Building Tomorrow's Legacy Today

Honestly? We're kinda obsessed with making buildings that don't wreck the planet. It's not just about being trendy - it's how we sleep at night.

Sustainable design process

Why We're All In On Sustainability

Look, I'll be straight with you - about 8 years back, I was on a site watching a massive dumpster get filled with perfectly good materials. Something just clicked. Since then, our whole studio's been rethinking everything.

We're not perfect, never claimed to be. But every project's a chance to do better - use less, waste less, design smarter. Our clients aren't just getting buildings, they're getting spaces that'll actually cost less to run and feel better to live in.

Real Energy Savings

We're talking 40-60% reduction on average. Your hydro bill will thank you.

Materials That Matter

Local sourcing when possible, reclaimed where it makes sense, and zero tolerance for greenwashing BS.

Our Impact By The Numbers

These aren't just stats we pulled outta nowhere - this is real data from our projects over the past 5 years.

52%

Average Energy Reduction

38%

Water Conservation

1.2M

kg Materials Diverted

840

Tonnes CO2 Offset

How We Actually Do It

Passive Design First

Before we even think about fancy tech, we nail the basics - building orientation, natural ventilation, thermal mass. It's like wearing a sweater before cranking the heat, y'know? Works way better and costs nothing to run.

Material Intelligence

We've got this running list of suppliers who get it. Reclaimed timber from old barns, low-carbon concrete mixes, locally-fired brick. Sometimes costs a bit more upfront, but the quality? Chef's kiss.

Water Systems

Rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, low-flow everything. Had a client save over $800 on their water bill in the first year. They sent us cookies. We ate them. Everyone won.

Smart Tech Integration

Heat pumps, solar arrays, smart HVAC systems - but only when they make sense. We're not gonna upsell you on stuff you don't need just to hit some certification checkbox.

Green roof installation
Green Roofs & Living Walls

One of our commercial projects has a 2,400 sq ft green roof. The tenants literally have lunch up there now. Didn't plan for that, but it's become the building's best feature.

Certifications We Actually Care About

Yeah, we can do LEED, Passive House, WELL, all that stuff. But here's the thing - we only push for certifications when they add real value. Sometimes the paperwork and fees don't make sense for smaller projects, and we're honest about that.

LEED

12 Certified Projects

Passive House

4 Certified

Net Zero Ready

8 Projects

WELL

3 Certified

What Clients Actually Say

"We were skeptical about the geothermal system - seemed expensive. But our heating bills dropped by over half. Paid for itself in 6 years, and now we're basically heating the house for peanuts. ZQ didn't oversell us, they just showed us the math."

- Michael T., Residential Client, Rosedale

"They found us reclaimed Douglas Fir from a demolished warehouse in Hamilton. It's now the feature wall in our lobby and everyone asks about it. The story behind it makes it even better than new stuff would've been."

- Sarah K., Commercial Client, King West

Material reuse on site

The Stuff We're Still Working On

Real talk - we haven't figured everything out yet. Construction waste is still too high on some projects. We're trying to convince more contractors to separate materials on site, but old habits die hard.

Embodied carbon in concrete is another headache. Low-carbon mixes are getting better, but they're not everywhere yet and sometimes you hit code issues. We're pushing suppliers to catch up.

Point is, we're learning as we go. Every project teaches us something new, and we're not afraid to admit when something didn't work as planned.

Let's Talk About Your Project

Resources We Actually Use

These aren't affiliate links or whatever. Just stuff that's genuinely helped us design better buildings.

Passive House Institute

Best technical resources for super-insulated buildings. Their PHPP software is intense but worth learning.

EC3 Tool

Embodied carbon calculator. Helps compare material choices with actual data instead of just guessing.

CaGBC

Canada Green Building Council's got good local case studies and connects you with suppliers who get it.