Canadian Consulting Engineer May 2013 by Annex Business Media

For professional engineers in private practice

MAY 2013

GREEN BUILDINGS HARNESSING THE OCEAN

Nova Scotia Power Headquarters

CALGARY’S PUBLIC BUILDING

A heritage building is reborn

BENCHMARKING ENERGY USE SOLAR CHIMNEYS

www.canad ianco nsu ltingen gi n eer.c om

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contents

May 2013 Volume 54, No. 3

features Cover: Nova Scotia Power Headquarters, Halifax. Photograph by Tom Arban. See story p. 16.

Heritage Sustained - Calgary Public Building. See story p. 22

departments Comment 4 Up Front

SPECIAL ISSUE: GREEN BUILDINGS Harnessing the Ocean - Nova Scotia Power Headquarters. A large derelict generating plant in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been reborn as a LEED Platinum office space. By Jon W. Douglas, Enermodal/MMM Group

Heritage Sustained - Calgary Public Building. An architectural gem from the 1930s has been renovated to LEED Platinum status, proving that heritage and sustainability can go hand-in-hand. By Rob Guenther, Stantec Consulting

Energy Benchmarking. Tools are available to help measure a building’s energy use against similar buildings, while at the same time they account for differences that affect performance. By Eric Chisholm, Halsall Associates

Solar Chimneys. Advice on how to design today’s version of an old technology that has been revived and is being used with natural ventilation. By Mike Godawa, P.Eng., Integral Group

ACEC Review

Products

39 & 40

Advertiser Index

Conversations 42

Next issue: Sydney Tar Ponds remediation; West Edmonton sanitary sewer; Ajax biomass plant; Canada’s new environmental assessment rules.

Solar Chimneys. See story p. 34 May 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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engineer FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE

comment

C A N A D I A N C O N S U LT I N G

Visions of the future vs. reality

“T

he population of cities is expected to double by 2050. With this challenge before us, the property industry must be brave and innovative if we are to create and manage buildings, communities and cities which are not only efficient in environmental terms, but also promote a high quality of life for all who pass through them.” So writes Kate Brown in The Business Case for Green Building published by the World Green Building Council in March. Assuming that we do want buildings to exert a smaller toll on the environment (worldwide, buildings produce one-third of greenhouse gas emissions), then building designers need to be not only brave, but also persuasive, in order to guide their clients along the road. The WGBC has unearthed some useful statistics that could help. Based on various types of buildings in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Singapore and Israel, WGBC found that the added cost of designing and constructing green buildings ranged from -0.4% to +12.5%. The figures were from 2000 to 2010, using code-compliant buildings as the benchmark. I know businesses these days are pushing the limits in squeezing costs and maximizing profits, but since most green buildings provide a lifetime of energy savings, a capital cost premium of around 0-12% sounds pretty good to me. If the cost differential is relatively low, however, it’s because our green buildings are not that much different to standard buildings yet. In a century’s time our buildings and cities could look utterly unlike anything we have seen. As with the evolution of cars and other technologies, it will take decades for sustainable buildings and cities to evolve to their most effective physical form. For retrofits, the WGBC report cites a small 2012 U.K. study of six buildings where the green refurbishments cost between 0.3% and 40% more than the market standard. But retrofits amount to so much more than energy savings. A building saved means less material going to landfills, less draw on natural resources (for materials, etc.), and the retention of workers and people in downtown areas close to public transit. In this issue we feature two examples: the Nova Scotia Power Building in Halifax and the Calgary Public Building. In the green cities of the future we could have historical jewels like these to remind us of our past, set among drastically different structures and complexes, possibly all feeding off each other’s energy systems. We can only begin to imagine what these cities will look like, but we catch glimpses in developments such as the Al Bahar towers in Abu Dhabi which are wrapped in an outer wall of folding and unfolding sunshades. Or the BIQ building at the IBA Exposition in Hamburg which has a facade incorporating tanks of algae that act both as a sun filter and a biomass energy source. But these are the exceptions — the oddballs. Despite all the rhetoric about sustainability we hear from business and government, what do we see growing behind the construction hoardings? Scores of glass-walled high-rise condominiums. On the highways almost every other car is an SUV with a single occupant. And whether it’s on suburban fields or on downtown streets we’re building homes on a grandiose scale. Something big has got to change in our western psyche if our visions of gleaming, futuristic sustainable cities in 2050 are ever going to materialize. Bronwen Parsons

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Editor

Bronwen Parsons E-mail: bparsons@ccemag.com (416) 510-5119 Senior Publisher

Maureen Levy E-mail: mlevy@ccemag.com (416) 510-5111 Art Director

Ellie Robinson Contributing Editor

Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng. Advertising Sales Manager

Vince Naccarato E-mail: vnaccarato@ccemag.com (416) 510-5118 Editorial Advisors

Bruce Bodden, P.Eng., Gerald Epp, P.Eng., Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Laurier Nichols, ing., Lee Norton, P.Eng., Jonathan Rubes, P.Eng., Paul Ruffell, P.Eng., Andrew Steeves, P.Eng. Circulation

Barbara Adelt (416) 442-5600 x3546 badelt@bizinfogroup.ca Production Co-ordinator

Karen Samuels (416) 510-5190 Vice President, Publishing Business Information Group (BIG)

Alex Papanou

President, Business Information Group (BIG)

