Originally built in 1935, this building was designed for Major-General D. M. Hogarth, a mining executive. When David
Daniels (son of world class developer John Daniels) pu rchased the home for his family’s use, he immediately got to work reimagining the property into a beautiful sustainable home with the help of architect Paul Dowsett of Paul Dowsett
Architecture Inc.
Through a combination of a number of efficiency strategies, the home was able to achieve a 35% reduction in energy use as well as rainwater runoff harvesting and mitigation on site. The efficiency standard of the building is, in part thanks to a 2,228 square foot extensive green roof designed in collaboration Vegetal i.D. Inc.
This green roof uses HYDROPACK, a lightweight all-in-one modular green roof system that enabled easy installation and instant greening. This project is composed of 5 different green roof sections, which provide summer cooling, rainwater management and a beautiful green view from the inside and the outside of the home. Excess rainwater from the roof is harvested and used to irrigate both the green roof and the surrounding landscape.
Remarkably, this relatively large residential green roof arrived on only one truck and was quickly installed by a team of five workers from Ginkgo Sustainability in only one day. Each green roof section is composed of HYDROPACK’s
Standard Mix, which is a blend of 30 species of succulent, and herb species specifically chosen for their hardiness and drought tolerance. The roof experiences a full sun to partial sun varying throughout the building.

Year: 2013
Owner: David Daniels, Kate Alexander Daniels
Location: Toronto Canada
Building Type: Single Family Residential
Type: Extensive
System: HYDROPACK by Vegetal i.D. Inc.
Size: 2,228 sq. t.
Grade: 2%
Access: Accessible, Private
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Architect: Paul Dowsett, Paul Dowsett Architecture Inc.
Green Roof Design: Vegetal i.D. Inc. & Paul Dowsett
Architecture Inc.
Build & Contractor: Ginkgo Sustainability