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Category: Building Profiles

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Giant Steps autism centre


A giant step for autism

A thorough, highly individualized interdisciplinary approach led to the design of Giant Steps Autism Centre, a cutting-edge facility aiming to transform the way autism services are deployed worldwide. Tailor-made for individuals on the spectrum, this project constitutes a perfect example of the use of architecture as a malleable work tool. More than just a school, Giant Steps is a place of solace – a safe space for the entire community.

For the past 40 years, Giant Steps Autism Centre has asserted its leadership in the provision of services supporting the education and success of people with ASD. As the number of individuals and families affected by autism steadily grows, there was an urgency to develop new ways to respond to their needs. The Centre represents a centralized hub based on four separate but integrated pillars: education, adult services, community outreach, and research.

Giant Steps Autism Centre finds its home in the Technopôle Angus, an avant-garde eco-district guided by principles of innovative sustainable development. With a design informed by the many perceptual differences and sensory challenges often facing people with autism, the Centre integrates the values of its new environment with style, placing innovation at the heart of its achievements.

The architecture is expressed as a concave curve creation that opens into an inner shielded courtyard and closes at the site’s rear embankment. Individuals on the autism spectrum experience both perceptual differences and difficulty processing sensory information.

Any of the senses may be over- or under-sensitive, or both, at different times. Since a child’s development – autonomy, socialization, creativity, and learning – is optimized through sensory stimulation, the building serves as a tool to introduce stimuli at every opportunity.

Vertically, the structure is defined by multiple storeys deployed in step-like fashion, serving to open up the courtyard space. The entrance leads directly to the school’s core, creating a visual link with the courtyard focal point. Lining the building’s massing is a corridor, constituting a shifting space revealing different opening and closing areas. Developed in close collaboration with occupational therapists, the schoolyard is designed to introduce children to many different stimuli.

Project Credits

  • Client  Giant Steps Autism Centre
  • Architect  Provencher_Roy 
  • Project manager  Gestion Proaxis
  • Structural engineer  L2C Experts
  • Concrete Prefabricator  BPDL Inc.
  • Photos  2 and 6 Thibault Carron, 1, 3, 4 and 5 Adrien Williams

Emile Deschenes P. Eng. is Project Manager at BPDL Inc.

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Kipling Transit Hub


Advanced steel framing cuts tonnage costs  

By Scott Norris

Completed in 2022, the Kipling Transit Hub is a 4,890m2 revitalization of an existing transit station. The LEED Gold station serves as a key transit interchange in Toronto’s west end, connecting GO Transit, TTC subway and MiWay buses under one roof.

The focal point of the project was a new 300m2 bus terminal with a long curving cantilevered roof structure projecting out over the bus parking and circulation area. The $73 million design/build project was led by Ellis Don.

The elliptical shaped roof structure supports a 4,460m2 green roof which contributed to the LEED accreditation. Along with the station building there were many other components including a pedestrian bridge, tunnels, platforms and parking, which will not be covered in this article.

Over the course of the project it was determined that the scope of the structural steel work was expanding beyond the initial budget.  At this point, Steelcon was brought on in a design assist role to determine whether its proprietary SIN beam member could be utilized to reduce cost, overall steel tonnage and improve delivery times.

The SIN beam is a custom built-up beam with a corrugated web section that allows the web thickness to be optimized for the design loads.  The sinusoidal (SIN) profile of the corrugations improves the strength-to-weight ratio of the web by virtue of its geometry. This web optimization along with substantial variability in the flange members resulted in significant reduction in the overall tonnage of steel required for the project.

Value Engineering Approach

The initial design for the elliptical roof structure consisted of typical frames spaced at approximately 8.0m on centre through the middle of the structure and transitioning to radially oriented girders at the west end and cantilever trusses to the east. The typical frames consisted of a central truss spanning between columns spaced at 10.5m, with the trusses then projecting 12.75m beyond the supporting columns and tapered down from 2.0m deep at the centre to 300mm at the roof perimeter.  Between the main frames, secondary open web steel joists support a metal deck on which the roof was applied.