Bruce Creighton Head Office

80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134 CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine covers innovative engineering projects, news and business information for professional engineers engaged in private consulting practice. The editors assume no liability for the accuracy of the text or its fitness for any particular purpose. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Canada, 1 year $60.95; 2 years $91.95 + taxes Single copy $8.00 Cdn + taxes. (HST 809751274-RT0001). United States U.S. $60.95. Foreign U.S. $60.95. PRINTED IN CANADA. Title registered at Trademarks O ffice, Ottawa. Copyright 1964. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner(s). ISSN: 0008-3267 (print), ISSN: 1923-3337 (digital) POSTAL INFORMATION: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept., Canadian Consulting Engineer, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. USPS 016-099. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14304-5709. Periodicals postage paid at Niagara Falls, NY. US Postmaster: send address changes to Canadian Consulting Engineer, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304. PRIVACY: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us. tel: 1-800-668-2374, fax: 416-510-5134, e-mail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca, mail to: Privacy Officer, BIG, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Member of the Canadian Business Press

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

May 2013

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AAR

up front

COMPANIES

Ottawa Convention Centre, by Adjeleian Allen Rubelli structural engineers. AWARDS

Stunning Ottawa Convention Centre wins top Ontario award Consulting Engineers of Ontario celebrated the 2013 Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards on Saturday, April 20 at the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto. The top engineering “Willis Chipman Award” went to structural engineers Adjeleian Allen Rubeli for the Ottawa Convention Centre. The dramatic glass and steel ovoid structure sits in the heart of Ottawa, close to Parliament Hill. CEO organizes its awards of excellence according to firm size. The winners were: R. E. Poisson Engineering for the Acton Wastewater Treatment Plant Inlet Works, Halton Hills (1-25 employees); The Municipal Infrastructure Group (TMIG) for Elm Drive West, Mississauga (26-50 employees); Associated Engineering (Ont.) for Avenue Road Watermain, Toronto (51-100 employees); R.V. Anderson Associates for West Don Lands Stormwater Conveyance System, Toronto (101-350 employees) (see CCE, June-July 2012, p.12); and Stantec for Retention Treatment Basin, Windsor (351+ employees). CEO created a new award this year for an individual. William Goodings won the Chairman’s Award for Career 6

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Commitment for his 55 years as an engineering consultant working in solid waste management, including years working with poor communities in South America and Asia. PROFESSION

OIQ seeks to tighten control over engineering firms As shocking testimony implicating engineering companies and engineers continued to flow at the Charbonneau Commission in Montreal this spring, the province’s professional engineer licensing association took action. On March 18, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) made a presentation to the Quebec government in support of proposed Bill 17, an Act to amend the province’s disciplinary code for professionals, including engineers. Daniel Lebel, ing., president of OIQ, lauded the government’s proposed measures, saying they would result in faster, more efficient disciplinary justice. “They will help maintain, and even improve, the credibility of the professional system in the eyes of the public,” he said. But OIQ has also made 16 further recommendations to the province.

H C

GENIVAR drops the name, restructures Genivar of Montreal intends to rebrand itself as WSP Global. WSP is the large U.K. company which Genivar merged with last year. Together they have 15,000 people in 35 countries. Genivar will relist itself as WSP on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Genivar also intends to reorganize and eventually separate its regional operations into distinct subsidiaries under a holding company. It says the board of directors, capital structures and dividend policy will stay essentially the same. The changes were to be considered at the annual meeting on May 23. BUSINESS

Business was good in 2011 Statistics Canada released its 2011 report on Engineering Services in April. It found that profit margins in 2011 were 12.5%. In 2010 profit margins were 11.8%. Revenues at $25.8 billion in 2011 had risen by 14.2% compared to 2010. Alberta had the largest share of operating revenue at 32.6%. Ontario had 26.1%, Quebec 19.9% and B.C. 13%. For the breakdown of project sales: industrial and manufacturing accounted for 39.0%, transportation for 8.6%, power for 6.9%, and municipal utilities for 5.8%. Buildings were included in the remainder.

continued on page 8

May 2013

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up front

continued from page 6

One was to suggest that the government should assign the OIQ “more effective supervision of professional services firms.” The association said it wants the government to consider extending the OIQ’s jurisdiction so that it can implement the same types of measures and controls over service companies that it applies to individual engineers. “For example, they [the control measures] could include an OIQ admission process, inspection and prevention programs and a disciplinary process for offenders of the applicable professional regulations,” said the OIQ in a statement. The OIQ said this type of framework of control over service firms will bring it more in line with the OIQ’s counterpart associations in other provinces. The OIQ also asked the province to make it a priority to bring the Engineers’ Act up to date. The Act remains substantially the same as in 1960. “The public wants the orders to take significant, unsparing actions against the professionals who violate appropriate standards of conduct,” said Lebel. The Charbonneau Commission is looking into collusion and corruption in public contracts in the construction industry. One of the most recent witnesses was 73-year old Gilles Cloutier, a political organizer. He testified on April 30 that the system of illegally funneling funds to political parties in exchange for construction contracts had become so endemic that by 2000, only 5-10 per cent of political donations were being made legally at the municipal level. At the provincial level things weren’t much better. He said legal donations accounted for around 15-20 per cent. AWARDS

Winnipeg airport HVAC first in Manitoba The Manitoba association of consulting engineering companies gave out its awards on April 17. The ACECMB’s top “Keystone Award” went to SMS Engineering for their work as 8

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Rankin Inlet Mens’ Correctional Healing Centre, Nunavut, by Accutech.

