LEED速 CASE STUDY TELUS SPARK SCIENCE CENTRE
LEED® CASE STUDY TELUS SPARK SCIENCE CENTRE & CREATIVE KIDS’ MUSEUM
built for discovering Telus Spark Science Centre is a best-of-class facility and cultural landmark in the City of Calgary, hosting over 500,000 visitors a year. It is home to the Creative Kids’ Museum and 4 themed exhibit galleries: Life Sciences; Space, Earth & Environment; Technology & Design; and Energy & Innovation. The New Science Centre also houses:
240 seat Dome Theatre,
Feature Gallery for touring exhibits,
Science Presentation Theatre,
The Werklund Foundation Learning & Leadership Centre, supporting Alberta’s education system.
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achieving sustainability Throughout project design and construction, the New Science Centre engaged in innovation strategies at the forefront of sustainability. Major sustainability mandates that informed the project design decision process included:
Energy Management
Water Efficiency
Indoor Air Quality
Learning & Education
The project team’s goals were to develop a destination that fosters the cultural development of the City of Calgary and educates patrons about a variety of environmental issues and technologies. This commitment to sustainability was carried through to construction and occupancy to ensure a healthy and efficient facility. The result is a building designed to LEED® GOLD standards that provides the City, staff and patrons of the New Science Centre with a sense of pride and environmental stewardship.
LEED® SCORECARD GOLD Certified sustainable sites
7
water efficiency
5
energy & atmosphere
11
materials & resources
6
indoor air quality
8
innovation in design
5
total
42
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sustainable sites Site Development Telus Spark is situated on the former Nose Creek Landfill site. As methane landfill gas could pose both health and explosive risks during foundation work, an environmental consultant was retained to implement risk management measures associated with the inactive landfill. Contaminated soil and waste encountered during excavation was removed, and a methane management system was installed in the slab system and the building’s utility corridors. Fresh topsoil was brought in for landscaping.
Points Achieved erosion & sedimentation control
prerequisite
redevelopment of contaminated site
1
alternative transportation – public transportation access
1
alternative transportation – bicycle storage & changing rooms
1
reduced site disturbance – development footprint
1
stormwater management – rate & quantity; treatment
2
heat island effect – roof
1
total
7/14
5
Heat Island Effect A highly reflective TPO roofing membrane was installed on the entire MHC roof area to reflect solar radiation in this sunny climate. The white roof helps to both minimize heat island effect – the absorption and re-radiation of solar heat gain by conventional dark roofing surfaces – and to reduce the building’s overall cooling load through solar reflection rather than absorption.
Accessibility The science centre site is ideally located to promote the reduction of automobile use. Multiple and frequent bus and C-train links serve Spark’s downtown location, including the Zoo C-train stop located just south of the site. In addition, the city of Calgary is fortunate to have an excellent bike path system: the Bow River and Nose Creek Pathways provide direct access to the science centre. Over 40 secure bicycle spaces are provided on site to encourage staff and visitors to ride their bikes to the Science Centre.
Stormwater Management Telus Spark implemented various strategies to manage stormwater and treatment on its site. The most prominent measure is the 3,000 m² pond and the extensive traplow systems with drainage components that convey all stormwater runoff to the pond. The water collected in the pond is used for landscape irrigation. The landscaping itself is composed of a thick layer of topsoil to absorb water and planted with appropriate and native vegetation to minimize the need for irrigation. Any additional stormwater runoff is treated by an oil/grit separator before it is discharge from the site. 6
water efficiency
Water Use Reduction Potable water consumption reduction was a major initiative at Telus Spark. In addition to stormwater-supplied irrigation, a 274 m続 stormwater collection tank capturing runoff from the roof is used to flush toilets and urinals within the science centre. This cistern combined with low-flow water plumbing fixtures reduces the amount of potable water needed for sewage conveyance by more than 88% over conventional systems, earning an exception performance credit.
