Evolve Builders Group Experts in natural, energy efficient and healthy construction

Presentation Objectives

1. Introduce Evolve

2. mobEE – a brief history

3. Challenges and opportunities

4. Potential systems and

designs

About Evolve

We are pioneers in the world of green construction.

We are managers, planners, educators,

researchers, artisans and craftspeople.

• Sustainable design & build

services

• >15 years in business, 20 staff

• Award winning projects:

Homes, schools, portable

facilities

• Based in Guelph, ON

• Applied research for CMHC,

UofG, UofW, Canplas

• Home Alive: The House that

Thinks, Drinks & Breathes™

• UGDSB Eco-paks

• mobEE naturally built modular

classrooms

mobEE – A Brief History

• 2008 -Ben Polley from Evolve sells the concept

of a two classroom schoolhouse to UGDSB – a

public school board!

• David McAuley Architects develop an

architectural design

2009/10 –Construction of Island Lake

Public School Eco-Pod in Orangeville

• 2+ permanent classrooms

• Integrated control & monitoring

• Passive solar design

• Active solar heating

• Rainwater harvesting

• Renewable energy

– Wind and Photovoltaic

• SIP roof

Rain water Harvesting for flush toilets

Active Solar heating- Solcan

Straw Bale Wall Construction

Evolve Energy Performance

• Immensely Improved Energy Intensity

• Island Lake Eco-pak permanent 2+ classroom school

– Avg all UGDSB schools: 2.85 kg/sqft or 19.02 ekWh/sqft

– Best performing school: 1.53 kg/sqft or 10.74 ekWh/sqft

– Least performing school: 4.98 kg/sqft or 32.18 ekWh/sqft

– Island Lake Eco-pak: 0.43 kg/sqft or 4.47 ekWh/sqft

– Four to six times better performing than average

– Two-and-a-half to three times better than next best school

2010- UGDSB hires Evolve to Plaster a

similar design with Durisol Block walls at

Minto Clifford Public School

2010- Through a developed trusting relationship,

UGDSB requests Evolve to design a portable

classroom with straw bale walls

2011- Evolve constructs and delivers the first

straw bale classroom to Rockwood Centential

School – mobEE is born

“After three years of use, our portable looks

the same as it did the day it was built…

Parents and school board officials are

impressed every time they visit. We’ve even

had local politicians come to see it”

Meghan Mintz, Grade 6 Teacher, Rockwood Centennial

Public School, Rockwood, ON, Canada

“I think the mobEE portable really

helped ignite the class’s passion

for the environment”

Paul Scinocca, Operations Officer, Upper

Grand District School Board

MOBEE DESIGN FEATURES

Steel Undercarriage

• Immensely strong

– Permanent quality

– Relocatable

– Move as one piece

– Lift to difficult

locations

Structural Insulated Panel Floor

• Condensation-free

– EPS vs XPS or SPF

– Low GWP Potential

– Warm & comfortable

Structural Insulated Panel Roof

• Thermal bridge-free

– Cathedral ceiling feels

spacious

– Replaceable

independent of walls

– No mould or mildew

Larsen Column Wall Assembly

• Large spans b/w columns

• Thermally broken

framing

– Flexible design

options

Straw Bale Wall System

• Continuous insulation

– Highly hygroscopic

– Non-mechanical humidifier/

dehumidifier

– Ideal substrate for

plaster

– Stressed-skin panel

Straw Bale Wall System

• Cementitious

Plaster

– Fibre reinforced

– Abuse resistant

– Repairable

Straw Bale Wall System

• Air barrier, sheathing

& cladding

– Stressed skin panel

– Water & air tight

– Vapour permeable

– 2 hour fire rating

– 4X load capacity

– 10X shear strength

mobEE Features & Options

• Fibreglass framed windows

• Low-E selected appropriate to

orientation

• Thermal glazing spacers

• Triple pane (option)

• Cool white TPO roof or

durable steel

• Reinforced gutter guards

• Custom colours

• Solar pre-heater (option)

