UBC OKANAGAN, SKEENA RESIDENCE – University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna BC

Residential (Large) Award (Sponsored by Inline Fiberglass)

Public Architecture + Communication

Jury Comments: Not only does Passive House certification take this building beyond Code in terms of energy performance; it achieves this while still addressing issues of context and community. The relationship to its surroundings is carefully considered, as is the design an organization of its common spaces. Making successive cohorts of students aware of the superior quality of a Passive House environment – and so raising their expectations, may be the most significant contribution of this project.

This new Passive House certified residence accommodates 220 students within five floors of light wood frame construction, above a concrete ground floor that contains common areas, amenity and service spaces. The building completes an ensemble of residence buildings encircling the central green space on campus – known as Commons Field.

The five identical residential floors include shared bathrooms flanked by two bedrooms. This layout allows space for quiet study when required. Additionally, each floor contains both a study lounge and a house lounge with views of the surrounding mountains, the latter equipped with a kitchenette, dining table and couches. Locating these spaces at opposite ends of the floor ensures that quiet study is not interrupted by noise from the social home lounge.

The first level includes a large laundry room adjacent to the student lounge. Separated by a glass wall, the relationship between the two spaces encourages chance meetings and spontaneous gatherings. Moreover, the transparency offers passive surveillance, or visibility that promotes a sense of security.

The Passive House goal of minimal energy use for heating and cooling informed many design choices. Given that irregular forms with multiple indentations and corners, or projections such as steps, overhangs, or canopies create challenges for insulation, airtightness and the elimination of thermal bridging, a simple and efficient rectilinear volume performs best.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL OR PRINT ISSUE OF SABMAGAZINE FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE.

July 14, 2021July 15, 2021

A BLANKET OF WARMTH – Star Blanket Cree Nation, SK

Technical Award

MacPherson Engineering Inc.

Jury Comment: “This simple, affordable and highly transferable design solution to the substandard indoor environmental quality in much of the First Nations housing stock across the country, is notable for its collaborative approach and the inspiration it takes from traditional Aboriginal structures. The transition from forced air to radiant heat brings multiple benefits, with a payback period of less than 10 years.”

To address the mould issue, MacPherson Engineering partnered with universities, industry leaders, psychologists, Knowledge Keepers, engineers, and businesses. The project needed to be affordable, ecofriendly, incorporate Indigenous knowledge, and create positive social values of inclusion, cooperation, and respect.

The project broadened responsible consumption and production with the installation of the hybrid heating system on 75% of the concrete perimeter basement walls.

Aligning with the United Nations goals, the retrofitting of conventional HVAC with a system that was simple to install and operate improved efficiency and sustainability.

After installation, a comparative study was done, proving that radiant heating is a feasible solution to address air quality, thermal comfort, and energy use and humidity problems, performing much better than traditional HVAC systems.

PROJECT CREDITS

Owner / Developer Star Blanket Cree Nation
Mechanical Engineer MacPherson Engineering Inc.
Plumbing and Heating Anaquod Plumbing and Heating
Construction J McNaughton Construction
University of Regina Dr Arm Henni & Capstone students
Photos Aura Lee MacPherson

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL OR PRINT ISSUE OF SABMAGAZINE FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE.

January 5, 2021April 14, 2021

Édifice Wilder Espace Danse

Double-envelope façade wraps restored heritage building

By Patrick Bernier, Maude Pintal and Gabriel Tourangeau

Located in the Quartier des Spectacles, Montreal’s entertainment district, the Édifice Wilder – Espace Danse brings together production and performance spaces for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal, Tangente, and the Agora de la Danse. The project also incorporates offices for the Ministry of Culture and Communications, and the Quebec Council of Arts and Letters.

With a total area of almost 222,000m2 (235,000sf) the project includes the renovation and expansion of the 10-storey Wilder Building, a heritage designated former furniture factory and warehouse, dating from 1918.

The program is arranged over all 10 floors: one basement level and nine floors above grade. The basement contains a Creation Studio, a Laboratory Studio and bicycle parking; the ground floor includes the main entrance hall, ticket office and a café and other retail spaces; while the upper floors contain rehearsal, workshop, studio, production, broadcasting and other specialized and support spaces as required by each of the organizations occupying the building.

As architects, we believe that sustainable design must embrace the ecological, economic, and social circumstances of a project and not be solely focused on energy performance to the exclusion of these other considerations. For that reason, the choice was made to preserve a vintage building, not for its economic value, but rather as a commitment to the preservation of architectural and cultural heritage and the conservation of resources. An integrated design approach was used to ensure a balance between quantitative environmental objectives, and the equally important, but more qualitative aspects of theatrical performance, luminosity and comfort that were central to the project.

On a tight urban site, one consequence of that decision was the limitations it placed on the implementation of passive design strategies, partly because of the existing solar orientation and partly because of the effect of surrounding buildings. However, the articulation of the façades and openings maximizes access to natural light and passive solar energy in the context of this project.

Rehabilitation of the existing site, previously paved with concrete, was limited to the remediation of contaminated soils and improvements to stormwater management. A portion of the rainwater is collected on a vegetated roof and the remainder is stored in a temporary retention tank before being discharged into the municipal stormwater system. Elsewhere, low-albedo roofing is used to help mitigate the urban heat island effect.

Given its location at the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, the project was designed to encourage community interaction and enhance the public realm.

This was made possible by the creation of a transparent and inviting double-envelope façade wrapped around the existing building. With its areas of translucent insulation, the façade greatly improves the energy performance of the building. This perimeter zone serves as a billboard – being used for activities, shows, and the projection or display of visual art installations.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL OR PRINT ISSUE OF SABMAGAZINE FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE.