mechanical-electrical engineers on the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International New Air Terminal Building and Central Utilities Building (CCE, Aug-Sept. 2012, p. 20). The engineers incorporated unique systems, including a complex cascading heating and cooling system using energy recovery. ACEC-MB Awards of Excellence went to the Rankin Inlet Mens’ Correctional Healing Centre by Accutech; Winnipeg’s First Rapid Transit Corridor, Southwest Transitway by Dillon; Disraeli Bridges Project, Winnipeg by Tetra Tech; Red River Floodway Inlet Control Structure Trunnion Anchor Replacement by KGS Group and SNC-Lavalin; and the GE Aviation Engine Testing, Research and Development Centre, Winnipeg by KGS Group and MCW/AGE. The ACEC-MB Rising Star Award went to Kimberly Kimberly Yathon, P. Eng., Yathon. a 2002 graduate in civil engineering who works for Tetra Tech. The citation said she “has a tenacious attention to detail [which] has landed her with more leadershipspecific roles of contract administration, construction coordination, and detailed design coordination.” The Engineering Action Award for a practising engineer went to Ron Typliski, P.Eng. of AECOM. The Tim Stratton. Lifetime Achievement Award went to Tim Stratton P.Eng. at Stantec (formerly a principal of DWL).

AWARDS

... and in British Columbia It’s not a bridge ... it’s not a building ... it’s not an environmental remediation. Engineering that goes on largely in the background was given the top award from ACEC-BC at its gala dinner held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 6. Ausenco won the 2013 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence for a technical guide. The 300-page “Seismic Retrofit Guidelines for the Performance-based Seismic Risk Assessment and Seismic Retrofit Design of BC School Buildings” was commissioned after the Ministry of Education initiated a $1.5-billion seismic mitigation program for public school buildings in 2004. The guide was a collaboration of Ausenco; Bush, Bohlman; Genivar; Read Jones Christoffersen; David Nairne, John A. Wallace, APEGBC, the University of B.C. and the B.C. Ministry of Education. There were also five 2013 Awards for Engineering Excellence: UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Vancouver by Glotman Simpson; Bridgeview Sewer System, Surrey by AECOM; South Fraser Perimeter Road Easterm section, Surrey by Stantec; and Wilson Farm Habitat Enhancement, Coquitlam by Kerr Wood Leidal. The 2013 Meritorious Achievement Award went to John Watson, P. Eng., who was with Wright Engineers (now Fluor) and H.A. Simons. He is a pastpresident of ACEC-BC and APEGBC. The Young Professional Award was given to Selena Wilson, P. Eng. of McElhanney Consulting Services.

May 2013

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Leading the way, shaping the future Getting down to business at the ACEC Summit

here is no question that the business of consulting engineering is rapidly changing. Whether this is driven by economic, regulatory or even societal forces, those that recognize change and are able to adapt will succeed. They will lead the way; they will shape the future. This will be the theme of ACEC’s national Summit where the leadership of Canada’s consulting engineering sector will be gathering in Lake Louise, Alberta this June. Unlike most engineering events, the ACEC Summit is a business conference and offers a unique opportunity to discuss, perhaps even debate, the issues and trends that will shape our business for years to come. If you are a principal or senior manager with a consulting engineering firm and have a stake in the future success of our industry, I’m confident that you will find your participation worthwhile. Certainly those who have attended the Summit in the past have found it to be an invaluable learning and networking expe-

rience. The Summit also offers special programming for young professionals, the future of our industry and our next generation of leaders. This year’s Summit will have an exceptionally strong slate of presenters that includes experts, leaders and decision makers from some of the country’s leading private and public sector organizations. We will discuss challenges and opportunities in the private sector, public sector and international markets. We will address the critical and increasing public issue of business accountability and transparency. And we will again present our extremely popular interactive session on business and commercial risks that we need to know about. Our future depends on the decisions we make today. I encourage you to join your peers in Lake Louise and be part of the discussion. By being active in ACEC and participating in the Summit, you too can help lead the way and shape the future of our industry. MURRAY D. THOMPSON, P.ENG. CHAIR, ACEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL

Tracer la voie, façonner l’avenir Parlons affaires au Sommet de l’AFIC

l est bien évident que l’industrie du génie-conseil évolue très rapidement. Que cette évolution soit due à des changements économiques, réglementaires ou sociétaux, ceux qui reconnaissent ces changements et qui savent s’adapter sont ceux qui réussiront. Ils seront en tête du peloton, et ils façonneront l’avenir. Ce sera d’ailleurs le thème du Sommet national de l’AFIC où les leaders du secteur du génie-conseil canadien se réuniront au lac Louise, Alberta en juin. Contrairement à la plupart des événements regroupant des ingénieurs, le Sommet de l’AFIC est une réunion d’affaires qui offre une occasion unique de discuter des enjeux et des tendances qui façonneront notre industrie dans les années à venir. Si vous êtes un dirigeant ou un cadre supérieur d’une firme de génie-conseil et que vous êtes intéressé par le succès futur de notre industrie, je n’ai nul doute que vous trouverez que votre participation en aura valu la peine. Tous ceux qui ont participé aux sommets antérieurs considèrent cet événement comme une expérience de partage d’information et de réseautage exceptionnelle. Le sommet offre aussi un programme spécial aux jeunes professionnels qui représentent l’avenir de notre in-

dustrie et notre prochaine génération de leaders. Le Sommet de cette année a encore une fois prévu une liste de conférenciers hors pair, incluant des experts, des chefs de file et des décideurs représentant des organisations influentes des secteurs public et privé. Nous discuterons des défis et des débouchés qui s’offrent à nous dans le secteur privé, le secteur public et sur les marchés internationaux. Nous examinerons la question critique - une question qui est de plus en plus sur le radar public – soit l’imputabilité et la transparence des entreprises. Le Sommet comprendra aussi notre séance interactive extrêmement populaire sur les risques opérationnels et commerciaux que nous devons connaître. Notre avenir repose sur les décisions que nous prenons aujourd’hui. C’est pourquoi je vous encourage à vous joindre à vos confrères au lac Louise et à prendre part à ces discussions. Par une participation active aux activités et au Sommet de l’AFIC, vous pouvez contribuer à tracer la voie et à façonner l’avenir de notre industrie. MURRAY D. THOMPSON, P.ENG. PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION DE L’AFIC

