JURY COMMENT
A beautiful building with impressive performance – the more so because it is a retail facility that needs to attract and engage customers. The site development and integration with the park is carefully considered. MEC raises the bar every time it developes a new store.

As an organization serving outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, Mountain Equipment Co-op has sought to link its corporate identity to environmental stewardship. Opening in 2012, the North Vancouver store embraces a holistic approach to sustainability that includes restoration and integration of the site with the adjacent public park.

The new store has become a hub for local outdoor enthusiasts and a showcase for sustainable development, transforming this previously impermeable site into a node of vibrant commercial and recreational activity. This project offered a rare opportunity to blur the edges between a retail development, public park, and a river eco-system.

Complementing and completing an existing retail axis while opening up to embrace the park and river, the facility is marked by a distinctive saw tooth roof – a key component in the passive design approach. The energy efficient envelope and on-site water management strategies have significantly lowered energy and water consumption compared to traditional retail spaces.

Overland storm water management is supplemented by underground storage and infiltration facilities; requiring no connection to the municipal sewer. With 100% mitigation of storm water, up to and including a 10-year storm event, MEC North Vancouver exceeds municipal LEED® and Department of Fisheries and Oceans requirements.

The building’s mechanical system is designed to be primarily passive. It has been designed with a reduced capacity and depends on solar gain and prevailing winds to maintain acceptable conditions. The building sources electricity from Bullfrog Power, Canada’s leading sustainable energy provider.

PROJECT CREDITS
Owner/Developer Mountain Equipment Co-op
Architect Proscenium Architecture and Interiors Inc.
General Contractor Ventana Construction Corporation
Landscape Architect Sharp and Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc.
Civil Engineer Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer Pageau Morel and Associates Inc.
Structural Engineer Fast + Epp Structural Engineers
Commissioning Agent Stantec Consulting
LEED Consultant Recollective
Development Manager Corin Flood
Geotechnical Consultant Geopacific Consultants Ltd.
Photos Bob Matheson Photography/Randy Sharp, Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architects Inc.

MATERIALS
Steel frame with structural insulated panels with curtain wall, concrete slab, TPO roof, vegetated facade by Green Screen , fiberglass windows by Cascadia Windows Ltd. , resilient flooring by Forbo .