Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008

In a city where temperatures can vary 80 degrees over a year, there will soon stand completed one of the most energy efficient office towers in the world. Rising 22 mechanical floors tall and occupying one full city block, this 700,000 sq. ft. office tower at 360 Portage Ave. is aiming to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, currently only held by 16 buildings across Canada. So in the big picture, what does this all mean? For the residents of Manitoba it means solid bragging rights to a ‘signature’ building and a much needed face-lift for Winnipeg’s struggling downtown; for Manitoba Hydro it means reaching a 60 per cent reduction in energy consumption; and fi nally, for the mechanical contracting company, Derksen Plumbing & Heating (1984) Ltd., it’s a chance to be a part of a hugely challenging and rewarding project significant to the province of Manitoba. Dave Posthumus, Derksen Plumbing & Heating and Mechanical Superintendent for the Manitoba Hydro Tower project, can testify to the long hours and man-power needed to make this job a success. To date, Posthumus and 21 members of his staff have clocked an estimated 45,000 man hours on the Hydro project, not including his subcontractors. “Being involved in such an energy efficient building is a nice change. It’s more challenging. It makes you think about how construction will adapt to the pressure of building more energy efficient buildings in the future.” As one of the main subcontractors, Dave Posthumus and the rest of the Derksen crew have been working on the main mechanical Manitoba Cooling towers on roof needs to do what it takes to insure skilled trades are not leaving the province. North facing rooftop view systems in the building, including in-floor heating & cooling on every floor, and ground loop (geothermal) heating & cooling. As Posthumus explains, “The mechanical systems (including controls) play one of the biggest roles in energy efficiency as they are a huge percentage of the operating costs. Their goal mechanically was to reduce those operating costs, which to the owner, meant pay extra now but save big later.” A real spotlight of this “green” Manitoba building is the installment of a balanced geothermal heat pump system for ground heat exchange. During the colder months in Manitoba, the system draws heat from the ground to provide heat to the building; in the warmer months, the system provides cooling by returning heat from the building back into the ground. With a network of pipes in 280 vertical boreholes (at 300-500 ft. deep each), the geothermal heat pump system in the Hydro Tower is an extremely “green” choice. When compared to a conventional heat67 Mechanical Contractors Associations of Alberta, B.C., Manitoba & Saskatchewan 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008

Mechanical Piping Plumbing Journal 2008 Contents MCA Canada Chairman MCA Alberta MCA British Columbia MCA Manitoba MCA Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan Manitoba Demographics & Management Employees Insurance – The Pros & Cons of Subguard® Construction Sector Council Data Richmond Olympic Oval Uses the Ice to Heat Things Up B.C.’s Hydrogen Highway™: The Hydrogen + Fuel Cell Alternative The Manitoba Hydro Tower Project Index to Advertisers

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