Buildings use a sizeable chunk of our resources, both by their creation and their energy use. live-work-play is committed to including sustainable design practices wherever possible. Here are a few strategies:

the building: create only as much space as you need; reuse an existing house;
recycle an existing house; reuse an existing lot, with services already provided for it;
use locally or regionally manufactured materials where possible; create a durable building

wood framing: use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) lumber for framing; use stacked or advanced framing techniques to reduce the amount of lumber used

energy: add more insulation than required by code so the building uses less energy; use a high efficiency heating system; use a heat recovery ventilator for incoming and outgoing air to increase energy savings; add solar panels to the roof; use energy star appliances and equipment

water: use rainwater as much as possible on site so that it is part of the evaporation cycle, instead of the sewer treatment system; here are a few ideas: collect rainwater for landscape use; create a bog garden to use some of the roof water; collect rainwater; store it, filter it, and plumb the toilets and laundry to use this water

finishes: select for recycled content/ low environmental impact/ air quality/ durability