During the design assist review, the trusses at the typical interior frames were revised to long span cantilevered SIN girders. In this application the SIN girders were tapered to follow the initial truss profile. The radially oriented girders at the west end of the roof were also replaced with SIN girders. However, the east end remained as trusses due to the efficiency in this configuration.

The final change involved the replacement of all the secondary framing, open web steel joists being replaced with SIN beams. The framing of the associated ancillary buildings and pedestrian bridge was less suitable for SIN beam replacement and was thus not considered. In all a total of 177 open web steel joists and 11 roof truss members were replaced.

Sustainability Approach

Since this project was designed and built before embodied carbon thresholds and other sustainability targets for structural steel projects became common practice, we decided to review the Kipling project to determine the associated benefits of SIN Beam substitution; notably reductions in global warming potential (GWP). The conclusions from this analysis enable us to extrapolate  to future projects which are subject to carbon thresholds.

Scott Norris B.Esc., P.Eng.is Director, Engineering Solutions at  Steelcan. Photos of completed building: Simon Liao, courtesy Strasman Architects.

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Fast + Epp head office

Urban infill building highlights hybrid construction

Completed in 2022, the Fast + Epp Home Office is an elegant, economic and highly transferable example of an urban densification project whose approach to material use is a pragmatic hybrid of mass timber, steel and concrete.

The four-storey mixed use building is located close to the city centre on the south shore of False Creek, an eclectic light industrial area that has undergone dramatic transformation over the past decade.

The 137.1m x 13.3m site is zoned for an FSR of 3.0, of which 1.0 must be an industrial use located at street level. A 1.2m right-of-way reduced the width of the site, forcing a portion of the industrial use to the second level and making vertical fire separations necessary.

Below grade, the reduced width required the elimination of interior columns in favour of a clear span, post-tensioned slab to accommodate a single row of parking and an aisle. This in turn influenced the design of the above ground structure, where clear spanning glulam beams informed both the subdivision of space and the routing of exposed building services.

These constraints required a pragmatic design response, both in the use of space and choice of materials. This approach resonated with Fast + Epp (both client and structural engineer for the project) and with f2a architecture, which aims “to create buildings that are minimal, energy efficient, have healthy interiors and a direct relationship to their site.”

To maximize leasable area within the zoning envelope, floor to floor heights were carefully manipulated according to use; Level 1 being 4.8m; Levels 2 and 3 being 3.6m and the Level 4 penthouse 2.6m. There is an interconnected floor space (IFS) between Levels 3 and 4. There is a 2-hour fire separation between industrial and office occupancies, with 1-hour required for the other floors and supporting structure.

The IFS forms an atrium, serving as a meeting area and social space for the Fast + Epp office. The lower level has a small kitchen, while the upper level accommodates ‘touch down’ work stations and (being smaller than the lower floors) has access to a roof terrace.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer Fast + Epp Structural Engineers
  • Architect  f2a architecture
  • General Contractor Companion Construction Ltd
  • Building Code  GHL Consultants
  • Structural Engineer Fast + Epp Structural Engineers
  • Interior Design HCMA Architecture + Design
  • Mechanical Engineering Impact Engineering
  • Photos Michael Elkan
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Cheko’nien House

Energy efficiency, resilience, and emission reductions on a grand scale

By Alex Minard

Cheko’nien (Čeqʷəŋín ʔéʔləŋ) House is the first of two buildings that together comprise the new Student Housing and Dining project at the University of Victoria (UVic) that embodies a transformative approach to student living and community engagement.

The unique design emphasizes social connectivity and sustainability. The first two storeys house a 600-seat dining hall, a multi-purpose room for 200, a servery, and a commercial kitchen, while above a 398-bedroom student residence offers modern living spaces tailored to promote student well-being and academic success.

The facility supports UVic in its commitment to energy efficiency, climate resilience, and GHG emission reductions, as outlined in the university’s Sustainability Action Plan. The project has achieved Step 4 of the BC Energy Code and LEED v4 Gold certification, and is on track for Passive House certification.

