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high performance building

Category: Commercial

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Portland Commons

Designed to achieve the hat trick of LEED Gold, Zero Carbon, and WELL Building Gold

By John Gillanders

Portland Commons is a high-performance commercial office and retail development, integrating with the surrounding neighbourhood through its preservation of surrounding heritage buildings, terraced massing and activated, pedestrian focussed street presence.

By contributing high-quality employment and retail spaces, this project strengthens the economic and social fabric of an important mixed-use district, just steps from the planned Front and Spadina GO and commuter rail station.

The Project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum (Core + Shell), LEED Zero Carbon, and WELL Building Gold standards, supporting the highest levels of energy efficiency, environmental responsibility, and occupant physical and mental well-being through access to outdoor terraces, biophilic elements, and abundant natural light.

Thirteen landscaped tenant terraces, green roofs, and native plantings enhance local biodiversity while reducing the urban heat island effect. Stormwater management strategies include permeable surfaces and rainwater harvesting to support sustainable greywater use within the site.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing provides occupants with unrestricted panoramic views and deep sunlight penetration. In addition, more than 90% of the occupied spaces have direct access to an operable window supporting natural ventilation and occupant comfort. The HVAC system employs MERV 13 filters and bipolar ionization to maintain superior indoor air quality while reducing energy consumption.

The underfloor (UFAD) HVAC system allows all occupants personal control of temperature and fresh air with individual manually operated diffusers. The UFAD system follows a “one pass” airflow approach that supports occupant health by delivering fresh air at the floor and drawing it away at the ceiling, eliminating the mixing of fresh and stale air in the space.

Amenities such as spa-like “end-of-trip” facilities, comfortable and secure bicycle storage, and touchless building controls further enhance the user experience.

Portland Commons integrates low-flow plumbing fixtures, water-efficient landscaping, and a rainwater harvesting system to minimize potable water consumption. The project achieves a 47% reduction in water use compared to baseline models.

The building employs Enwave’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system, underfloor air distribution, and a high performance building envelope to minimize energy demand. Annual heating and cooling energy intensity is 137 kWh/m² or less, with a strong emphasis on reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The HVAC system allows for up to a 25% reduction in outside air conditioning, and the supply air temperature requires less cooling:  to 17-18 degrees Celsius rather than the traditional office building standard of 12-14 degrees Celsius. This allows for longer free-cooling periods that can extend into the late spring and start in early fall, reducing the cooling energy used by 26.8% compared to a typical office building.

PROJECT TEAM

  • OWNER/DEVELOPER  Carttera Private Equities Inc. 
  • ARCHITECT  Sweeny&Co Architects Inc
  • GENERAL CONTRACTOR  EllisDon Corporation
  • LEASING TEAM  JLL
  • LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT  NAK Design Strategies
  • CIVIL ENGINEER  MGM Consulting Inc.
  • STRUCTURAL ENGINEER  RJC Engineers
  • MECHANICAL ENGINEER  TMP (The Mitchell Partnership & BPA) Consulting Engineers
  • ELECTRICAL ENGINEER  Mulvey & Banani International Inc.
  • VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION Soberman Engineering
  • ENERGY CONSULTANT  Ecovert
  • MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT  Cavendish Management
  • PHOTOS  Gus Sarino

PROJECT PERFORMANCE

  • Energy intensity (heating and cooling) 137KWhr/m2/year
  • Energy intensity reduction relative to
  • reference building under MNECB 1997  26.8%
  • Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED  47%
  • Recycled material content by value  46.8%

JOHN GILLANDERS IS A PARTNER AT SWEENY&CO (ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPAL-IN-CHARGE ON PORTLAND COMMONS).

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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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