Institutional [Large] Award | Diamond Schmitt Architects
The primary objective of the Okanagan College Trades Renewal and Expansion project was to enlarge and unify disparate elements of the Trades training program on the Kelowna, BC campus and to provide an exemplar of highly sustainable building design for students and future generations of trades workers.
The project comprises two distinct but integrated components: the renovation of 4,180 m² of existing trades workshops and the construction of a 5,574 m² addition. The three-storey addition frames a new courtyard, preserves a mature copper beech tree and positions the Trades Complex much closer to the main road, creating a new public face for the college.
The new building accommodates classrooms, group offices, labs, trade shops, a café, as well as student social and study space for the campus as a whole. The ambitious sustainable design targets were a driving force for the project. They include achieving Living Building Challenge petal certification including Net Zero Energy, LEED Platinum for the new addition, and LEED Gold for Existing Buildings Certification (LEED EB:O&M) for the renovation.
The application of bioclimatic design principles was critical to achieving the ambitious energy targets. These principles informed the orientation, footprint and massing of the building and maximized the potential for capturing solar energy and minimizing the need for conventional mechanical and electrical systems.
PROJECT PERFORMANCE
- Energy intensity (base building) = 17.7KWhr/m²/year
- Energy intensity (process) = 19.3KWhr/m²/year
- Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under MNECB = 51%
- Water consumption from municipal sources = 2,935litres/occupant/year
- Reduction in water consumption relative to reference building under LEED = 35%
- Recycled material content by value = 25%
- Regional materials (800km radius) by value = 32%
- Construction waste diverted from landfill = 81%
PROJECT CREDITS
- Client Okanagan College
- Architect Diamond Schmitt Architects
- Associate Architect David Nairne + Associates
- Civil Engineer True Consulting
- Electrical Engineer Applied Engineering Solutions
- Mechanical Engineer AME Group
- Structural Engineer Fast+Epp
- Commissioning Agent I Design
- Sustainability Integral Group
- Envelope Consultants RJC Engineers
- General Contractor PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc
- Landscape Architect Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg
- Building Code LMDG Consultants
- Cost Consultant Quantity Surveyors Ltd.
- Photos Ed White Photographics
Exterior sunshades were provided by McGill Architectural Products.
The south main entry. Steel cladding 7/8-in. corrugated profile supplied by Vicwest.
The central three-storey atrium brings daylight into the core and assists with natural ventilation. Alumicor supplied the operable windows 5000 Series Phantom Vents, 2300 Series skylights, and 2600 Series curtain walls.
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