In Thorold, Ontario the suburban lifestyle is getting a much-needed update.

Great Gulf Development Group out of Toronto, in conjunction with Toronto-based Architecture firm Superkül, have brought the European Active House program to Canada.

Active House provides a set of construction metrics that measure factors affecting the environmental impacts of the building and the health and wellness of its occupants.

The program guided the designers to heavily update the technological repertoire of an average suburban home along with employing prefab techniques to create a traditional suburban house, reimagined.

The house follows the typology of a typical Canadian suburban home but with new style and even newer tech.

The prefabricated exterior walls, roof and floor systems allowed the house framing to happen in just one week while being safer to construct and less wasteful.

The technology included in the house is impressive. Some of it operates behind the scenes: like piping that recovers heat from the drains or the passive energy derived from skylights.

Other tech is clearly evident; like the Somfy Tahoma Smart House system, which allows the owner to adjust environmental settings for the house from a tablet, laptop or even an iPhone.

All this embedded tech and thoughtful design gives the house an incredible environmental edge over the conventional suburban house design.

Despite the hi-tech gadgets, this house feels familiar enough to fit comfortably in any suburban neighbourhood.

Its scale and massing are all taken right from the suburban playbook and the exterior material treatment of rich wood with grey bricks and paneling make it feel both modern and down to earth rather than futuristic and flashy.

Superkül reinvented an existing Great Gulf Homes design, so the program allows for the classic suburban experience, a lifestyle still in high demand but widely criticized for being unsustainable.

The design of this fantastic house does not change that, but it certainly begins to address the issue, which I appreciate.

For more information click the network and knowledge sharing site activehouse.info.

Researched and Written by Robin R. V Whitteker, undergraduate student at OCAD University in the Environmental Design program.