Ab-Fab EcoFabulous points to green, stylish qualities of modular BY SUZANNE MORPHET Canwest News Service—Vancouver

Kanau Uyeyama’s EcoFabulous home has been featured in a new book, “Prefabulous and Sustainable,” by Sheri Koones. — Submitted photos

The EcoFabulous home may not yet have a buyer, but it has lots of admirers, including the author of a new book titled “Prefabulous and Sustainable.” According to Sheri Koones, the book is meant to dispel myths about prefab homes and show how beautiful and “green” they can be.
The EcoFabulous home, designed and built in Vancouver, is one of 25 modular homes Koones features in her book — to be published next spring — and one of only two from Canada out of more than 200 she considered. The other Canadian home is in Georgina, Ont.
The designer of the EcoFabulous home is Vancouver architect Kanau (Kon) Uyeyama. Since establishing the Architecton firm in 1972, he has won two Governor-General’s Awards for a townhouse-office complex, a City of Vancouver heritage award and numerous other awards at home and abroad.
Uyeyama says he tries to design buildings that are functional, beautiful and user-friendly. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that he realized modular homes fit the bill — and that they can be energy-efficient as well.
After designing a couple of vacation homes on Mayne Island in the southern Gulf Islands chain of B.C., Uyeyama’s promotions consultant and fellow Vancouverite, Mary Todd, realized it would have been much simpler to have constructed them in a factory, then shipped to the island. “Mary remembered these houses and she had the bright idea of, ‘why not use modular for these remote houses’ because it’s very difficult to get contractors and workers to go,” recalls Uyeyama.
Todd had other bright ideas, as well. Having participated in the green movement for 30 years, first as an organic gardener and recycler, she wanted Uyeyama’s modular homes to be as green as possible. “So this is just one step further in my lifestyle philosophy,” she says, adding that her background in science — she’s a professor emerita in the faculty of medicine at UBC — has practical applications to architecture. “My research topic was the composition of blood vessel walls, and doing literature searches on building walls, etc., is not that much different.”
Since her “light bulb” moment, Todd and Uyeyama have become convinced that not only is modular construction easier than building on-site in remote areas, it also results in better buildings — anywhere. “First of all, it is much more difficult to make an airtight building with site-built (construction) since the wood expands and contracts as it is being built, even if it is kilned-dried,” explains Todd, adding that air-tightness is the prime consideration in energy-efficiency.
With their combined expertise, Uyeyama and Todd were able to come up with a design that was chosen as the show home for the 2008 BC Home and Garden Show. And now, the EcoFabulous home will receive wider recognition in Sheri Koones’ new book.

Green inside
Even though it’s only 1,400 square feet, the EcoFabulous home demonstrates the range of ways you can incorporate green technology and recycled materials to create a beautiful, energy-efficient, non-toxic home.
The single-story home is made from two modules joined at right angles. Two sets of french doors open onto a large cedar deck, creating more living space and allowing natural light to flood the interior.
The energy-efficient part of the home is apparent with a peek into the service room, where a Viessmann condensing boiler system heats water. Popular in Europe, these systems recover energy that is normally lost to the atmosphere by condensing water vapour back to a liquid.
Standing next to the boiler is a titanium stainless steel hot water tank that is so well insulated the temperature drops only one degree Celsius in 24 hours. Between the boiler and the hot water tank are the connections for the solar panel, which also contributes to heating water.
Each room in the home has its own radiator, so the occupants can choose to heat the living area, for instance, while keeping the bedrooms cool. Each radiator has a non-electric thermostat; wax compresses and expands with the ambient temperature.
The kitchen is the best place to see how recycled materials can be turned into beautiful products. The warm, honey-coloured cabinets are made from 100 per cent recycled paper that emits no toxic vapours. The bright blue backsplash is made from recycled glass. Two sliding bins provide out-of-sight temporary storage for newspapers, cans and other materials ready to join the recycling stream — and perhaps one day contribute to a home like this.
The most striking feature in the living room is the fireplace, made of polished olive green concrete tile and rated as 76 per cent efficient. While no fireplace is truly efficient compared with other kinds of heating, Todd says 76 per cent “is as good as it gets.”
Given all its features, it’s surprising to learn that the EcoFabulous home is still up for sale, with a price tag of $329,000.