High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011 - (Page 52)

The green roofs and rooftop gardens were a huge success. However, the northernmost gardens are shaded during the summer by the mechanical penthouse, so most of the gardeners found that area to be a less desirable location. © Perkins+Will Canada Architects Co. Building teAm Building owner/representative VanCity Credit union Architect Perkins+Will Canada general Contractor farmer Construction inc mechanical engineer stantec electrical engineer stantec energy modeler stantec structural engineer read Jones Christoffersen Civil engineer Worley Parsons Komex and rCl Consulting environmental Consultant Aqua-Tex scientific Consultants landscape Architect PWl Partnership landscape Architects leed Consultant Perkins+Will Canada metering and monitoring equipment was installed in all suites giving residents real-time energy information about their unit and allowing for control or shut off of suite energy systems remotely. Studies have shown giving residents access to monitoring information typically reduces energy use by up to 20%. The combination of a high performance envelope and HVAC efficiencies suggested that the building would perform 58% better (by cost) than the Canadian Model National Energy Code for Building (MNECB). This is roughly equivalent to 52% better than ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 and was good enough for eight out of 10 Optimize Energy Performance points under LEED Canada NC 1.0. The final two energy points and all onsite renewable energy credits (three out of three credits) came fa l l 2 0 1 1 from the cost effectiveness of the centralized wood-powered biomass gasification plant. Synergy was completed in 2008, but the district energy system didn’t come online until early in 2009, so the project ran for a short time on the backup natural gas boilers. Actual Performance Synergy’s overall energy performance in 2009 was 29.2 kBtu/ft², with consumption going down in 2010 to 27.6 kBtu/ft². These values are based on electrical utility readings (British Columbia Hydro) and biomass central plant readings (Corix also included the small amount of natural gas from early 2009). This energy performance is consistently better than the LEED compliance energy model assumption of 32 kBtu/ft². While the actual electrical performance was close to 52 HigH Performing Buildings

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011
Commentary
Contents
Manitoba Hydro Place
Maplewood Police and Court Building
Omega Center for Sustainable Living
Dockside Synergy at Dockside Green
Golden Hill Office Center
Letters to the Editor
Products
Advertisers Index

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011