When David Shephard shows his Victorian worker's cottage in downtown Toronto, he starts in the basement. It's where his pride and joy is: A mechanical system incorporating the most up-to-date "green" technology. The semi-detached house at 12 Sackville Place in Cabbagetown looks much like it must have when it was built in the 1890s. You'd never suspect it's a unique example of environmentally responsible residential architecture. Six months in the planning, the dwelling's "envelope" and mechanics were designed to ultimately make it independent of fossil fuels. Mr. Shephard owns the house with his wife, architect Monica Kuhn, who is known in environmental circles for her involvement in projects such as the Hugh Garner Co-op Green Roof. He's an engineering technologist and biologist who works in the practice, Monica E. Kuhn Architect Inc. With living space on the second floor, the architectural offices are located downstairs. (The other half of the semi, No. 14, also figures in the story: It was once shared by the firm and the family, but is now occupied only by the couple and their children.)