• PV off-grid or grid-intertie (option)

mobEE Features & Options

• Exposed structure &

services

• Natural mineral wall

paint

• Natural wood finish

• PVC-free wall base

• Linoleum flooring

• Custom wall & floor colours

• LED lighting (option)

• Hi-efficiency ERV (option)

• Hi-efficiency heat pump & AC (option)

2011- UGDSB hires Evolve to construct

straw bale wall system for 3rd two

classroom school house

2013 -After success in Rockwood, UGDSB requests a

second “mobEE” for Westwood School in Guelph. This

building to have a mono pitched roof

Spring 2015 – Pomo Nation Native Head Start

School in California searches out Evolve to

construct 6 section modular classroom with Straw

Bale wall system

- Modules are constructed in a factory space in

Durham Ontario

- Modules shipped about 4,200 kms to California

and assembled with minimal oversight by Evolve

2015- Evolve successfully markets mobEE to

Ottawa Carleton District School Board

Fall 2015- Evolve delivers mobEE to Chapman Mills

Public School

Ottawa proves to be strict in code requirements and does not recognize

or accept any structural capacity of straw bale wall systems. Design

required SB10 building code compliance. SIPs panels not accepted.

Ottawa mobEE had to be re-engineered to allow wood framing members and

metal bracing within bale walls to provide all lateral and compressive strength,

as well as meet seismic requirements for that area.

Evolve partners with Workshop Architecture to

provide design options

• Student-first design

• Indoor & outdoor

teaching spaces

• More natural light

while preserving

teaching walls

• Visually appealing

• Added options

Green Learning Opportunities

We saw a straw bale insulated portable as a natural extension to

our series of Environmental Learning Centres. ... I think the

mobEE portable really helped ignite the class’s

passion for the environment.

Paul Scinocca, Operations Officer, Upper Grand District School Board

Evolve delivers educational presentations on Green

Construction in all UGDSB “Environmental

Learning Centres”

2016 -Evolve sells residential mobEE to clients in

Novar Ontario. This model to be same width as

portable classroom with length extended to 36’

Evolve employs Building Alternatives to design web joist floor

system to replace metal undercarriage. Floor system to be set

onto poured concrete foundation.

Fall 2016 -Evolve constructs and delivers 2 module, residential straw

bale wall residence.

Modular construction Benefits:

• Construction can happen in controlled

environment

• Building materials remain dry during

assembly

• Workers stay out of poor weather conditions-

heat, cold, sun, rain, snow

• No bad weather days= easier scheduling

• Potential for construction staging/ assembly

building

• Potential for repeatability of processes

• Construct buildings where there is good access

to labour

Modular construction challenges:

• COST of Factory needs to be offset by increased

performance: controlled environment may only

result in some savings

• Factory facility has to have layout to allow for

movement of buildings, and doorways large

enough for easy removal

• Modules must be constructed accurately for

proper assembly

• Factory space requires a commitment of time and

known sales for that investment- have a business

plan dedicated to developing a market

Potential systems and designs:

Panelization

Pre-engineered panels to:

• allow for quick semi-custom configurations

during the sales process

• ability to pre-manufacture the most

common/standard panels concurrently with other

components to reduce net construction time

• ease of fabrication to allow for lower cost

labour/less specialized labour and less person-

hours to manufacture

• provide potential secondary market through

sales of pre-fab panelized walls

Potential systems and designs:

Material selections

• materials other than straw can be substituted into

the system (ie blown cellulose, hempcrete, light-

claystraw, aerated concrete, blown mineral wool)

• cladding other than hand-troweled cementitious

plaster as the finish (ie. possibly site-finishing

interior or exterior, or prefinished

boarding/siding, earthen plaster)

• Potential market for ultra-high efficiency building

envelopes, such as Passive House or like

standard

Potential systems and designs:

Straw bale block engineering

• Develop a straw bale building block in standard

sizes to fit modular and panelized systems

Efficient. Ecological. Elegant.

Thank You!

Chris Vander Hout Co-owner, Evolve Builders Group

E: chris@evolvebuilders.ca

T: 519.369.4661

www.evolvebuilders.ca

http://mobee.evolvebuilders.ca