News Release - Lafarge in North America

News Release
Habitat for Humanity Edmonton
Corporate Head Office: 8210 Yellowhead Trail NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5B 1G5
Tel: (780) 479.3566 Fax: (780) 479.0762 Web: www.hfh.org
For Immediate Release – October 17, 2013
Lafarge hands over keys to the first NetZero energy precast concrete homes in North America.
Edmonton, AB – Lafarge has made homeownership possible for two hard-working Edmonton families
through Habitat for Humanity. Partnering with Stantec to design the first NetZero energy precast concrete
homes in North America, the team has targeted LEED® Platinum certification. Representatives from
Lafarge and Stantec had the honour today of presenting keys to the recipient Habitat families. Building with
precast concrete allows the homes to benefit from significant thermal mass. For the next two years the
homes' energy performance will be monitored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to determine if
the high-efficiency design delivers on an operational basis. Learnings from all stages of the project will be
incorporated in other sustainable residential solutions.
“These types of projects are so important if we are to find sustainable solutions to affordable home
ownership,” said Alfred Nikolai, President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Edmonton. “The partnership
between Habitat, Lafarge and Stantec demonstrates how community partners can work together for the
benefit of humanity.”
"Lafarge is committed to building better cities and this project is an ideal example. Our partnership with
Habitat for Humanity and Stantec has allowed us to do innovative research on the energy efficiency that
concrete brings to buildings while helping two deserving families attain home ownership. From a
sustainable construction and sustainable communities perspective, Lafarge could not be prouder of all this
duplex has achieved," commented Larry Diduck, Vice President- Edmonton.
“Working with Lafarge and this group of designers to find solutions that make sustainable precast concrete
homes a reality has been an exciting challenge, and the result is a testament to the teamwork that has
taken place over the last two years,” says Keith Shillington, Edmonton Capital Region Vice President at
Stantec. “Habitat for Humanity is such a valuable partner in the community for Stantec, and designing
homes for two of their families made this project even more meaningful for our team.”
Volunteers began construction on July 10, 2012 and a total of 3,050 hours were given by 159 different
volunteers. As a charity, Habitat mobilizes volunteers and community partners to bring their affordable
home ownership model to hard working families. The NetZero Energy project has been embraced by many
in the community, the corporate sector, small business sector, by individuals and municipal and provincial
governments.
“The NetZero project is another milestone for Habitat for Humanity that supports sustainability on so many
levels,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths. “Habitat for Humanity and its partners deserve our
recognition for being affordable housing leaders and ensuring our communities are built with the
environment in mind, while supporting Albertans in need.”
The land for the state-of-the-art duplex was made possible by the City of Edmonton Cornerstones program.
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"The City of Edmonton continues to benefit from the partnerships established through the Cornerstones
Plan for Affordable Housing," said Mayor Stephen Mandel. "Working with Habitat for Humanity, we've been
able to help build attractive, affordable homes for families who need them, and energy-efficient design will
keep them affordable for years to come."
The homes are designed and constructed to be sustainable, which complements Habitat’s sustainable
home ownership program. The two Habitat homeowners will pay an interest-free mortgage to Habitat and
their payments will never be more than 25 percent of their income. The families’ mortgage payments are
then reinvested into building more Habitat homes, ensuring an ongoing Habitat program. Families also
contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” on Habitat build sites as a down payment for their home.
Many others partnered with Habitat, Lafarge and Stantec to make this project a reality: Government of
Alberta, City of Edmonton Cornerstones, Kassian Dyck Associates, Dow Chemical Canada, All Weather
Windows, NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul Services, Landmark Solar Productions, Vital Engineering, Clark
Ecoscience and Sustainability, RBBN Contractors and Painting Ltd., Cascade Aqua-Tech, Irving Wire
Products Corporation, Canada Green Building Council – Alberta Chapter, Eco Ammo, Deck X, Siteline Inc,
Whirlpool, Patching Associates Acoustical Engineering Ltd., Hunter Douglas, NIC, Schneider Electric, Eco
Synergy, Threshold Energies, and Ecobee.
-30About HFHE
Founded in 1991, Habitat for Humanity Edmonton is a non-profit organization working towards a world
where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Our mission is to mobilize volunteers and community
partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of
poverty. With the help of thousands of volunteers, we have provided many families with safe, decent and
affordable housing across northern Alberta. For more information about HFHE, please visit HFH.org.
About Lafarge
Lafarge is Canada's largest provider of solutions to the construction and development industry. With more
than 6000 employees across Canada, our mission is to provide construction solutions that build better cities
and communities. The cities where we live, work, and raise our families along with the infrastructure that
supports our communities such as roads, bridges, transportation links, water, and waste management
benefit from the solutions provided by Lafarge.
As a global top-ranking player in construction materials, Lafarge impacts the construction of cities around
the world, through its innovative solutions providing them with more housing and making them more
compact, more durable, more beautiful, and better connected. With the world’s leading building materials
research facility, Lafarge places innovation at the heart of its priorities in order to contribute to more
sustainable construction and to better serve architectural creativity.
Since 2010, the Lafarge Group has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the first global
sustainability benchmark in recognition of its sustainable development actions.
About Stantec
Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design,
landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics for
infrastructure and facilities projects. We support public and private sector clients in a diverse range of
markets at every stage, from the initial conceptualization and financial feasibility study to project completion
and beyond. Our services are provided on projects around the world through approximately 11,000
employees operating out of more than 170 locations in North America and four locations internationally.
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For more information, contact:
Habitat for Humanity Edmonton
Alfred Nikolai
President & CEO
[email protected]
Tel: (780) 479.3566 ext 224 | Cell: (780) 722.6164
Lafarge
Jennifer Lewis
Director, Western Canada Communications
[email protected]
Tel: (403) 723.7151 | Cell: (403) 835.6603
Stantec
Matthew Stuart
Public Relations Lead
Tel: (403) 716.8165 (office) |
[email protected]
Cell: (403) 671.9225
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