The Globe and Mail

Architects from across Canada are being challenged to help make subdivision development greener in the Greater Toronto Area by competing to design a model home that not only uses all the latest environmental-protection technologies but can also be mass-produced inexpensively. A contest launched this week by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Design Exchange, along with several corporate sponsors, is aimed at rapidly spreading the use of green technologies in large housing developments, not just the high-end custom homes that have tended to be the main examples. "There have been a few projects that demonstrate sustainable housing, but they have mostly been one-offs," said Andrew Bowerbank, supervisor of sustainable development for the TRCA. "We want to encourage architects and designers to take it one step further and show what really can be done."