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Sustainable Prefab Modular Home Builder, Daylun, Starts Construction of Flagship Home in Toronto

Innovative Residential Development Methodology Will Offset Housing Shortage and Affordability Issues Globally

Daylun, an innovator in developing premium, passive, net-zero, and technically advanced pre-engineered homes, announced the construction of its flagship build at 241 Waterloo, Toronto. Waterloo is a ground-breaking sustainable, net-zero, modular home build incorporating the most revolutionary green building materials and technologies and will target LEED for Homes Platinum Certification. The ‘passive house’ design approach ensures the home requires little energy (produced internally) for heating and cooling.

The project starts construction this summer and is planned for completion in Q4. The site is currently in preparation for construction, and a behind-the-scenes documentary is being produced. The project is open to the public for pre-bidding and is welcoming industry sponsors. To accelerate construction, reduce permitting costs, are reduce materials consumption and water, the Daylun team chose to start with an existing build. The current home at the site will be taken down to the studs with a few walls retained from which the new build will expand.

Waterloo will feature advanced building materials, including many of Daylun’s proprietary technologies. The project will also showcase fixtures, appliances, systems, and building components provided by premier manufacturers in the green building community internationally. The project’s goal is to show what’s possible with today’s technologies and provide a glimpse of what the house of the future will look and feel like.

Waterloo is partnering with leading sustainable companies to sponsor and lend their technical expertise in each part of the build. Daylun has already partnered with several manufacturers for Waterloo, including:

  • DMX, a water membrane manufacturer for foundation and green roofing applications.
  • Green Friendly Paint, a sustainable multi-application paint manufacturer.
  • Milwaukee Tools, a power tool manufacturer for electrical, mechanical, and plumbing applications.
  • Green-tek, a manufacturer of HVAC systems that support enhanced indoor air quality (IAQ).
  • Terra Design, an interior design firm specializing in biophilic design — green/living walls.
  • The project will utilize LaFarge’s ECOpact low-carbon concrete, distributed by Innocon.
  • Plasti-Fab, an Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam supplier.
  • Bobcat Toronto/Oaken Equipment will provide Bobcat construction machinery.

The design for Waterloo was conceived by Arthur Zankowicz, Daylun’s CEO and founder, in conjunction with an elite team of sustainable design and engineering professionals. While most houses are designed and then engineered to ensure they comply with building code, Waterloo was planned at the outset by a hand-picked team of engineers from around the world to go well beyond what’s required. 

The house is designed to meet and exceed the City of Toronto’s 2030 Standard of Home Design. Waterloo is a forward-looking net-zero modular home build that will redefine the perception of what’s possible in sustainable home development. 

Biophilic design will also be a prominent sustainable feature of the home. The incorporation of living/green walls throughout the interior of the home will improve indoor air quality and support human health. A green roof is also part of the design and will reduce the heat-island effect, provide additional insulation, and mitigate stormwater runoff.

Years of research and know-how went into this design. With over 100 pages of structural analysis, this is excellence in engineering and house building. The team includes: 

  • Jean Jasosic – Structural Engineer
  • Mrigesh Roy – Mechanical Engineer
  • Anna Lepetukhina – Interior/Biophilic Designer
  • Dr. Beck Lee – Scientist for Chemistry of Foams and Bioproduct
  • Ivan Patrick – Renewable Engineer
  • Wladimir Sapyan – Architect
  • Maximiliano Zepeda – Architect
  • Valentyn Horditsa – Steel Structure Engineer
  • Gavin Xing – Window Engineer 

Zankowicz is a sustainable design entrepreneur who has dedicated over 25 years to innovating environmentally friendly strategies and creative design solutions for the sport, fashion, film, and building industries. His portfolio of businesses, vast experience, and ground-breaking new methods and technologies have made him among the first to market sustainable products across multiple industries and countries. Zankowicz broke into the manufacturing industry while developing and marketing products for the sports attire industry. 

After spending significant time in factories where his athletic footwear and clothing lines were produced, and being exposed to noxious fumes permeating the air, he became aware of the toxicity generated by conventional adhesives. Consequently, among his first innovations was a wholly natural and benign vegetable-based glue intended for shoes — later adapted to construction due to its impressive strength, durability, efficiency, and reduced impact on human and environmental toxicity. In the ensuing years, he developed additional patent-pending sustainable building materials and technologies, which will be featured in Waterloo, including:

  • Concrete board made of EVA that is stronger and lighter than drywall.
  • Solar heated outside cladding which is a cost-effective passive heat gain system.
  • Light gauge snap-together steel framing system.

“We envision a future in which safe, stylish, and good-for-the-earth-and-budget housing is available to everyone,” said Zankowicz.  

Pre-engineered and manufactured modular homes are the emerging solution to the prevalent societal challenges of inadequate housing supply and affordability. These projects are comparatively less expensive to design and construct than conventional stick-built housing and take far less time to deliver to underserved homeowners. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of modular home building in terms of time and money. Waterloo’s design methodology also reduces carbon footprint and minimizes environmental impact.

Daylun’s team is committed to bringing the most advanced sustainable home solutions to the market — first in Canada and then the world. The vision is to make green homes more accessible to everyone by designing for efficiency in manufacturing, delivery, construction, and operations, with human and environmental health at the forefront.

Learn more at: https://241waterloo.com/ and https://daylun.ca/

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