to beedie: I would like to build them in Newfoundland. espically in my home town because there's more people looking for apartments than there are aviable apartments. I haven't got a suitable site but every few years the town develops areas for housing and I'm sure I could get a lot big enough for what I have in mind.

to Scott No Mates: Thanks for your input. I'm going to look up the Canadian quantity surveyor's and see what they have to say and I'll ask them about zoning laws and such. I'm not sure if newfoundland has a 'green design program" yet so I'll have to look into it and hope they do.  the Grand Designs show sounds intresting, I'll have to see if I can find it. the only consern I have with solar power is in winter we don't get a whole lot of sunlight so it will only be useful mid spring to early fall.

for anyone who has experience with apartments or even housing I would like to know the diffrence between h-vac or oil heating for apartments would be, when it comes to quality/comfort and price/efficiency.