Lanefab builds a green niche in Vancouver housing

We’ve all been told to look for the silver lining in every cloud. For Bryn Davidson, the financial crisis of 2008 represented a major cloud for his architectural design practice. "Within four to six weeks, all my projects disappeared," he says.

Bryn decided to find the opportunities arising from this challenge. A long-time advocate for environmental issues, he teamed up with general contractor Mat Turner to create Lanefab Design/Build Ltd., a company specializing in laneway housing.

At Lanefab, the "green option" is standard. The five-year-old company designs and builds laneway homes that epitomize the best of energy-efficient design, from super-insulated walls to drainwater heat recovery.

When it came to choosing a financial institution for Lanefab's business account, Vancity's support for social and environmental causes made it a natural choice. "Lanefab's commitment to building energy-efficient low-impact homes aligns with our values," says Douglas Paillé, a Vancity account manager. "They’re a made-in-Vancouver business that is focused on making energy-efficient and green design the new normal."