May 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

ACEC Summit 2013 Leading the way, shaping our future Confirmed Speakers Include: • Jim Bottomley, Future Success

Strategist • Brock Carlton, CEO, Federation

of Canadian Municipalities • Penny Collenette, Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law • Warren Everson, Senior Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce •G uy W. Giorno, Partner, Fasken Martineau • Janet Keeping, Chair, Transparency International Canada • Dr. Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament • Stephen Panciuk, Vice-President, Architects & Engineers, ENCON • Graham Parsons, President, Organisation for Western Economic Cooperation • Owen Pawson, LLB, Partner, Miller Thomson • Enrico Vink, Managing Director, International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) • Huw Williams, President, Impact Public Affairs Business Program Highlights •B usiness and market trends •T op business risks •C orporate responsibility

and accountability •E nhancing transparency

and building trust •E nsuring success in a

changing world •M arket sector roundtables –

back by popular demand Register at www.acec.ca/summit

ACEC Board approves initiatives to support members New and expanded programs align with key strategies for 2013-2014

he ACEC Board of Directors has committed significant resources to expand the association’s activities in 2013-2014. These activities will support ACEC’s members by promoting a business environment that recognizes and rewards the expertise of members and their contributions to society. In addition to maintaining its core programs, ACEC will expand its programs that support the association’s key strategies of advocacy, image, client outreach and member engagement. New initiatives recently approved by the ACEC Board will include: Expanded member outreach and engagement ACEC will have more direct interaction and more continuity with its provincial and territorial Member Organizations. In addition to the current cross-Canada tour, ACEC has allocated resources to allow more frequent and varied opportunities to participate in activities that engage a broader cross-section of member firms. ACEC will also be able to support advocacy, image building and member recruitment/retention activities of the Member Organizations, including “courtesy” meetings with strategically important or prospective members. Expanded private sector outreach For the first time, resources have been specifically allocated to private sector outreach. ACEC will have more direct

interaction with organizations that represent private sector clients, especially in the commercial, industrial, energy and resource sectors. ACEC will be seeking member input in identifying strategic stakeholders that represent clients in these sectors. ACEC has already been in contact with the following organizations which have indicated an interest in working with ACEC: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Mining Association of Canada, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada. By engaging with organizations like these, ACEC will be able to promote the capabilities and the value proposition that ACEC members offer their clients. ACEC will also be in a position to promote industry business practices that allow members to provide a high level of service and quality to their private clients. By working with other business and industry associations, ACEC will have an even stronger voice in Ottawa to promote a strong business and regulatory climate for its members. As well, with changing project delivery models many firms will more commonly find themselves as sub-consultants to private companies such as contractors and financial institutions. Government relations constituency week ACEC will coordinate an outreach program for ACEC members to meet

ACEC Member Organizations: Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - British Columbia, Consulting Engineers of Yukon, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Consulting Engineers of Northwest Territories, Consulting Engineers of Saskatchewan, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Manitoba, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, Association des Ingénieurs-conseils du Québec, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Consulting Engineers of Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador. 12

Canadian Consulting Engineer

p11-15 CCE May13 ACEC.indd 12

May 2013

13-05-09 11:12 AM

ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW with Members of Parliament in their local ridings on key industry issues. ACEC will provide members with briefings and necessary materials, much like it does for the association’s successful Parliament Hill Day. This program will strengthen ACEC’s political presence and brand with feder-

al politicians. It will also expose members to and directly engage them in advocacy, on behalf of the entire ACEC membership, on a more frequent and consistent basis. Media strategy ACEC is working with Impact Public

Affairs to develop a robust media strategy. The strategy will include proactive media outreach and media events, establishing key contacts with journalists, regional media outreach for members, a strategic social media plan and crisis communications.

Federal Budget 2013 reflects ACEC’s call for a long-term infrastructure plan

n March 21st in the House of Commons, the Honourable James Flaherty, Minister of Finance, tabled Economic Action Plan 2013. With a focus on job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity, the budget introduced new initiatives, including the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in Canadian history. ACEC applauds the government for this significant investment in Canada’s future. ACEC President John Gamble participated in the Budget 2013 stakeholders’ lock-up on Parliament Hill. The lock-up allows invited stakeholders access to the budget before its official release to the Canadian public. As a participant in the lock-up, Mr. Gamble had access to senior officials in the Department of Finance who were on hand to answer questions related to the content of the budget. Mr. Gamble also participated in a media opportunity in Centre Block and gave a number of interviews with members of the press gallery. Infrastructure dollars to flow in 2014-2015 In committing to a long-term infrastructure program, the federal government has adopted a number of recommendations put forth by ACEC and its many partners. While this program in itself will not erase the infrastructure deficit in Canada overnight, it is nevertheless a step in the right direction and may form the basis for

