Sustainable Design Archives - Page 7 of 7

Green building forum well-received

July 12, 2010 By John Gower Leave a Comment

The following is the text of a 10 minute presentation given as part of a Green Building Forum at Victoria’s annual Organic Island Sustainability Festival, held July 10 and 11^th, 2010.

Good morning. In the time I have available I’d like to share with you some ideas about what I think sustainable design means and some ways we can design homes to reduce their ecological footprint, reduce their cost and make them more resilient places to live the years to come. [Read more…]

12 Axioms for living lightly on the earth

February 1, 2010 By John Gower 2 Comments

People often ask what I think of this or that piece of new “green” technology. It’s as if achieving sustainability in our homes is primarily a technical matter — for example, adding the right kind of heat pump or solar panels. I won’t disagree that technology has a role to play. However, this role is relatively small and comes much later in the game, after many other less obvious but more significant steps. [Read more…]

John Gower provided the designs for a renovation to our 70 year old house. He designed a home that is energy efficient, durable, safe and beautiful. We cherish its simplicity, the connection it allows us to maintain with our community and the heritage feel that we were able to preserve. He made the process fun, thoughtful and productive. The sustainability of the design work that he provided will allow the house to be enjoyed for many more years.

Suzanne W.Comox, BC

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What an amazing experience to be part of designing a home to suit our lot! We had looked at house plans for months and could find nothing that we liked. Within ten minutes you had ideas for a plan that would fit the location and not destroy the natural surroundings. You are so knowledgeable about the whole building experience, not just the designing. We liked the way you interacted with our contractors. They said they thought you were very down to earth and had obviously done some building yours… Read more

Bob & Judy P.Big Lake, BC

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John was our house designer for a property on a steep site on the water. We wanted something modern and a bit unusual and he provided that. He was respectful of our needs and our wishes and designed a lovely and functional home. Working with him was a pleasure. He made several site visits and as well we met with him several times at his office. As well he took part in sourcing material that was hard to find. I would recommend him to anyone. We had no problems re deadlines or budget. The house wa… Read more

Kathryn W.Pender Harbour, BC

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