THE AGRITECT

Hi I’m Rain, I’ve been a part of VELD for over a year now as a Project Manager. Here’s a little bit about myself!

Its -25 outside and the furnace in a passive house probably isn’t running! How is that possible? Careful thought at the very beginning of building design and some free heat from the sun!

You may have heard this term lately with all the new energy regulations around housing. A blower door test is a test of how air tight your house is. The reason you want an air-tight house is so that when you warm or cool the air in your house to be comfortable you don’t want […]

Being a farm girl and a city girl engaged in urban&rural design and sustainable design there is no way the VELD architect could not show their support for the Region of Waterloo’s decision to appeal the OMB ruling to increase the develop-able land in the Region. Sustainable Waterloo has displayed the facts very well on […]

…that is the question I get all the time. But first, what is LEED®. LEED® stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a process of third part certification that determines the energy performance of your building. Based on a scoring system you can achieve a number of different levels; just certified (40-49 […]

That's what I felt like after biking 35km to the Fifth Town cheese factory in Prince Edward County. Designed by Lapointe Architect, it has been on my architecture bucket list for many years for a few reasons; it was designed by an architect; it gave me hope that an architecture career in agritourism was possible; […]

When the helicopter photographers come knocking at your door each year asking if you would like a photo taken of your farmstead from the air. Do you shudder at the mess and disorganization of the yard, or are you proud to see the life you have built. If your like most farmers, its a combination […]

I'm sure you've heard of straw bale houses, but did you ever think that you could use your straw and hay storage as insulation for your farm buildings? Straw and Hay makes a great insulator because it is full of air pockets, air being a great thermal break that does not allow heat to be […]