Points Achieved water efficient landscaping
2
innovative wastewater technologies
1
water use reduction
2
total
5/5
7
energy and atmosphere Energy Use Reduction Telus Spark combines multiple design features that in combination result in a 47% energy cost savings compared to a conventional design of the same building. Early-phase energy modelling was key to evaluate shape, building massing, fenestration and building envelope options. In addition, the Science Centre entered into an agreement with Enmax to purchase 452,000 kWh of renewable energy annually to offset 50% of its electrical energy consumption. Points Achieved
Envelope Design The building enclosure is designed to a nominally high thermal insulation value. Walls consist of siding or panels with 6� of semi-rigid insulation and metal panel cladding using a thermally-broken clip system. With the exception of curtain wall at the science centre entry, glazing is minimal, consisting of only 17% window-to-wall ratio.
fundamental commissioning of building systems
prerequisite
minimum energy performance
prerequisite
cfc reduction in hvac&r equipment
prerequisite
optimize energy performance
7
best practice commissioning
1
ozone protection
1
measurement & verification
1
green power
1
total
11/17
8
Heating, Cooling & Ventilation The building is served by radiant heating and cooling using a combination of radiant panels and radiant floor slabs. The heating plant consists of 92%-efficient condensing boilers, with a back-up conventional boiler when base loads exceed the condensing boiler capacity. The pumps serving the boiler loop and heat pump loop are equipped with energy-saving variable speed drives that respond to heating needs, rather than a constant speed. Telus Spark is ventilated using a displacement ventilation system. Air slightly cooler than desired room temperature is supplied at the floor level using recessed, free-standing or wall-mounted diffusers. As the air warms, it displaces ‘used’ air to create fresh air in the occupied level, removing heat and contaminants as it rises to the ceiling level where it is exhausted from the space. Energy efficiency gains from this type of system are derived from partial ‘free’ cooling in shoulder seasons and from reduced fan use as a lower air volume flow rate is required. Radiant cooling panels using a chilled water loop provide the remaining cooling load. All outdoor air is preconditioned using heat exchangers and evaporative cooling.
Lighting Lighting was designed to provide flexibility and adaptability for different exhibit and activity types at the science centre. Spark is equipped with lighting fixtures and occupancy and daylight sensors that result in an improved average lighting density of 65% compared to an equivalent building with a conventional lighting design. Despite a low window-to-wall ratio, skylights are strategically located to provide natural daylight to further reduce artificial lighting loads.
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Measurement & Verification During design, a measurement and verification plan was developed with the purpose of providing ongoing accountability of building energy performance over time in terms of both energy and operational cost savings. The plan outlines mechanical and electrical system performance indicators, how performance will be measured and how Telus Spark will use the results over time. The mechanical and electrical performance categories are as follows: 1. Lighting systems and controls using low-voltage panels and Energy Control software to provide light level readings, on/off status, occupancy status and emergency status, reporting on daily and monthly trends. 2. Power consumption metering of constant and variable motor loads using a current transmitter, variable frequency drives and the cooling load. 3. Heat recovery using temperature and air flow sensors on both the up- and down-streams of exhaust air and outdoor air. 4. BMS trending of the rainwater collection system and boiler efficiency (including valve position and temperatures). 5. CO2 levels trended and compared to fan power data, outside ambient temperature and CO2 data for the air handling units serving the major gallery and theatre spaces. 6. Metering and sub-metering comparison of all energy consuming systems to a pulse feed from the utility meter. Building performance data will be collected by a DIALOG energy engineer. Using analysis software, this data will be adjusted for actual occupancy and weather conditions and compared to predicted energy savings based on the design energy model. The engineer will then prepare a recommendation report for Telus Spark for performance improvement on the primary HVAC and lighting system if any discrepancies between actual and anticipated usage is identified. The Science Centre operational team can compare the utility usage and adjust future utility bill expectations to reflect actual weather conditions and occupancy schedules.
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materials and resources Recycled Content & Regional Materials Over 16% of the materials used to build Telus Spark are recycled from post-consumer and post-industrial sources. Such materials include the millwork, gypsum, ceiling tiles, flooring, insulated metal panel cladding, and structural steel and concrete, which uses supplementary cementicious material by-products from other industrial processes to reduce Portland cement content. In addition, more than 20% of the construction materials used were sourced and manufactured from within 800 km of the science centre, including concrete, asphalt and sheathing. The result of using regional products reduces the overall carbon impact of transporting materials from long-distance suppliers.
Construction Waste Diversion Throughout construction, contractors and trades carefully separated concrete, wood, cardboard, drywall, paper, metal and asphalt from non-salvageable landfill waste. Over 75% of total waste generated was diverted to proper facilities to be recycled or distributed for re-use.
storage and collection of recyclables
Points Achieved prerequisite
construction waste management, 75% diverted 2 from landfill recycled content, 15% 2 regional materials, 10%
2
total
6/15
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indoor environmental quality Low-Emitting Materials As noted, high indoor air quality in this facility was a top design priority. Adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings and off-gassing materials such as carpeting were specified to comply with low volatile organic compounds limits set out by South Coast Air Quality Management District rules. In addition, all composite wood products and adhesives were free of added urea-formaldehyde. These measures reduce the quantity of potential harmful contaminants that installers and occupants are exposed to.
