Carlington Community Health Centre and Ottawa Community Housing Corporation collaborate to develop multi-use community facility that expands the role of the health centre into a community hub model. CSV Architects designs to Passive House standard to produce cutting edge environmentally responsible design. Seniors living in new apartments will be able to access social services and visit their doctor without leaving the building. Built to be energy efficient, durable, and healthy the new building will reduce operating and maintenance costs. The savings will be turned back into the long term delivery of service to vulnerable citizens.
Carlington Community Health Centre helps individuals take control of their personal health, and works to improve the health and wellbeing of the community as a whole. The Centre provides a wide range of health, mental health and addictions services to parents and children, youth and teens, and seniors.
Ottawa Carleton Housing Corporation offers affordable housing for people with low and moderate incomes and collaborates with others to develop safe and healthy communities.
The Project
Carlington Communitiy Health Centre currently operates in a converted school building. The existing centre has been very successful but needs upgrades to meet current medical standards. The medical facilities are located on two separate floors. The former playgrounds are the site for a new addition which will allow the Health Centre to relocate to a single ground floor space. Ottawa Community Housing will use the air rights above the new health centre to provide 42 affordable senior’s apartments. This collaboration creates a community hub reduces the cost of both the community health centre and the senior’s housing project.
Passive House Certification
The new building is designed to meet the stringent Passive House Standard for energy efficiency. This means that the building will be heavily insulated and air tight. High efficiency operable windows will keep the heat in in the winter and allow natural ventilation in the summer. Sophisticated mechanical ventilation will deliver exceptional interior air quality while recycling latent heat from the exhaust air. The result is a durable building that will be heated and cooled at a fraction of energy budget of a building designed to current building codes.
Well Building Certification
Well Building Certification is complementary to the Passive House Standard and will ensure that having designed the building to provide comfortable, healthy work and home environments that this high standard will be maintained once the building is in operation.
Carlington Hub is a successful collaboration between visionary community based stakeholders and a committed professional team which defines a new standard for environmental stewardship while enhancing the social well being of the residents and engaging community at large.