# Building environmentally integrated homes

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2014-11-15

architect-this-city, architects, architecture, atc, athiscity, blog, christine-lolley, design, environment, environmentally-integrated-homes, globe-and-mail, home, house, leed, performance, renovation, solares-architecture, sustainability, tom-knezic, toronto, uncategorized, value-proposition

---

There are a lot of great architecture firms in Toronto, but one that I’ve been following for years is [Solares Architecture](http://www.solares.ca). Founded by a husband and wife – Tom Knezic and Christine Lolley – the firm focuses on “environmentally integrated homes”, which is simply their title for incredibly sustainable and efficient homes.

I discovered the firm a few years ago when I was trying to get my laneway house off the ground, and they were unbelievably helpful. That laneway house is still a work in progress (more on that in the coming week), but I’ve followed the firm ever since. They have an [awesome blog](http://www.solares.ca/blog/) where they have meticulously profiled the renovation of their own environmentally integrated home. Their new home was also recently featured in the [Globe and Mail](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/gutted-and-green-a-320000-reno-recasts-an-energy-sucking-home/article21378950/).

As more and more people wake up to the importance of sustainability, I think that firms such as Solares Architecture are going to become even more important. This is not just about a LEED rating, it’s about a mission. And I think that’s also great for the profession of architecture because it expresses a clear value proposition: this is not just about stye (though that’s important); this is about measurable performance.

---

*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/building-environmentally-integrated-homes)*