ACEC President John Gamble is interviewed by the media following the release of Budget 2013

even more infrastructure investment once a balanced budget has been achieved. ACEC is particularly pleased to see a commitment of 10 years. This will help provide our industry and our partners with the confidence they need to invest in resources and expertise required to meet Canada’s infrastructure needs. ACEC looks forward to participating in the government’s review of the infrastructure plan within five years to ensure it is effective and provides value to Canadians. The new Building Canada plan represents the largest and longest federal investment in provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects in Canadian history – $4.7 billion

per year in new funding over 10 years, starting in 2014–2015. The New Building Canada plan includes: • Community Improvement Fund, consisting of the Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities – over $32 billion to municipalities for infrastructure projects; Gas Tax Fund payments will be indexed at 2 per cent per year starting in 2014–15 • New Building Canada Fund – $14 billion to support major economic projects • Renewed P3 Canada Fund – $1.25 billion to support innovative ways to build infrastructure projects faster continued on page 14 May 2013

p11-15 CCE May13 ACEC.indd 13

Canadian Consulting Engineer

13-05-09 11:12 AM

continued from page 17

green buildings

2013 AHR EXPO INNOVATION

WINNER

Tom Arban

2" PVC venting up to 60'

Above: large openings were cut in the former power plant’s walls to provide daylighting for the office.

three to seven storeys. Breaking up these sections are two full height atriums. One is a galleria from north to south that features an old smoke stack opening as a new skylight to bring in natural light. The second runs east to west, allowing public access from Lower Water Street to the harbour. New skin One of the main new features of the NSP head office is an exterior curtain wall “skin” that consists of vision glazing units and spandrel units. These provide an improved thermal barrier with low-e film on the glazing units and argon gas between the two glass panes. The frames of the curtain wall system also have a 9-mm thick improved thermal break. The concrete walls have 3-in. (77-mm) thick semi-rigid mineral wool insulation board, with an effective thermal resistance of R-9. A new roofing system not only added insulation to the existing structure, but also has a highalbedo white roofing material to reduce heat gain. Sea water for heating and cooling The design team looked for ways to take advantage of the adjacent harbour for heating and cooling the building. The principle of using a project’s context and existing resources to the best advantage is what the sustainability movement is all about. However, finding a system that could handle below-zero tempera-

ture water and could be scalable to meet the 300-ton cooling requirements presented a challenge. Enermodal was able to locate a heat pump system from Winnipeg that is traditionally used in arenas. It allows the mechanical system to draw heating and cooling from the harbour water and is scalable to meet the cooling demands of the building. The seawater runs through a heat exchanger made of titanium to prevent corrosion. Heat pumps pull the needed cooling and heating from the circulation loop, sending cooling to chilled beams and heating to the perimeter system. The system has a bypass for free cooling when the water temperature from the harbour is adequate for cooling. This isn’t always the case as the harbour water temperature rises in the summer, so at those times the cooling system turns on. The system is able to move loads around during periods of simultaneous heating and cooling and only needs to draw from the harbour to make up the shortfall or to reject excess load. The systems installed are proven technology, but the application and scale of installation are what make the project innovative.

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green buildings

HERITAGE SUSTAINED CALGARY PUBLIC BUILDING

The restored exterior of the building on 8th Avenue; it houses the Epcor Centre for Performing Arts and municipal administration offices. 22

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May 2013

green buildings

BY ROB GUENTHER, CET, STANTEC CONSULTING

An architectural gem from the 1930s in Calgary has been renovated to LEED Platinum status, proving that heritage and sustainability can go hand-in-hand.

Aaron Parker, Stantec

or the first time, a city-owned public building in Calgary has achieved Platinum status for LEED for Commercial Interiors – and it’s an 80-year-old structure. Mechanical engineers and energy efficiency experts from Stantec worked with the City of Calgary and principal architect the marc boutin architectural collaborative to design the renovation of the Calgary Public Building and transformed the aging building into a pillar of sustainability. Originally built in 1931 and designed by architect T.W. Fuller, the eight-story reinforced concrete structure stands next to Olympic Plaza on 8th Avenue in the city’s downtown. The iconic building is a beautiful example of the Modern Classical style, with a Tyndall limestone exterior and massive Ionic columns that mark the north and west facades. The building was designated a Municipal Historic Resource in 1996 and today is the home of the Epcor Centre for Performing Arts. It also houses a variety of municipal administration offices. A major design objective for the restoration project was to increase the occupants’ satisfaction. Russ Golightly, project manager for the City of Calgary, says: “Success in the effort would be measured by a reduction in the frequency and volume of requests for service calls stemming from poor indoor environmental quality in the existing facility.” Another goal established was to create a landmark facility for Calgary by integrating the best of modern sustainable design in a historical restoration. As such, the project team had to determine

the most appropriate way to conserve the character-defining historic elements, while making it a leading-edge sustainable office building. Blending old and new technologies Since the exterior of the building had to remain intact, an innovative approach was needed for upgrading the building envelope. The solution was to add a high performance liner on the interior. The liner incorporates additional insulation within a new wall cavity built from metal studs and drywall. New high-performance operable windows were also added. A major strategy on the project involved using the existing passive design features of the original 1930s building, many of which had been decommissioned over the years. The original building was passively cooled and naturally ventilated through the use of operable windows, open floor plans, and the stone and masonry structure’s considerable thermal mass, which had helped to regulate temperatures over a 24hour period. Many of the windows had been sealed shut over the life of the building, and the floor plan had become cellular. Some rooms completely lacked access to windows and much of the exposed thermal mass was covered. Working with the design team, Stantec reinstituted and optimized the passive strategies offered by the original architecture, creating a more open floor layout, and exposing thermal mass where possible. To complement the passive (and largely forgotten) design techniques of the 1930s era, modern technologies were added. The natural continued on page 24 May 2013