“Passive House allows us to meet a number of our objectives for sustainability and the student experience, and was the natural choice for the new Student Housing and Dining buildings,” says Mike Wilson, Director of Campus Planning and Sustainability.

Simultaneously addressing the need to preserve greenspace while meeting the growing demand for on campus student housing, the building has a compact footprint and much greater height than any other building on campus. Strategically positioned to catalyze the new Campus Greenway strategy, the building massing shelters the pedestrian realm from rain and shades its transparent ground floor from sun.

Achieving Passive House energy performance depends to a significant degree on passive design strategies. These include fixed sunshades and optimized fenestration to balance daylight, heating, and cooling. Complemented by energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems and a high-performance building envelope, these strategies ensure optimal performance while minimizing energy inputs and carbon emissions.

From inside to outside, the exterior walls comprise: 16mm Gypsum board; 152mm metal studs; exterior gypsum sheathing;  vapour non-permeable self adhered sheet air/weather barrier; 203mm low density mineral wool with LKME clips @ 400mm o/c horizontally and 610mm o/c vertically; air gap and cladding.

Insulation, shading, and thermal bridge reduction all contribute to high energy efficiency, as do triple glazing and a tested airtightness of 0.22 ACH50—approximately one third of the Passive House limit. The resulting reduction in energy demand for heating and cooling means that  the building can be powered almost entirely by hydroelectricity from British Columbia’s clean energy grid. This considerably reduces the use of fossil fuels.

However, serving approximately 8,700 meals per day, the large commercial kitchen represents a significant amount of the energy demand for the building. Employing a robust energy reduction strategy, the kitchen is designed to be five to six times more energy efficient than conventionally equipped equivalents —reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% for the entire building.

In addition to the commercial kitchen, the 398 bedrooms mean the project has an inherently  high demand for domestic hot water (DHW)—roughly 27,750 L/day. A waste heat recovery system from the refrigeration system, kitchen exhaust, dishwashers, and shower drains, is used to pre-heat water. Captured heat from the kitchen also preheats supply air, resulting in an 82% reduction in heating demand.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  University of Victoria
  • Architect  Perkins&Will
  • General Contractor  EllisDon-Kinetic, A Joint Venture
  • Civil and Electrical Engineer  WSP Canada
  • Mechanical Engineer  Introba
  • Structural Engineer  Fast+Epp
  • Landscape Architect  Hapa Collaborative
  • Commissioning Consultant  WSP Canada
  • Photos  Michael Elkan

The housing entrance is located on the new north-south greenway that connects the residential district. Cascadia Windows & Doors supplied the fixed and operable fibreglass windows from its Universal PH Series.

Interconnections among spaces create a vibrant and dynamic environment. A mixed-mode ventilation system using semi-centralized Swegon Gold RXF HRVs deliver excellent airflow to the student quarters, augmented by operable windows and regulated by exposed thermal mass.

The glazed aluminum curtainwalls, exterior sun control devices, and interior aluminum framed storefronts and doors by Phoenix Glass provide abundant natural light and a visual connection to the outside.

ALEX MINARD ARCHITECT AIBC, MRAIC, CPHD, LEED AP BD+C IS PRINCIPAL AT PERKINS&WILL, VANCOUVER.

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The Narrows

Experience hones understanding of details

By Scott Kennedy and Simon Richards

Located in the Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood of Vancouver, The Narrows is a six-storey mixed-use building with 48 residential rental suites in conventional wood frame construction over 225 sq. m of commercial uses in a concrete podium. It is located just one block east of The Heights, another mixed-use building which in 2018 became the first Passive House certified project to be completed by Cornerstone Architecture.  The Narrows has been recognized by the Province as a Clean BC Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge Winner.

Unlike The Heights, which is located on a corner, The Narrows has zero lot line setbacks on both the east and west sides, with its south façade on busy Hastings Street, and its north façade facing a commercial lane. From a Passive House perspective, the site is a challenging one, as the lane is almost two storeys higher than the street. As well as planning complexity, this creates issues around thermal bridging, the extent and detailing of the airtight envelope, and the transition between the parkade and the occupied portion of the building.

