Québec businesswoman Natalie Voland, president of Montréal developer Gestion Immobilière Quo Vadis, has announced the company’s intention to build as many as 5,000 zero carbon residential units over the next 10 years, in collaboration with Saint-Lambert developer Cloriacité.
Quo Vadis was founded over 30 years ago with a vision to build communities through the preservation and restoration of historically significant buildings. It has since become focussed on developments that offer social and environmental impact as well as an economic return. Today, the company has a portfolio of 1.5 million square feet of rejuvenated space in south-west Montréal leased to small and medium-sized businesses.
To launch her ambitious plan for zero carbon residential developments, Voland chose the name Danū, after the mother goddess of the earth. Danū is found in the ancient mythology of many cultures.
“She inspired our founders with her celebration and protection of humanity, as well as her symbolism of new beginnings and innovation,” says Voland. “Our name and symbols represent the core values of our collaboration and expertise, and align our employees and clients with living in harmony with nature and continuously improving best practices in construction.”
The first of 10 residential complexes planned over the coming years is in the Lévis borough of Desjardins, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River opposite Québec City. In addition to Danū’s zero carbon ambitions for the structure, the Lévis project will see an asphalt paved area transformed into a park and natural stream to be shared with residents of the neighbourhood.
Two other projects are proposed, one north of Montréal in Saint-Jérôme, and another in Chambly, south-west of Montréal.
Like all the buildings under consideration in the Danū portfolio, these are to be designed to the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Standard (ZCB) as the minimum. This standard was chosen by Danū due to the requirement for measurable results.
There are two ZCB standards, one for the design of new buildings and one covering performance of existing buildings. Both are relatively new to the construction industry. Using the ZCB design standard, Danū intends to focus on specific elements such as triple-glazed windows, thermal bridging on balconies, urban vegetation in project courtyards, and a hybrid system that utilizes heat pumps and geothermal energy to reduce overall energy consumption. In the proposed Chambly project, heating will be entirely electric, thanks in part to aerothermal energy.
Increasing the stock of multi-residential housing is as much a priority in Québec as elsewhere in Canada. Doing so with a low carbon footprint is a higher objective, but one that is possible given Quo Vadis’ relationship with Concordia University’s Next Generation Cities Institute and the University of Montréal’s Pole research partnership.
Voland is in a unique position to understand zero carbon opportunities for developers. Not only did she earn a PhD at Concordia for her studies into barriers to carbon-neutral construction, but she was also a founding member of Concordia’s Next Generation Cities Institute.
Concordia explains the Next-Generation Cities Institute “brings together researchers from a range of disciplines including engineering, economics, natural sciences, the arts, humanities and the social sciences to engage in an inclusive and universal approach to sustainable urban development.”
It is also home to the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Cities and Communities.
Voland’s company Quo Vadis has had previous involvement with zero carbon initiatives in the Montréal area that have involved the Next Generation Cities Institute.
In November 2022, the company announced the securing of a net-zero transition loan for the comprehensive revitalization of Complexe du Canal Lachine. The loan proceeds are to be used for technology to retrofit Complexe du Canal Lachine so it can obtain a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions profile using energy-efficient HVAC and innovative renewable energy systems developed from research projects carried out by the Next Generation Cities Institute.
John Bleasby is a freelance writer. Send comments and Climate and Construction column ideas to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.
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