Canadian Consulting Engineer

green buildings

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Aaron Parker, Stantec

building has for an energy profile and to quickly zero in on a problem if energy consumption starts to climb. In addition to the M&V technology, a unique digital commissioning system developed by Stantec gives each piece of commissioned equipment a barcode that can be scanned with a tablet computer during and after construction. The tool enables the building management team to access installation, operations and maintenance, commissioning, and shop drawing data on every device. Approximately 600 pieces of equipment were captured in the Stancheck system with 35,000 individual data points. Benefits all round “The Calgary Public Building could not have been preserved as a meaningful municipal historic resource if this renovation had not taken place," explains Golightly. “The city has observed a significant reduction in service calls and a welcome improvement in occupant satisfaction rates as a result of the project.” The building was honoured with an Alberta Consulting Engineers Award of Excellence for Sustainable Design, and an Award of Merit for Building Engineering in 2013. The result of the renovation is a cold-climate case study that demonstrates that existing heritage buildings do not have to be demolished. Rather, they can be successfully renovated to the highest standards of environmental stewardship without sacrificing cost, energy efficiency, or preservation standards. “Achieving LEED Platinum was quite an accomplishment for a new building, but we were faced with the challenge and the opportunity of renovating a heritage building in the heart of downtown Calgary that was built to 1930s standards,” says James Furlong, CET, Stantec’s principal in charge of the project. “The results of this design are better than anyone expected," says Furlong. "The energy consumption is so low (approximately 50% less than similar buildings), the utility meters had to be checked to make sure they were still working properly.” CCE

Daylit interior; a new building envelope “liner” was constructed inside the existing architectural walls. Chilled beams, solar hot water and a connection to a district energy system help it to consume about 50% less than a standard building.

ventilation and passive cooling, for example, was supplemented with chilled beam technology. Stantec’s design was one of the region’s first installations of active chilled beams. Since the focus of the forced air system is to chill the beams within the ceiling rather than the entire space, these systems are much smaller than traditional systems, are extremely quiet and reduce the fan noise that is typical in office buildings. They also use about one-sixth of the air supply in a traditional system and therefore allow smaller duct work, leading to significant energy savings. To the casual observer, however, the system merely looks like a small vent in the ceiling. Additionally, the approach permits flexibility for working with the varied ceiling heights present in this heritage building. Stantec also designed a solar hot water system on the roof for domestic hot water heating, while the building heating requirements are met by connecting the building to the city’s new district energy service. The owner wanted the sixth floor of the building to be returned to a 1930s layout, with the same fit and finishes as the original building. Stantec worked with the interiors team to select water fixtures in the washrooms that closely resemble those from that time period, while offering modern performance such as low-flow technology. Measurement and verification All of the mechanical and electrical systems include measurement and verification (M&V) technology that allows the City of Calgary to confirm the energy savings that were predicted during the design phase. With additional metering beyond the standard gas and electric meters, the owner can keep track of the energy consumed by different systems such as lighting, elevators, fans, hot water etc.. The system allows the owner to know what a properly performing

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May 2013

Owner: City of Calgary Mechanical/energy/commissioning consultants: Stantec Consulting (James Furlong, CET, Jeff Rent, P.Eng., Rob Guenther CET, Eugene Hayes, Tom Pilmoor C.Tech.) Prime consultant and architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc. Additional architects: Perkins + Will; Mark Chambers Architect Electrical: Mulvey + Banani (Alberta) Structural: Read Jones Christoffersen Contractors: Chandos Construction, Polar Bear Mechanical

For more detailed information, please visit lgvrf.ca

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energy management

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Comparing apples to apples energy normalization Direct Energy Use Intensity (EUI) It will come as no surprise that the variable with the greatest impact on energy use is building size. For this reason, the industry has long reported energy use per unit area. The result is the building’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI), often reported in kilowatthours of energy per square foot of floor area (or kWh/ft²). Using EUI, buildings can be compared to each other regardless of size. However, this metric does not always allow for an “apples to apples” comparison. Variables such as weather, occupant density, hours of occupancy and facility type all influence a building’s EUI and they cannot be controlled by a facility owner or manager (imagine telling an accounting office during tax season they must leave the office by 5 p.m.). The resulting differences can be misleading when comparing the performance of multiple buildings.

