current codes and standards and some basic calculation methods; all in all a welcome refresher course for me, since my MSc thesis many, many years ago was in daylighting.

We, at Wo-Built, are passionate proponent for daylight in spaces and all our designs in the past have used skylights where possible. As the presenter (Sandra Stashik) mentioned studies have shown that daylight can increase sales, have students learn faster and bring about a better work performance. But for us daylight is more than just statistics, it brings a quality of life to the space that cannot be measured. It energizes us.

But the light alone is not enough in our opinion. Diffuse daylight is the most boring light quality that there is. That's why people like to switch on the light fixtures during the day, even though there is enough light quantity coming from the windows and skylights. The artificial lights give the impression of quality. What makes daylighting interesting is the sun aspect, the element that is most maligned in building design. It causes contrast on computer screens and work surfaces (shocking), heat gains (positively horrible) and heaven's forbid, since the sun is allowed to come through clear glass, you the user has a view to the outside.

I am not advocating that sun and daylight should not be controlled; on the contrary, a good lighting design should always use the proper shading devices, dimmers, orientation and keep in mind the use of the space. But one should not design interest out of a space. Unless there are safety factors where contrast is a visibility issue or where small manufacturing tolerances are required, the human eye and body often are happy to accommodate light and heat variances within reason. We also have the free will to change our seating position and work environment to suit.

The reason for the rant is that I feel that the current codes and standards are again bringing with them a benign big brother approach and are in danger of stifling creativity. It is great to mandate that daylight is required in buildings over a certain size, but does it have to go into details of fenestration sizes etc. Why can't it be left to the designers and architects to decide what is the best for the building use? All I am asking is that we have a little bit of common sense and not stifle creativity and innovation.

A lot of the decisions are made due to energy saving considerations not space quality ones, but just imagine you could have a building with mostly glass, still have large R values to offset heat loss, more choices in variable shading of the glass giving a dynamic environment, enough light to grow food in the space, enjoy the sunshine safely, maximize the daylight and produce energy at the same time. An outward looking dynamic building system, that encourages innovation and creativity. This is what PeapodLife is about.

Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

No place for an all-glass addition? Time for “Peapod Light!”

Image: Plants inside Conventional House
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: House silhouette and tree design

Peapod Life: Beyond traditional hydroponics, Peapod Life is a living and breathing addition to your home. The custom designed items are multipurpose: it's a usable living space, a living wall and window garden, a source for solar power and a method for collecting rainwater. Essentially, you create your very own mini-ecosystem yielding edible, medicinal, fragrant and ornamental plants tailored to your lifestyle.
Green Benefit: locally-sourced organic food, a reduction in electricity and water consumption
Cost: Peapod Life costs about the same as a comparably-sized standard edition.
Corporate Knights: Guest Post: Best of Green Living Show 2012 by Erin Poeta

Recently we were asked if the Peapod Life concept could be integrated with a more conventional building method rather than a complete glass enclosure.

It’s a good question, since an all-glass aesthetic may not always work; whether due to the application required, lot layout, and many other factors.

Still, the short answer is yes. With some adjustments, we can build a kind of “Peapod Light” into just about any conventional building.

To quickly recap, Peapod Life integrates energy generation and conservation with efficient use of natural resources in closed-loop systems to enable food production.

The Peapod Life is easily achieved with an all-glass design. A non-glass design simply limits the size of the ecosystem, the amount of plant material which can be grown inside, and ultimately the quantity of food the system can produce.

So the fundamentals of Peapod Life are still intact; just downsized.

• A living wall is key for better air quality and the indoor/outdoor lifestyle experience living with your plants. The living wall can support food plants as well as ornamentals.
• With this approach we still recommend at least 50% windows and skylights to maximize sunlight exposure. Thus, natural ventilation and natural lighting are maintained.
• Humidity control, which was easier in the full glass construction, dictates that the walls be treated more like bathroom walls. Some materials, such as hardwood flooring, will not be used due to moisture movements.
• Other green elements, such as rainwater collection and solar collectors should still be considered to maintain the essence of Peapod Life.

Your property may not be able to support an all-glass Peapod Life addition; but as design and build contractors specializing in additions and major renovations, we are confident we can give you the best Peapod Light experience possible, no matter what the constraints of the building project.

Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Check other articles about livable and sustainable design for future:
A New Construction Paradigm for Buildings
Indoor Landscapes: Companies See the Light of a whole New Level of "wow, cool!"
Combining Old and New Technology - The New Paradigm for Building?