Additional massing complexity was generated by setback steps in the building section, in part responding to City zoning guidelines (of note, the City is recognizing this issue and is moving to allow simpler massing forms). The Narrows achieves a form factor of 0.47; higher than that for The Heights (which was 0.42) but still within the range that can meet Passive House energy standards. The zero lot line condition on the two sides necessitated an innovative solution to achieve the required levels of air tightness, insulation, minimized thermal bridging, as well as providing required fire ratings.

On the ground floor, which is at basement level relative to the lane, there are two retail units. The transition from the parking area includes a vestibule with doors at either end. The vestibule prevents the infiltration of carbon monoxide from the parking garage to the occupied spaces of the building. With the low air change rates required in Passive House buildings, ensuring the quality of incoming air is critical. 

Elevators connect a cold parkade to a warm building. At The Heights, the inside of the elevator shaft was lined with insulation; at The Narrows the outside of the shaft was insulated. Where the concrete podium extends beyond the upper floors, thermal bridging is again an issue.  At The Heights, the solution was to create a double slab with insulation between the layers; at The Narrows, the insulation was simply extended out beyond the building enclosure. Even with well-considered and conscientious detailing, it is impossible to eliminate thermal bridging entirely.  In large buildings, these deficiencies are manageable, as their impact can be minimal when considering the performance of the whole building.

The wall framing is generally conventional; the front and rear assembly comprises a 2×8 load-bearing external section with an internal 2×3 framed service layer – both with insulated cavities. The intelligent combined air/vapour barrier is installed in a protected position between the two. This membrane needs to be construction-sequenced around the outside of the floor perimeter for continuity.

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Steiner Properties
  • Architect  Cornerstone Architecture
  • Project Manager  ADM Management
  • Construction Manager  Scott Construction Group
  • CP/Code Consultant  Camphora Engineering
  • Structural Engineer Weiler Smith Bowers
  • Mechanical/ Electrical Engineer  Smith + Andersen
  • Geotechnical Engineer  Terrane Group
  • Civil Engineer  Webster Engineering
  • Building Envelope Engineer 
  • Aqua-Coast Engineering
  • Interior Design  Port + Quarter
  • Landscape Architect  Forma Design td.
  • Photos Luke Han Architect AIBC

The zero lot line conditions on two sides required innovative solutions to achieve the required levels of air tightness, minimized thermal bridging, and fire ratings. Varsa Windows & Doors provided Passive-certified UPVC windows and doors for the project, contributing to the high energy-efficiency performance of the envelope.

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WINDERMERE FIRE STATION No.31

Canada’s first net-zero fire station features sweeping PV array

Windermere Fire Station No. 31 is located in southwest Edmonton in a rapidly expanding neighbourhood. The project is the City of Edmonton’s first net-zero building, achieved through a comprehensive passive design approach and a combination of solar arrays, geothermal heating and cooling.

he 1,520 sq.m facility has bays for three fire engines as well as offices, sleeping quarters and dining areas for a crew of up to 12 firefighters.  The post-disaster, non-combustible, sprinklered building will also act as a community centre in the event of an emergency. To underpin this role, it also has a dedicated room to support  the many community drives in which the department is involved.

Design Approach

As civic buildings, fire stations are highly functional and technical facilities, usually embedded in residential communities for citizen safety. At once practical and symbolic, contemporary fire stations serve a critical public service while conveying important civic values within a neighbourhood.

The design challenge was to create an expressive and engaging structure that would encourage community pride and incorporate technical advances in environmental performance.

The City of Edmonton requested a highly sustainable project that would generate on-site renewable energy equal to 100% of the total building energy demand. The facility must also have an energy performance that is 40% more efficient than NECB 2011, yield 40% less green house gas emissions than the baseline using NECB 2011, and operate at no more than 80 kilowatt-hours per square metre per year for heating needs.

The project site was unbuilt and unremarkable – essentially a blank slate. The station’s form was derived from a desire to underscore both the iconic image of a fire station as a community anchor, and a contemporary imperative for sustainable citizenship. A typical fire station might have been characterized by familiar signatures such as a pitched roof, large fire truck doors, a hose and bell tower, and solid and heavy load-bearing walls.