HYPOTHETICAL OFFICE BUILDING DATA

If the Vancouver climate were used to define the typical weather condition, then norOffice Space 2 malizing the Edmonton facility’s energy use 200,000 ft Size Enclosed parking: might cause its declared heating energy to 50,000 ft 2 decrease by 50%. At this point, the energy performance of both facilities can be comLocation Edmonton AB pared side by side. Occupants 800 (“Degree days” are a standard measure of how cold a particular timeframe was. Heating Computers 800 and cooling degree days are measured versus 65 Occupancy Hours per week a “balance point” — the temperature at which a facility tends to reach its minimum Vacancy 10% energy use. While every facility has a unique Electricity use in 2009 4,000,000 ekWh balance point, a common balance point can (Jan 1 to Dec 31) be declared in order to benchmark several Natural gas use in 2009 2,500,000 ekWh facilities against one another. The values used (Jan 1 to Dec 31) in the example above are metric heating degree days based on an 18 °C balance point.) Vacancy normalization is not as well understood as weather normalization, but ENERGY USE BASED ON DIFFERENT SYSTEMS the process is similar. First one must meaEnergy Use Intensity sure or estimate the occupant-related en33 (not normalized) ekWh/ft ergy use, then define the typical vacancy Custom Energy condition, and finally apply a normaliza27 Use Intensity ekWh/ft (normalized) Custom Normalization tion adjustment. To adjust for uncontrollable factors such as Take, for example, a facility which is 24.3 weather, we use a process commonly called 10% vacant and where occupant energy ekWh/ft Energy Use Intensity “normalization.” The goal of normalization use accounts for 30% of the total. If the is to define a typical condition for each untypical vacancy condition is defined as 0% 72 controllable factor and then to adjust the (i.e. fully occupied), the building’s normalout of 100 Portfolio energy use intensity of each benchmarked ized tenant energy use might be 33% (a Manager Score facility accordingly. 10% increase in tenant energy use), meanConsider a facility in Edmonton which is benchmarked ing the building’s total vacancy-normalized energy use against a facility in more temperate Vancouver. Given identi- would be 103% of its actual energy use. Now the energy cal system performance, the Edmonton facility will have a performance of this building can be compared to that of higher EUI because the colder climate requires more heating other fully occupied buildings. to keep occupants comfortable. For example, in 2012, EdNormalization can be applied to any uncontrollable facmonton experienced 5,710 heating degree days, while Van- tor affecting energy use. Most facility managers will want to couver experienced 2,897 heating degree days, or 50% fewer. normalize for weather, vacancy, hours of occupancy, and 2

continued on page 30

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energy management

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type of facility use. Offices, residences, schools, hospitals and factories all use energy differently, so depending on a facility’s unique purpose, other factors may apply. Some energy managers use their own custom normalization method to report energy use intensity. This approach has the advantage of addressing the unique characteristics or reporting needs of a specific facility or real estate portfolio. However, qualifying and communicating a custom method takes effort. Benchmarking a facility’s energy use intensity requires utility data and area data for that building as well as for any peers that it will be compared against. Collecting and analyzing peer data can take time. If the peer group is small or not representative of certain buildings, the accuracy of the results may be limited. Industry-wide benchmarking programs The need for normalization without the challenges of a custom program has caused industry-wide benchmarking programs to arise. The two most notable benchmarking programs used in Canada today are Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager and the Real Property Association of Canada’s (REALpac) Energy Benchmarking Program.

Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Energy Star Portfolio Manager is a tool that incorporates a normalization process. In calculating a facility’s score from 1 to 100, it shows where that facility falls on a bell curve of energy performance. A score of 75, for example, implies that a facility’s performance is in the top 25th percentile. The 1 to 100 score adjusts for common uncontrollable factors and is easy to communicate. This widely accepted normalization method is accessible to the public and is based on a statistical regression analysis of key independent variables considered across thousands of buildings. What’s more, the tool already includes a large data set of peer energy use so individual facilities don’t need to collect and analyze data for anyone else in order to benchmark their own performance. And, since the required level of input detail is flexible (users can apply defaults if exact occupancy or operating hours are not known), users can refine their score over time instead of committing to a significant upfront data collection investment. For these reasons, Energy Star Portfolio Manager has the greatest market penetration. Programs like LEED for Existing Buildings and Toronto’s Civic Action Race to Reduce use the tool to evaluate facility energy performance. Energy Star Portfolio Manager is currently administered

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energy management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Last updated in 2003, the bell curve used to generate a score is created based on a data set of thousands of U.S. buildings. While the tool has successfully benchmarked hundreds of Canadian facilities, these facilities are still being compared to peers south of the border. That will change when Natural Resources Canada launches a Canadian version of the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. When that happens this July, all Canadian buildings in the U.S. database will be transferred to the Canadian tool and compared to Canadian peers. Still, initially, the Canadian tool will provide scores for only office buildings and K-12 schools. Real Property Association of Canada’s Energy Benchmarking Program. In September 2009, REALpac, in collaboration with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada), announced an energy consumption target for office buildings of 20 ekWh/ft²/year, to be achieved by 2015. For short, the program is known as “20 by ’15.” Shortly thereafter, REALpac again collaborated with CaGBC, BOMA and various energy experts to develop a publicly accessible tool to help the commercial real estate

industry understand their energy use and measure it in a meaningful way. The first annual REALpac Energy Benchmarking Survey (2009) provided an up-to-date look at how Canadian office facilities perform. A custom normalization methodology was developed and applied. An online tool is now available to benchmark 2012 data against peers. Normalized results are available immediately, and a peer-to-peer comparison is released once per year in REALpac’s Energy Benchmarking Report. REALpac’s reports tend to have the most recent data available across the industry. Choosing the right program Deciding which of the options is best for a specific facility, portfolio or organization depends on many factors. Below are some of the questions to consider. • Will the benchmarking program need to address uncontrollable factors likely to affect energy use such as weather, vacancy, hours of occupancy, building type? ==> If yes, any program that applies normalization can be used (avoid using Direct Energy Use Intensity). • Can one system benchmark all or most of the facility use types in the portfolio (offices, residences, schools, hospitals, continued on page 32

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energy management

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factories, etc.)? ==> Direct Energy Use Intensity or Custom Normalization can be used with any building: Energy Star applies to office buildings and K-12 schools; and REALpac’s tool applies to office buildings only. • Is the benchmarking program compatible with the way you currently receive data (for example, hourly utility data, monthly bills, monthly vacancy updates)? ==> Which program you use depends on the specific data. • Do existing corporate targets specify a metric (for example, LEED EB certification, Energy Use Intensity, GHG reduction, cost)? ==> As above, which program you use depends on the specific target. • Will you require the results for related programs such as greenhouse gas performance reporting? ==> Generally use Custom Normalization, or Energy Star once it is available with Canadian data. Energy use and public disclosure While benchmarking is important to verify and report success, benchmarks alone don’t save energy. Benchmarks are most effective when tied to conservation policies and targets so managers can take action to improve. In large organizations and government groups, choosing a single benchmarking method allows everyone — from