May 30, 2019June 14, 2019

Bank of Canada Renewal, Ottawa, ON

Existing Building Upgrade Award | Perkins+Will

Jury comments: This major rehabilitation and revitalization project, driven by quantitative issues of obsolete infrastructure, poor energy performance and related carbon impacts, and an outdated working environment, has been addressed with aesthetic sensitivity and restraint. Innovative structural upgrades enabled the restoration of the integrity of this 1970s office tower by Arthur Erickson, while the 1930s centre building and its immediate surroundings have been transformed into valuable new public amenities.

Located just west of Parliament Hill in Downtown Ottawa, the Bank of Canada Head Office complex comprises 79,500m² of offices and operation spaces. The original Centre Building was built in the 1930s; the twin office towers and connecting atrium being added in the 1970s. Completed in 2017, this project included the comprehensive renewal of the existing complex, including some reconfigurations and additions to the program.

A new museum invites and educates the community about the Bank’s role in the Canadian economy. The pyramidal glass entrance pavilion and the enhanced public realm that surrounds it form an abstraction of the Canadian landscape and functions as an accessible, multi-faceted public realm throughout the year.

Major drivers for renewal were the performance and infrastructure deficits of the facility, energy upgrades and carbon reductions, and modernization of the workplace. Within the towers, floor plates and waffle slab ceilings were restored to their original open plan concept.

The renovated towers were designed to be modular, allowing for a diverse range of uses so that each contains a combination of private and collaborative spaces.

The Centre Building accommodates both offices and conference facilities, while the atrium provides a variety of social spaces.

The design looked to maintain as much of the existing building infrastructure as possible, to lower both costs and negative environmental impact. Passive design strategies include revealing floorplates, allowing for deeper daylight penetration and greater access to views to the exterior and atrium.

PROJECT CREDITS

Client: Bank of Canada
Architecture/Interior Team: Perkins + Will
Civil Engineer: Novatech Engineering Consultants
Electrical/Mechanical Engineer: BPA Engineering Consultants
Structural Engineer: Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited
Project Manager: CBRE Limited/Project Management Canada
General Contractor: PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Landscape Architect: DTAH
Food Service/Commissioning Agent: WSP
Heritage Consultant : Evoq Architecture
Building Envelope: ZEC Consulting
Building Science: CLEB
Sustainability Consulting Team: Perkins + Will
Security: LEA
A/V: Engineering Harmonics
Acoustic: HGC
Cost Consultant: Turner & Townsend
Lighting: Gabriel MacKinnon/Perkins + Will
Code & Life Safety: Morrison Hershfield
Photos: Younes Bounhar

PROJECT PERFORMANCE

Energy intensity = 183 kWh/m² /year
Energy savings relative to reference building = 44%
Water consumption = 4,645L/occupant/year (based on 250 days operation)
Water savings relative to reference building = 35%

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL OR PRINT ISSUE OF SABMAGAZINE FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE.

May 29, 2019May 30, 2019

Sechelt Water Resource Centre, Sechelt, BC

Commercial/Industrial [Small] Award | Public Architecture + Communication

Jury comments: We hope this project marks the beginning of a new era in which the invisible infrastructure that has long-supported urban life is brought out into the daylight. Only through making infrastructure visible can we fully grasp and understand the implications of our linear systems of production, consumption, treatment and disposal. Alongside the learning opportunities provided by this facility, the volume of waste discharged into the ocean has been reduced by 90% compared to its predecessor and the bio-nutrient by-products can be used for industry and agriculture.

The Sechelt Water Resource Centre (SWRC) rethinks traditional municipal wastewater treatment. Instead of sequestering this essential service behind a locked chain-link fence, the transparent suburban facility reveals the mechanical and biological systems that clean wastewater, replacing the traditional ‘flush and forget about it’ systems with one that encourages the public to consider their role in the hydrological cycle.

In comparison to the facility it replaced, the SWRC discharges ten times fewer waste solids into the sea, boasts double the treatment capacity and nearly half the operational costs; and, captures resources (biosolids, heat, and water) for industry, parks, and agriculture. A sewage treatment plant, botanical garden and teaching facility in turn, the centre also provides a more humane work environment where employee duties include harvesting tomatoes and pruning roses.

Wastewater is treated and reused at its source instead of being pumped back and forth from an energy intensive pipe network, effectively closing the water loop. The SWRC replaces an existing packaged extended aeration plant with the first North American installation of the Organica Fed Batch Reactor System.

This system is set apart by the inclusion of microorganisms, which live among the roots of plants grown in a greenhouse above the reactors. The plant roots create a complex environment which fosters a biologically diverse community of insects and bacteria that consume the organic matter.

What is remarkable about this system is the elimination of noise pollution and odours associated with conventional treatment as well as its reduced footprint. The entire process is housed in a single building, which integrates with the surrounding neighbourhood and nearby Sechelt Marsh Park.

PROJECT CREDITS

Owner/Developer: District Municipality of Sechelt
Architect: Public Architecture + Communication
General Contractor: Maple Reinders Group Inc.
Landscape Architect: Urban Systems
Civil Engineer: Urban Systems
Electrical Engineer: IITS Ltd.
Mechanical Engineer: HPF engineering Ltd.
Structural Engineer: CWMM Consulting Engineers Ltd.
Commissioning Agent: CES Group
Photos: Martin Tessler

PROJECT PERFORMANE

Energy intensity (process) = 584 KWhr/m²/year
Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under ASHRAE 90.1 2007 = 22%
Water consumption from municipal sources = 12,597 litres/occupant/year
Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 69%
Recycled material content by value = 17%
Regional materials (800km radius) by value = 26%
Construction waste diverted from landfill = 96%