Windermere adheres to those principles, however, it re-imagines the hose and bell tower form – now redundant elements – with a gently curving, south-facing roof, outfitted with an extensive array of photovoltaic panels.

Other strategies to increase environmental performance include the building’s southern orientation which reduces energy demand by improving the quality of light received in the workplace. A geothermal heating and cooling system is also incorporated. The building is extremely well-insulated and includes high-performance windows and exterior doors.

Edited by SABMag editor Jim Taggart from material created by the project team.

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CENTENNIAL COLLEGE: A-BUILDING EXPANSION

LEED Gold, net-zero carbon, and WELL certifications signify huge commitment to sustainability

By Craig Applegath

Established in 1966, Centennial College of Applied Arts & Technology is the oldest publicly funded college in Ontario.  A-Building is situated on the Progress Campus in Scarborough, about 25km east of Downtown Toronto.

The city of Toronto is located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many different First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. This contributes to the cultural diversity of Centennial College; whose faculty and students speak more than 80 different languages.

Context and Concept

Centennial College envisioned its A Building Expansion as a living embodiment of Chief R.

Stacey Laforme’s inspirational book Living in the Tall Grass: Poems of Reconciliation.  The design response to this challenge is a celebration of the Mi’kmaq concept of “Two-Eyed Seeing” which harmonizes Indigenous wisdom and Western perspectives. 

The A-Building Expansion, which houses the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science programs completes the truncated corner of the site, forming a gateway into the campus. A new urban edge & landscaped area planted with biologically indigenous plant species enhances the public realm.

The prominent north & west facades act as a tool for storytelling, visually symbolizing the aspirations of the institution. Designed to embody the Indigenous concepts of the four-colour medicine wheel and the seven directions, the building also visually signals the coming together of Indigenous and Western aesthetics.

Program

The A Building Expansion sits lightly on the land, and is aligned with the four cardinal directions. The main entrance opens to the East, echoing the traditional approach of a longhouse. In this six storey structure, the lower three floors contain flexible and accessible classrooms, labs, informal learning spaces and food services; while the upper three floors contain flexible workspaces for Faculty and Staff specifically planned for collaboration and student engagement. The building also surrounds an exterior courtyard that serves as an outdoor classroom for teaching in the round. Designed for inclusivity, the facility also incorporates universal Washrooms, lactation rooms, and a multi-faith space to meet the needs of all occupants.

Structure, Form and Materials

The ground floor structure is cast-in-place concrete, above which are five storeys of glulam post and beam construction, with CLT floor panels with concrete topping. Much of the mass timber structure is left exposed.

The geometry of the exterior envelope is inspired by the underlying structure in indigenous arts and craft, animal skins and the shingling of traditional haudenosaunee longhouses.  The cladding combines parallelogram and trapezoidal shingled aluminum wall panels in combination with composite wood veneer wall panels, which wrap the building mass and administration floors at the upper levels.  The envelope of the classroom block complements and balances the architectural form, grounding the building through the west of the site. It is clad in large and elegant anthracite grey solid phenolic wall panels.

Large areas of triple glazed aluminum framed curtain wall reveal the underlying wood structure, exposing student, staff and faculty life while alluding to the drawing back of the skins over a traditional Haudenosaunee wigwam frame in response to seasonal temperature changes. 

Interior Design

Internally, the plan is organized along Wisdom Hall, a highly transparent, 4-storey diagonal atrium space for user engagement & study zones with a grand stair that ascends from the East entrance toward the West, lined with Indigenous stories

Entering the building from the East, students ascend the grand stair, animating the main spine of the building through a series of informal learning spaces designed to facilitate spontaneous conversation and the sharing of ideas.

Reaching the top at Level 3, the stair culminates at a large Student hub and café that showcase Indigenous food offerings, allowing students to experience Indigenous culture through its cuisine.

