flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ

Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ


By By Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director | September 13, 2010
A Grander View's narrow floor plate allows daylight to penetrate workspaces, while while recessed windows prevent glare.
This article first appeared in the September 2010 issue of BD+C.

With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. The firm is responsible for two-fifths of all LEED Canada certified buildings.

In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building, which it labeled A Grander View. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M. Working with contractor Melloul-Blamey Construction, structural/civil engineer MTE Consulting, and designer Robertson Simmons Architects, the company last year completed the first triple LEED Platinum building in the world.

The narrow, 2,150-sm building-it stretches only 12 meters across, to allow plenty of daylight-was designed to use only 65 kWh/sm, an 80% savings over conventional buildings. The building tracked at 70 kWh/sm over the first eight months of use, most of that during a frigid winter.

The mechanical system brings outdoor air in through concrete earth tubes and tempers it, thereby decreasing energy use. In winter, heat and moisture recovered from exhaust air is transferred to the incoming air through energy recovery ventilation units; the ventilated air is then delivered to building occupants. The process is reversed in summer, so only one system is needed.

The building is heated and cooled by three roof-mounted air-source pumps; they are connected to 60 small fan coil units in a “multi-split” system that give occupants greater control of temperature and humidity in their work areas. The M/E system employs variable-flow compressors to pipe refrigerants to the pumps at very low speeds, again saving energy. Other green features include:

  • 24 rooftop PV panels that provide 5.5 kW peak electricity. Enermodal took care to mount the panels on concrete pads in order to maintain the watertight roof membrane.
  • A system to recapture heat pump condensate for flushing toilets; to date, the building is saving 89% on water use.
  • A vegetated parking island, part of an elaborate system to treat and return cleaned-up stormwater to the municipal system.
  • Innovative use of salvaged materials: stone from a demolished church for the first-floor façade, beech flooring from a demolished building, and a retaining wall from a demolished tunnel.

The firm says that total construction costs were about 10% greater than in a conventional building, but that premium will be paid back in less than 10 years through energy and water savings. The firm went out of its way to address community concerns. Enermodal purposely chose an urban infill site along the Grand River in a neighborhood that was undergoing revitalization. Working with community groups and the city, the firm extended a river trail along its property and agreed to maintain this portion of the trail. BD+C

PROJECT SUMMARY

Special Recognition
A Grander View
Kitchener, Ont.

Building Team
Submitting firm: Enermodal Engineering Ltd. (owner, LEED certification,
M/E engineering, commissioning)
Architecture consultant: Robertson Simmons Architecture
Structural/civil engineer: MTE Consulting
Contractor: Melloul-Blamey Construction, Inc.

Related Stories

| Feb 18, 2014

Illinois leads Top 10 states for LEED in annual USGBC ranking

The U.S. Green Building Council has released its ranking of the Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system.

| Feb 18, 2014

Study: 90% of healthcare providers say Affordable Care Act is 'step forward,' but major revisions needed

Providers are excited about opportunities to address long-term health issues in the U.S., but worries about the transition persist, according to a new study by Mortenson Construction.

| Feb 17, 2014

SmithGroupJJR President and CEO Carl Roehling appointed to serve on the AIA/AGC Joint Committee

Carl Roehling, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, president & CEO of SmithGroupJJR, has been appointed to serve on the Joint Committee of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

| Feb 17, 2014

Developer plans to 'crowdfund' extended stay hotel in Manhattan

Want to own a piece of Manhattan hotel real estate? Developer Rodrigo Nino is inviting individual investors to put up $100,000 each for his latest project, 17 John. 

| Feb 17, 2014

Call for Entries: 17th annual Building Team Awards - Deadline Extended!

BD+C's Building Team Awards is the industry's only recognition program to honor projects that achieve excellence in both design/construction and collaboration of the AEC/O team. The deadline has been extended to March 14, 2014.

| Feb 17, 2014

GBI to Offer AIA Approved Course Free for 60 Days to Train New Green Globes Professionals

The Green Building Initiative™ (GBI) announced today that between Feb. 13 and April 15 it will provide free access to its online certification course for Green Globes Professionals™ (GGPs). GGPs help guide building projects in achieving Green Globes® ratings, awarded for environmentally-focused design and construction.

| Feb 14, 2014

ASHRAE, Green Grid team up on energy-efficiency guide for data centers

Vendor-neutral publication examines aspects of the popular power usage effectiveness (PUE) metric.

| Feb 14, 2014

Scrap tires used to boost masonry blocks at Missouri University of S&T

Research could lead to blocks that use waste material and have seismic and insulating benefits.

| Feb 14, 2014

Giant interactive pinwheel adds fun to museum exterior

The proposed design for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History features a 10-foot pinwheel that can be activated by passersby.

| Feb 14, 2014

First look: Kentucky's Rupp Arena to get re-clad as part of $310M makeover

Rupp Arena will get a 40-foot high glass façade and a new concourse, but will retain many of its iconic design elements.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021