Points Achieved minimum IAQ performance
prerequisite
environmental tobacco smoke control
prerequisite
ventilation effectiveness
1
construction IAQ management plan – during construction
1
construction IAQ management plan – before occupancy
1
low-emitting adhesives & sealants
1
low-emitting carpets
1
low-emitting composite wood & laminate adhesives
1
thermal comfort – compliance with ASHRAE 55-2004
1
thermal comfort – monitoring
1
total
8/15
12
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Thermal Comfort The HVAC design includes a permanent temperature and humidity monitoring system that operates through all seasons to ensure the building continuously complies with the thermal comfort ranges defined by ASHRAE 55-2004. The ventilation displacement system has also been designed to deliver fresh air at defined temperature ranges with diffuser locations strategically placed with furniture to minimize any draft effects for occupants .
Construction Indoor Air Quality In addition to specifying with low-VOC materials, good indoor air quality practices were carried through construction and preoccupancy phases to ensure as healthy an environment as possible. Once the building was enclosed, contractors and trades implemented measures to reduce the potential for dust and air contaminants to infiltrate equipment and finished spaces. Measures included sealing installed ductwork openings, covering uninstalled HVAC equipment with plastic, raising and storing absorbent materials such as gypsum board off of the floor and regularly maintaining spaces using HEPA-filter vacuums. Finally, once construction was finished the entire building was flushed with over 70 million m続 of fresh air over a period of 6 weeks, to exhaust any remaining contaminants in the air and HVAC system.
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innovation in design LEED Collaboration To conceptualize, design and construct a high-performance sustainable building like Spark, a strong level of integration and communication among designers, builders and project managers is needed to identify the synergies and trade-offs of various design ideas and coordinate strategies under the LEED® rating system. As a result, a LEED accredited professional was on hand throughout the project’s design and construction to coordinate among disciplines, ensure credit requirements and documentation were met, and ultimately guide the project to LEED® Gold certification.
Green Housekeeping Telus Spark has designed and implemented a green housekeeping policy to minimize the potential harmful effects of cleaning products and procedures that could negatively impact the health of building maintenance staff and occupants. As the science centre often features interactive exhibits, touch tables and Points Achieved discovery modules, a high level of sanitation and procedural policy is required. Strategies such as exemplary performance – water use reduction 1 entrance mats are also used to minimize the spread 1 of outdoor dirt and particulates through the green housekeeping program building. green education program 1 Products approved to be used in the caretaking dewatering onsite during construction 1 program at Spark are certified by various third1 party environmental standards such as GreenSeal LEED AP and EcoLogo. Staff is also properly trained how to total 5/5 use, dispose of and clean up hazardous spills safely.
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Green Education The learning and discovery nature of the science centre fosters the perfect environment for educating visitors and the public about sustainable building design and the strategic features incorporated at Telus Spark. An education program was developed that incorporates both passive and interactive methods to inform and engage visitors in how the design and construction of the science centre was pursued, as well as the sustainable operational practices the facility assumes every day. Twenty-six digital monitor displays are located throughout Spark, in addition to the Micro-Tile wall, displaying these sustainable initiatives. Various interactive exhibits address broader concepts of sustainability and environment, including energy production, energy use and water cycle impacts.
Dewatering Onsite During Construction Because the water table at the site is only 5 m below the ground surface, large quantities of water would be encountered during piling activities. A dewatering system was designed to include pumps, hoses, water collection tanks and a centrifuge machine to separate and remove all solids from the ground water. The treatment brought the cleanliness of the groundwater to a standard that exceeds the City of Calgary requirement for release into the storm system. The project team, however, retained over 140 m続 of water from piling in storm ponds on site for reuse for other purposes throughout construction, including road dust control, washing site equipment and cement preparation. 16
project information Completion:
2012
Size:
14,200 m2
Building Type:
Science Centre
Owner:
Telus World of Science
Architecture:
DIALOG
LEED速 Consultant:
DIALOG
Structural Engineering:
Stantec
Electrical Engineering:
SMP Consulting Engineers
Mechanical Engineering:
DIALOG
Landscape Architecture:
02 Planning & Design
Civil Engineer:
Morrison Hershfield
Contractor:
CANA Construction
Interior Design:
Kasian
Environmental Consultant:
Amec Environmental Engineers
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