The main circulation corridor along Wisdom Hall features acoustic wood ceiling baffles that undulate to represent the flow of water, a key element that is richly woven through Indigenous stories, customs, and heritage. On each side of the baffles, commissioned artwork tells a Creation Story. Students may learn the story of the Anishinaabe as they walk West to class and the story of Haudenosaunee on their return towards the East.

The cladding combines parallelogram and trapezoidal shingled aluminum wall panels in combination with composite wood veneer wall panels. Tremco supplied all of the roofing products.

Project Performance

  • Energy intensity (building and process energy) = 106 KWhr/m²/year
  • ANNUAL ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY EXPORTED = 69,000 kWh/year
  • ANNUAL NET ENERGY USE INTENSITY = 98 kWh/year
  • Energy savings relative to OBC SB-10 reference building = 40%
  • Annual Energy Cost (ECI) = $14/m²/year

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Centennial College
  • Architect  DIALOG Architects and Smoke Architecture Project Manager  Colliers
  • Design/Build Contractor Ellis Don
  • Landscape Architect  Vertechs Design
  • Civil Engineer Walter Fedy
  • Mechanical & Electrical Engineer  Smith + Andersen
  • Structural Engineer  RJC Engineers
  • Photos  James Brittain

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Waterfront Innovation Centre

Transformative project targets LEED Platinum

By Peter Kurkjian and David Copeland

The Waterfront Innovation Centre (WIC) was born out of a competition by Waterfront Toronto in 2015 with the intention of transforming Toronto’s once derelict East Bayfront Precinct into an animated mixed-use community. WIC is a purpose-built commercial development that caters to Toronto’s growing technology and media sectors.

The project consists of two mid-rise buildings connected by a bridge, with a total area of 44,000 sq.m (475,000 sq. ft.). Passive design strategies include optimized natural daylighting, a high-performance curtain wall envelope, green roofs, landscaping with native plants, and excellent transit and bike path connectivity. Active systems include on-site energy generation with an array of solar panels, underfloor air distribution systems, connection to the Enwave deep water cooling district network, and rainwater harvesting. It has achieved LEED v4.1 Platinum certification (Core and Shell), one of Canada’s first developments to achieve this rating.

WIC features three distinct programmatic areas, the ‘Hive’, which is an adaptable, high-performance workplace with unobstructed planning flexibility. The ‘Exchange’, which features gathering areas, labs, and workspaces, and ‘The ‘Nexus’, which converges all three. The Nexus is a light-filled space for both the public and the buildings’ tenants.

Both of WIC’s ’ main entrances feature amphitheatre-styled seating that extends from ground level up to The Nexus. Spanning both buildings, the Nexus houses two expansive lounges with multi-use seating and tables, event space with high-tech meeting areas, 3 cafes, breakout areas and public washrooms.  By providing a distinctive, welcoming and easily accessible interior amenity, the Nexus becomes an extension of the public realm, and invites the public and building users to interact in a readily adaptable space. Retail spaces open out onto the adjacent park frontages and streets.

Externally, native species were used as they are more resilient, promote water conservation and stormwater management, as well as supporting greater biodiversity. A partial green roof filters rainwater and reduces the heat island effect.

Efficient floor plates optimize daylight, with over 90% of leasable space within 12m (40ft.) of the perimeter glazing. As a result, during 85% of annual working hours, artificial lighting is not required.  Photo-electric sensors along the perimeter take advantage of daylight harvesting, and high-performance glazing with a low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient assists in reducing thermal gains.

The Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) system has individual, user-controlled diffusers at floor level which circulate clean air from below. This provides comfort by eliminating thermal stratification and improves indoor air quality, with stale air rising above the occupied zone to be replaced by fresh air from below.

The UFAD system supplies low pressure, individual user-controlled ventilation at lower energy than conventional overhead systems. Coupled with a heat recovery system for all ventilation air, high efficiency boilers, and variable frequency drive pumps, WIC achieves a 49% reduction in winter heating and 23% reduction for summer cooling over baseline. The energy reduction is aided by site-generated renewable energy in the form of a 253-kW photovoltaic system located on the roof, supplying 5% of the building’s required energy. An integrated demand-response program allows the building to make operational adjustments before peak demand, reducing  stress on the Ontario electrical grid.

