Assignment #1: Sustainability Project
Green Infrastructure Brings Major Changes
In the past few years Okanagan College has experienced both big and small changes to become more environmentally sustainable. The goal at Okanagan College (OC) is to make the campus environmentally, socially and economically sustainable by emphasizing environmental integrity, economic viability and social responsibility. OC’s newest building The Centre for Learning was built entirely with sustainability in mind. The Centre for Learning was designed and built according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specifications, becoming the first building in Kelowna of its standards and proving that Okanagan College is committed to sustainability. OC has successfully implemented other small changes inside the Centre for Learning building and all across campus and has made them a part of everyday life on campus. The Centre for Learning building is a great example of a project on sustainability which has been successfully implemented at OC. The building was designed with significant reductions in energy and water use. A portion of the energy supplied to the building is from a renewable resource in which the building’s heating and ventilation system is supported through OC’s geothermal system that uses the waste heat produced at a neighbouring Sewage Treatment Plant. The green design of the building was planned to maximize natural ventilation using operable windows and skylights and maximize daylight to reduce energy usages. Energy reduction was also taken into consideration in the design of the building’s restrooms. The restrooms contain low-flow toilets, waterless urinals and sensor controlled faucets in order to keep energy usage and waste low. The Centre for Learning building also includes a water bottle refilling station to encourage students to bring their own water bottles, easy access recycling throughout
the building and all cleaning supplies used are environmentally friendly and non-toxic. The building itself was built five stories high in order to preserve as much outdoor green space as possible. Since the erection of the Centre for Learning there have been significant changes all across campus in all of the other buildings to follow the theme created by the green building. Throughout all of the restrooms on campus only biodegradable paper towels and garbage bags are used and recycling bins can be found in any hallway. The Okanagan College Bookstore sells bamboo clothing, recycled binders and paper and refillable water bottles. In the cafeteria major changes have been made in the name of sustainability. All vegetable waste is composted, fair trade, organic coffee is served and take out containers are no longer Styrofoam and instead are biodegradable, made from bamboo and sugarcane. In conclusion, the Centre for Learning building not only sets a good example for the campus and students to be environmentally conscious but also for the city of Kelowna which can use the building to learn and implement more green infrastructure throughout the city. The building has proved to have a positive impact on the environment and the college.
During construction of Centre for Learning building
Inside of Centre for Learning building
Sketch of Centre for Learning building complete