The 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Gamesrtified buildings
The recent Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games provided a showcase for Canadian athletes, and at the same time a showcase for Canadian green design. Five of the facilities built for the Games were awarded LEED certification prior to the opening ceremonies on July 15. Among the sustainable design strategies featured in these facilities are green roofs, diversion of site waste from landfills and incineration, the use of geothermal energy, and property irrigation using rainwater stored in underground cisterns.
The LEED-Gold certified projects: Markham Pan Am Centre – B + H Architects
Originally conceived as the Pan Am venue for water polo, the Markham Pan Am Centre evolved over the course of its programming into the field house that would host badminton, table tennis and Parapan table tennis events during the games. After the games, the Centre serves as a community recreation centre that can contain 12 badminton courts – or six volleyball courts and two basketball courts – in addition to a two-level fitness centre and a wide range of multi-purpose rooms.
The centrepiece of the Markham Pan Am Centre is the 10-lane Olympic pool, complete with adjustable floor that accommodates a range of activities.
Demand-operated ventilation, high capacity air-side heat recovery, sophisticated building automation, effective thermal insulation and advanced lighting were but a few of the design solutions implemented on this project. Due to the impressive results achieved through building systems integration and the design team’s close collaboration with engineers and stakeholders, this project surpassed its mandated goal of LEED® Silver, achieving LEED® Gold certification.
In addition, the City of Markham is adding a large photovoltaic array on the roof – a feature that the design anticipated and allowed for through structural fortification and electrical infrastructure.
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – NORR Architects
The largest facility constructed for the Games, the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre [TPASC] is designed to provide world-class training facilities and a venue to host national and international competitions. It is also home to the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario [CSIO], which provides science and sport performance services to high-performance athletes and their coaches. Now the Games have concluded, the facility will become a joint campus-community recreation space for university students and Toronto residents to use and enjoy, while giving youth a place where they can train, play, gather and compete. The Aquatics Centre includes two internationally sanctioned 50-metre, ten-lane swimming pools; a warm-up pool; a 5-metre deep diving tank with 3-, 5-, 7.5- and 10-metre platforms; and dry-land training facilities with dive pits and trampolines.
Mandated to achieve LEED silver, the TPASC has actually achieved LEED Gold certification. It features 96,000 sq.ft. of roof covered in photo voltaic panels, while the remaining 56,000 sq.ft. is a green roof. In order to further reduce dependence on fossil fuels, 100 geothermal wells have been sunk into the north parking lot. Several other energy conservation measures such as timer-limited shower heads and rain water irrigation systems further reduce operating costs. TPASC is 100% accessible, exceeding Ontario codes.
The LEED-Silver certified projects:
York Lions Stadium – Cannon Design
The 5,000 seat Athletics Stadium at York University boasts a 400 meter athletics track and field meeting IAAF Class 1 requirements and capable of hosting Olympic and other top-tier international competitions. York University will retain the legacy use of the stadium for university level competitions in track, field, and other sporting activities.
Mattamy National Cycling Centre – Cannon Design
The Cycling Centre features a 250-metre timber track with two 42-degree banks for cyclists. The oval-shaped, three-storey velodrome is the first of its kind in Canada and only the second cycling facility to meet top international standards in North America.
After the Pan Am Games, the velodrome will serve as a community recreation centre as well as a training facility for high-performance Canadian cyclists who historically have been forced to train outside for months each year.
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