Trane equipment is used extensively in the ventilation system, in the chilled water and hot water systems, in the stormwater system, and in the underfloor air distribution system.

Project Performance

  • Energy Use Intensity (building and process energy) = 172.11KWhr/m²/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under ASHRAE 90.1 2013 = 10%
  • Water consumption from municipal sources = 4247.7 litres/occupant/year
  • Reduction in indoor water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 42%
  • Reduction in outdoor water consumption
  • relative to reference building under LEED = 62%
  • Recycled material content by value = 20%
  • Regional materials (160km radius) by value = 20%
  • Construction waste diverted from landfill = 81%

Project Credits

  • Owner/Developer  Menkes Developments
  • Architect  Sweeny&Co Architects Inc
  • General Contractor  EllisDon
  • Landscape Architect  Janet Rosenburg Studio
  • Civil Engineer  Stantec
  • Electrical Engineer  Mulvey & Banani
  • Mechanical Engineer  The Mitchell Partnership
  • Structural Engineer  Stephenson Engineering
  • Interior Design (Landlord spaces)  Sweeny&Co Architects Inc
  • Commissioning Agent  JLL
  • LEED Consultant  Green Reason
  • Photos  Tom Arban, Paul Cassselman Photography

Peter Kurkjian, Senior Associate and David Copeland, Associate, both of Sweeny & Co, were project architect and project manager, respectively, on the design team for the project.

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THE WELLINGTON

THE WELLINGTON

Good design and high performance break stereotype of affordable housing

By Stephen Kopp

Located at the historic intersection of Union & Wellington streets in the heart of Saint John, The Wellington is a 6-storey mixed-use development, with ground floor commercial space and 5 upper floors containing a total of 47 affordable and market rate apartment units.

On a tight urban site, the building massing steps back in three volumes to reveal the neighbouring landmark Loyalist House, views of historic church towers on Germain Street, and the leafy maples of Queen Square in the distance. A quarried stone-clad podium level with a wood entrance wall, together with the striking glazing pattern above are aesthetic departures from the standard box that often characterizes low-cost development. In the city of Saint John 22.5% of people live in poverty.

There are many barriers to people breaking the cycle of poverty, at the heart of which is access to affordable housing. Affordable housing projects often look low-cost, resulting in residents being further ostracized by their communities. These realities reinforce acre Architects’ conviction that modern housing should encompass sustainability, affordability and accessibility, and at the same time counter the stereotype that affordability and good design are mutually exclusive.

DESIGN APPROACH

Designed to international Passive House standards, The Wellington is the first (soon to be) PH certified affordable housing project completed in Atlantic Canada.

The building employs the main tenets of Passive House design, and while not unique in its approach, the building exceeded performance expectations during its multiple testing periods. As such, it has set an important precedent for the Maritimes.

In keeping with Passive House standards, Acre Architects created an envelope with a balance of airtight design, high insulation value, and carefully considered window details.

Beyond the base wall assembly, which achieves a min. R-value of 55 for the roof and 37 for the walls, coordination with mechanical and electrical consultants was critical to minimize penetrations through the building envelope.

Internally, the heating and cooling system for the Wellington employs a highly efficient variable refrigerant flow (VRF) design that is able to deliver simultaneous heating and cooling year round. Each suite is equipped with a wall mounted evaporator unit that is integrated into the central VRF system.

The system is able to meet the heating targets even on the coldest days of the year. On exceptionally cold days, the building is equipped with electric baseboard heaters that supplement the heating load if required.

