Net-Zero and Passive House
Kiwi Newton is at the forefront of sustainable construction, providing advanced solutions for Net-Zero and Passive House buildings. With a commitment to reducing carbon emissions and energy usage, we offer comprehensive building systems designed for superior energy efficiency, durability, and environmental performance.
Build for the future
Net-Zero buildings are designed to produce as much energy as they consume annually, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on non-renewable energy sources. These energy-efficient structures integrate renewable energy systems, such as solar power and geothermal heating, alongside high-performance building envelopes that minimize heat loss and optimize energy use.
By combining these features with Passive House principles, which focus on airtight construction, superior insulation, and advanced ventilation, Net-Zero buildings not only reduce energy consumption but also enhance indoor comfort and air quality. As a cornerstone of sustainable development, these buildings play a vital role in combating climate change and achieving long-term environmental goals.
Prefabrication
passive designs through prefabricated building systems
Kiwi Newton uses advanced prefabricated and modular construction methods designed for superior efficiency, sustainability, and passive energy performance.
Our Kiwi Precast Building System features concrete panels with continuous exterior insulation, ensuring that the concrete’s thermal mass effectively regulates indoor temperatures, passively keeping spaces warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
The inclusion of passive in-floor heating and cooling systems further enhances comfort, utilizing the building’s thermal mass for consistent and efficient temperature regulation. Panels are connected to ensure exceptional airtightness, which passively improves overall energy performance.
The Kiwi Precast System results in buildings that are more durable, sustainable, energy-efficient, comfortable, and of higher quality compared to conventional construction, while also being less costly to build and operate.
Reports show 60% more energy-efficient and produces fewer than 10% of the GHG emissions compared to a typical low-rise condo building.
Kiwi Precast System
The Kiwi Precast System is a whole process for planning, designing, prefabricating, and constructing energy-efficient and durable buildings with prefabricated concrete components, enabling rapid construction, reduced costs, and customizable designs for a wide range of project types.
Kiwi Newton prioritizes energy efficiency through advanced building envelope design. Our system features continuous exterior insulation, preventing thermal bridging and ensuring optimal temperature regulation. Precast concrete panels serve as both a moisture and vapor barrier, maintaining durability and energy performance. Connections between panels are carefully sealed to create an airtight structure, reducing energy loss.
Windows are embedded within the insulation to prevent heat transfer, while thermally broken façade clips and window systems further enhance thermal efficiency. These design elements combine to meet the highest standards for Net-Zero and Passive House buildings, ensuring long-term energy savings and environmental sustainability.
Building Envelope Details for Net-Zero Construction
Prefabrication for Passive House
Kiwi Newton specializes in constructing buildings that meet the principles of Passive House design:
The international Passive House (Passivhaus) standard requires strict energy performance metrics:
These demanding standards ensure minimal heating and cooling energy usage.
The Kiwi Precast System is built for energy efficiency, with insulation placed on the exterior of the precast concrete walls. This design allows the concrete to act as a thermal reservoir, using its mass to regulate indoor temperatures.
The concrete absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, helping maintain stable temperatures inside the building regardless of outdoor conditions. Embedded water lines further enhance this process, circulating heated or cooled water through the structure to provide consistent temperature control. This approach reduces energy consumption and operational costs while creating a comfortable, eco-friendly environment.
Read more about Thermal Activation in our article.
Using Thermal Activation for Energy Efficiency
Limiting Thermal Breaks for Efficiency
With high insulating value, special care is taken to limit thermal bridging. Thermal bridging occurs when an exterior element is directly connected to an interior element without any thermal breaks. A prime example is when a balcony is simply a cantilevered extension of the floor slab. With this building detail, the cold concrete balcony is a bridge for your heating energy to leave your building.
Kiwi Newton employs thermally broken balconies and facade mounting to eliminate thermal bridges. Instead of a cantilevered balcony, a precast slab is supported on the exterior of the building via columns or ‘wing walls,’ which are thermally broken and structurally separate from the main building walls.
Read more about Thermal Breaks in our article.
Kiwi Newton
Experience
Rooted in construction, driven by innovation
Kiwi Newton has been a General Contractor since 1994. With an extensive portfolio of projects, we have experience solving the many different challenges that can occur during a project.
Kiwi Newton has production facilities for steel fabrication and precast concrete manufacturing allowing for vertical integration of supply chain and better project control.
Our buildings achieve net-zero status by integrating solar arrays and geothermal systems, leveraging their highly efficient building envelopes and substantial thermal mass. Exterior insulation and airtight design reduce heating and cooling needs, while solar panels meet electricity demands with renewable energy.
Geothermal systems provide efficient heating and cooling by using the earth’s stable temperatures. Combined with hydronic heating and cooling elements in the concrete thermal mass, these systems maintain consistent indoor climates with minimal energy use. This integration ensures our buildings exceed energy efficiency standards, offering sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly living spaces.
