Benoit Lavigueur thrives on challenges. His passion for green building has led him to constantly aim for new heights. Five years after having built the most efficient and greenest house in Quebec, in Bolton-Est, he is getting rid of it in order to go even further. In doing so, with two renowned partners, he hopes to find an answer to the housing crisis.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
A pioneer in ecological construction, he led by example when he built his house in Sainte-Martine in 2008, which served as his laboratory. The single-family home obtained a record score in Quebec when it was certified LEED Platinum in 2012. While he was at the head of the company Belvedair, which specializes in the construction of ecological homes, he then sought to get closer to a large pool of customers, in the Eastern Townships, by building a high-performance chalet aiming for LEED Platinum, Passive House and Carbon Neutral certifications, in Bolton-Est.
“I wanted to be in the 100-point club for LEED certification,” he reveals. The house got 104.5 points. It was beyond my expectations. I know of only one project elsewhere in Canada that has a higher score, at 106.5 points. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The high-performance chalet, in Bolton-Est, was built in 2016 aiming for LEED Platinum, Passive House and Carbon Neutral certifications.
Cohousing
The chalet, consisting of two superimposed dwellings of 1100 sq.2 (102m2), where between seven and nine people can stay on the ground floor and on the garden level, was the second home in Quebec to hold Carbon Neutral certification. However, Benoit Lavigueur did not have time to complete all the paperwork to obtain the demanding Passive House certification. While he puts the house on the resale market in order to carry out other even more ambitious projects, he promises himself to finalize everything. “It’s 98% complete,” he reveals. The building meets all the criteria. It is technically perfect. But I want to close this file, which required so much love and so much research work. »
The country house has served as a family cottage, office and temporary accommodation for the past five years. The two superimposed dwellings, which allow great flexibility, have fueled the entrepreneur’s reflection on living together and co-housing (co-living).
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The two superimposed accommodations made it possible, for example, to bring together early risers on the same level, to allow others to sleep a little longer. Here is the accommodation on the ground floor.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
For educational purposes, the space has been restricted to 1100 ft.2 (102m2), at each level. Noting that people tend to build too big, Benoit Lavigueur wanted to show potential clients that they don’t need as much space as they think.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Benoit Lavigueur invested primarily in the building envelope. The windows are triple glazed. The interior is warm, while having favored ecological, economical and easy-care materials.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
On the ground floor, the accommodation has often served as an office. It also welcomed relatives, friends and customers, who were able to appreciate the good quality of the soundproofing, from one floor to the other.
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“There is a difference between living with anyone and living with friends, with people we love, who share the same values,” says the consultant and speaker, who founded the company Les Éco-Bâtisseurs, in the fall of 2020, in order to share its expertise and have a greater impact.
The good soundproofing of the chalet is one of the features most appreciated by all the people who have tried it. There can be completely different lifestyles up and down. When a building is well designed, it’s easy to live with others.
Benoit Lavigueur, pioneer of ecological construction
“I accompany a lot of couples, families and groups, in their 50s and 60s, who don’t want to be dependent on the government as they get older,” he adds. They say they are going to create it, their CHSLD! The pandemic has accentuated this desire to live in more communal and thoughtful buildings, by choosing to live with others. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The chalet in Bolton-Est is located in steep terrain, surrounded by nature, and takes full advantage of it.
Solutions to the housing crisis
First in North America to have obtained the title of “Climate Hero” for his action against climate change, nearly 20 years ago, Benoit Lavigueur still feels the need to go higher, further.
“What drives us to sell the chalet is that I am building another model building in Eastman,” he explains. The chalet was visited by more than 3000 people. Knowing that you create buildings that make a difference in people’s lives is really interesting. More and more entrepreneurs are consulting me. There is still work to be done, but we have succeeded in showing that an ecological house can be made without compromise. »
The housing crisis worries him greatly and leads him to look for solutions. “Every morning, I get up wondering how we can house as many people as possible in quality, ecological and healthy buildings,” he reveals. I consider that the co-living is one of the solutions. On the one hand, there is a lack of housing and on the other hand, I believe that there have never been so many empty rooms and sections of houses as there are today. »
Buildings need to be reinvented so that they are flexible, able to accommodate different groups of people, without ever having a section go unused.
Benoit Lavigueur, pioneer of ecological construction
He recently partnered with Spa Eastman and Solution ERA for a project officially launched shortly and which will once again serve as a laboratory. Two pavilions, initially, will allow the Spa Eastman to fill a need for accommodation, while giving the opportunity to experiment with the concept of cohabitation. “Each house will have six 300 sq.2, each with a bedroom, a bathroom and a small office area, explains Mr. Lavigueur. It’s as if six couples each had their tiny house and shared 3,000 sq.2 of common space, including a solarium, a greenhouse, a large kitchen and a dining room. »
The construction has already started and is ambitious. LEED Platinum certification is targeted and, this time, Benoit Lavigueur would like to amass more than 106.5 points in order to obtain the highest score in Canada. Net Zero certifications, proving that buildings produce as much energy as they consume, as well as Carbon Neutral are also targeted.