PROJECT CREDITS

  • OWNER/DEVELOPER Saint John Non-Profit Housing Inc.
  • ARCHITECT Acre Architects
  • GENERAL CONTRACTOR John Flood & Sons Construction
  • COMMISSIONING (PHIUS VERIFICATION) RDH Building Science
  • ENERGY MODELLING ZON Engineering
  • LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Brackish Landscape Studio
  • CIVIL ENGINEER Fundy Engineering & Consulting
  • ELECTRICAL/ MECHANICAL ENGINEER Fundy Engineering & Consulting
  • STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Blackwell Structural Engineers
  • FIRE PROTECTION RJ Bartlett Engineering Ltd.
  • PASSIVE HOUSE CONSULTANT Zon Engineering
  • PHOTOS Julien Parkinson

PROJECT PERFORMANCE

  • ENERGY INTENSITY REDUCTION RELATIVE TO REFERENCE BUILDING
  • (DESIGN CALCULATION UNDER 2015 NECB) = 57% 
  • ENERGY INTENSITY (HEATING AND COOLING) = 10.1 KWhr/m2/year
  • ENERGY INTENSITY (HEATING) = 6.8 KWh/m2/year
  • ENERGY INTENSITY (COOLING) = 3.2 KWh/m2/year

Gold window frame extrusion detail. High-performing windows and frames were sought, with the additional ambition of finding a thin, low-profile frame in contrast to the less elegant ‘chunky’ units often used. The window units were sealed during installation with Contega Tape from 475 High Performance Building Supply.

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BUILDING NX RETROFIT

A first for Passive House certification

By Holly Jordan

Building NX was constructed in 1989 as the main library for Humber College, also serving as the gateway to its North Campus. When the main library and entrance moved to the Learning Resource Commons, the five-storey concrete structure became an office area for faculty.

In 2015, Humber College launched its Integrated Energy Master Plan (IEMP) a long-term strategy designed to achieve 50% reductions in energy and water consumption and 30% reduction in carbon emissions across all its campuses by 2034. With major deficiencies in its base building systems and building envelope, including water leakage and air infiltration, a complete retrofit of Building NX was identified as a high priority.

Typical of 1980s design and construction, Building NX featured large sections of glass block and geometric articulation of the building form.

The extensive use of glass block reduced the thermal performance of the envelope; increased interior glare, and limited prime views to the campus courtyard. A large central skylight and a protruding entrance were vulnerable to water leakage and were also major sources of heat loss.

DESIGN APPROACH

Given these existing conditions, the design team identified the strategies necessary to achieve the desired performance goals:

  • • Replace windows and walls with high-performance assemblies
  • • Remove chamfers from building form to reduce surface area
  • • Improve roof insulation
  • • Remove and infill skylight to address thermal and water leakage
  • Internalize vestibule to minimize heat loss
  • Separate canopy from building, both structurally and thermally

Following the change of occupancy from library to office in 2015, staff quickly found that the building was drafty, and work stations experienced solar glare and uneven lighting. To address these issues, the new building envelope uses punched windows with vision glazing, lower heads, and sills raised to desk height. Larger glazed openings are used at entrances and in key common areas.

Overall, the window-to-wall ratio has been reduced from 44% to 14%, yet still provides daylight to workspaces. Additionally, the high-performance, triple-glazed units achieve a superior level of thermal comfort, introduce operable windows and re-establish the visual relationship between interior and exterior. To improve airflow, the HVAC system was upgraded to a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) with local heating and cooling and heat pumps for space conditioning.

PROJECT PERFORMANCE

  • TOTAL ENERGY INTENSITY (UPGRADED BUILDING) = 58.4 kWh/m2/year
  • BASE BUILDING = 64 kWh/m2/year
  • PROCESS ENERGY = 22kWh/m2/year
  • ONSITE RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION = 31 kWh PHOTOVOLTAIC ROOFTOP ARRAY
  • ENERGY REDUCTION COMPARED TO EXISTING BUILDING = 70%

PROJECT TEAM

  • ARCHITECT B+H Architects
  • OWNER/DEVELOPER Humber College
  • GENERAL CONTRACTOR Bird Construction
  • ELECTRICAL / MECHANICAL ENGINEER Morrison Hershfield
  • STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Morrison Hershfield
  • COMMISSIONING AGENT Morrison Hershfield
  • ENERGY MODEL RDH Building Science Inc
  • BUILDING ENVELOPE Morrison Hershfield
  • PHOTOS Double Space Photo

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