Solar & Geothermal for Net-Zero Buildings
Manage Peak Loads with Battery Storage
Kiwi Newton integrates advanced battery storage and energy storage systems into its construction projects, enhancing the energy efficiency and sustainability of each building. By incorporating solar energy and other renewable energy systems, we ensure buildings can store excess energy for use during peak demand or when renewable sources aren’t available.
This reduces reliance on the grid, cuts energy costs, and supports Net-Zero building goals. Additionally, our systems help manage peak loads under Ontario’s Global Adjustment program, reducing energy costs during high-demand periods. This allows for greater resilience, self-sufficiency, and alignment with the highest sustainability standards.
The Kiwi Approach;
Design-Build
Kiwi Newton designs, manufactures, and constructs the Kiwi Precast System, relying on a Design-Build model to seamlessly deliver projects from start to finish.
By controlling the design process, we ensure that cost implications are fully considered before decisions are made. Simple early-stage choices can lead to significant cost savings in parking structure projects, optimizing both budget and performance.
With in-house production facilities for precast concrete and steel fabrication, Kiwi Newton’s vertical integration streamlines the supply chain, enhances project control, and ensures high-quality, timely delivery every time.
Simplify Mechanicals
simplify, centralize and future-proof
Thermal activations allows buildings to simplify, centralize and future-proof the mechanical elements.
Simplified Mechanical Systems: Eliminates traditional ductwork, fans, and complex components, simplifying maintenance and reducing operational complexities. Hassle-free mechanicals in a Kiwi building lead to lower maintenance costs.
Centralized Heating and Cooling: A centralized system efficiently heats or cools the entire building, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and eliminating the need for multiple units. This approach simplifies maintenance and enhances operational efficiency.
Future-Proofing: A Kiwi Building’s adaptability is a key advantage. Upgrading or changing heating or cooling technology is easy with a single, centralized system. This reduces complexity and costs, making the Kiwi Precast System a smart long-term investment.
A Net-Zero building is one that produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year. This is achieved through a combination of energy-efficient construction methods, renewable energy systems, and sustainable building technologies. At Kiwi Newton, we specialize in designing and building Net-Zero structures using our advanced modular and prefabricated systems.
Kiwi Newton uses a combination of high-performance building envelopes, Thermally Active Building Systems (TABS), and Passive House design principles to create energy-efficient structures. We integrate solar power, geothermal systems, and battery storage to reduce the building’s reliance on external energy sources. Our modular precast concrete panels ensure excellent insulation and airtightness, significantly reducing energy consumption.
The Kiwi Precast System is our modular construction method that uses prefabricated concrete panels to build energy-efficient, durable structures. These panels include embedded insulation and are designed to minimize thermal bridging, which reduces heat loss.
The system supports both Passive House and Net-Zero energy objectives by providing superior thermal performance and airtightness, cutting down on energy needs for heating and cooling.
Solar power is a primary renewable energy source in our Net-Zero buildings, providing clean electricity for the building’s operation.
We also integrate geothermal systems for heating and cooling, using the earth’s natural temperature to regulate indoor environments. Together, these systems drastically reduce or eliminate the need for grid energy, making it possible to achieve Net-Zero status.
Thermal breaks prevent the transfer of heat through structural components, such as walls and floors, reducing energy loss.
In Kiwi Newton’s buildings, we use thermal breaks in critical areas to ensure that the insulation and airtightness are maintained, making the structure more energy-efficient and reducing heating and cooling costs.
Passive House is a rigorous standard for energy efficiency in buildings that focuses on superior insulation, airtightness, and ventilation with heat recovery.
While Passive House buildings are not necessarily Net-Zero, the energy-saving principles they incorporate are foundational to achieving Net-Zero status.
Kiwi Newton employs these principles in many of our projects to enhance energy performance and sustainability.
Kiwi Newton’s Net-Zero building solutions are suitable for a wide range of projects, including multi-unit residential buildings, offices, schools, industrial facilities, and data centers. Our modular systems offer flexibility in design while maintaining the benefits of energy efficiency and sustainability.
Connect with Us
Phone: 519-822-5281
Fax: 519-822-6159
Email: Email
Phone: 519-822-5281
Fax: 519-822-6159
Email: marketing@kiwinewton.com
Phone: 519-822-5281
Fax: 519-822-6159
Email: marketing@kiwinewton.com
Email: estimating@kiwinewton.com
Email: estimating@kiwinewton.com
Email: estimating@kiwinewton.com
41 Massey Road
Guelph Ontario, N1H 7M6
Phone: 519-822-5281
Fax: 519-822-6159
Email: Email
2169 Hendersonville Rd
Arden, NC 28704
Phone: 519-822-5281
Fax: 519-822-6159
Email: Email
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