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managers to operators to shareholders — to consistently track success. This shared language helps distributed decision-makers reach common energy reduction goals. The mandatory public disclosure of facility energy use is rapidly gaining in popularity. It is already policy in several U.S. cities, including Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C. While not yet mandated in Canada, public disclosure is on the horizon. In 2012, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) launched Canada’s first public building energy and carbon emissions label. ASHRAE released the Building Energy Quotient (bEQ) program, and the Canada Green Building Council launched the Green Up program. Recognition of these programs is expected to grow throughout 2013. As an industry, engineers need to ensure that we are supporting facility managers and owners and helping them to understand how their buildings are performing relative to the market. We need to help them achieve the opportunities and value associated with constantly improving the performance of their buildings. CCE Eric Chisholm, LEED AP, CEM is a project associate at Halsall Associates in Toronto. He is a Certified Energy Manager registered with the Association of Energy Engineers. Email: echisholm@halsall.com

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green buildings

By Mike Godawa, P.Eng. Integral Group

An old technology that relies on natural ventilation has been revived for today’s sustainable buildings, but it needs carefully integrated design.

Solar Chimneys

s we strive for more energy efficient and cost effective buildings with improved indoor air quality, engineers and architects are looking to natural ventilation as a means to achieve greater performance and comfort. Along with natural ventilation, designers of sustainable buildings are also using solar chimneys. The technology has been around for centuries and was developed both by the Persians and the Romans as a method for keeping people in buildings comfortable when the environment outside was warm. Solar chimneys are sometimes referred to as thermal chimneys as they rely on temperature differences to induce air to move upwards through buildings. Wind pressure and direction also play a key role in their operation. Solar chimneys can be part of natural ventilation or mixed-mode ventilation systems. They are typically configured as an air shaft to remove air from the building and are terminated at least one half-storey above the highest floor. Their size and shape depends on the amount of natural ventilation needed on each floor and the number of floors served. The “solar” reference comes from the fact that typically these devices are located on the south side of a building to gain the maximum sun exposure during the day. This strategy creates a zone of high heat at the top of the chimney, which in turn induces air flow upwards due to convection air currents and buoyancy effects. Maintaining air paths The flow of outside (natural) air into the building can be from operable 34

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windows, doors, louvered openings, earth tubes, trickle vents and any other suitable opening. The use of operable windows has been gaining in popularity and is supported by sustainable rating systems such as LEED (which gives a credit under “LEED NC 2009 Credit 6.2-Controllability of Systems: Thermal Comfort”). Post occupancy evaluations have shown that occupants prefer to have operable windows and studies have shown that employee sick days have been reduced in buildings with this feature. In a building designed for natural ventilation, designers using solar chimneys must take care to ensure that air paths to the chimney are not restricted by walls and doors. When partitioning is required for tenant suites, transfer air openings will be required to allow the air to flow to the solar chimney intakes and must be sized generously so as not to create an excessive pressure drop and inhibit air flow. The transfer air openings should be at high level (minimum 2.2 metres above floor level) to create a cross flow ventilation regime. They can be constructed of transfer air ducts or transoms above doors. Additional measures should be taken to maximize the use of natural ventilation on days when there is little wind or stack effect. Fans with variable speed controls and sound attenuation should be used to assist with drawing air through the building. This technique is known as fanassist natural ventilation. In our Canadian climate most locations will require a building to have a mechanical system to provide fresh air during extreme conditions when the operable windows have to

be closed, as noted in ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010: Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Since in these circumstances the mechanical systems are being operated during extreme weather conditions, it is important to provide them with heat recovery equipment. Integrated design and micro-climate experts The design of the natural ventilation system should be part of an integrated design process (IDP) as it involves all design team members. They include the architect (operable windows, air paths, building envelope), structural engineer (slab openings, thermal mass), electrical engineer (electrical motors, dampers), and mechanical engineer (thermal load and fresh air calculations, fan sizing for fan assist mode, building controls). Additional technical support is recommended from the micro-climate specialist (consultants who study wind patterns and emissions around buildings) and the energy modeller. The micro-climate specialist should consult on the locations for fresh air openings and solar chimneys with respect to prevailing winds and possible re-entrainment of emissions from on-site or neighbouring sources. Such sources might be boilers, fume hoods, exhaust from emergency generators, or loading docks. The energy modeller should provide feedback to the design team on the size, quantity and location of the solar chimneys by using advanced building software such as IES-Virtual Environment, eQUEST, or Thermal Analysis Software (TAS). Such programs can predict internal tempera-

May 2013

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green buildings

Tom Arban Photography Inc.

Below: Evergreen Brickworks - Centre for Green Cities, off Bayview Avenue in Toronto. The new building behind the heritage stacks has three solar chimneys fitted with louvres with motorized dampers on all sides.

Centre for Green Cities, Evergreen Brickworks, Toronto At the Evergreen Brickworks, Centre for Green Cities building (a LEED Platinum candidate) in Toronto, the use of natural ventilation software allowed the design team to determine that the originally proposed number of chimneys had to be increased from two to three to ensure good air flow through the building. The building is five storeys high comprising 5,000 mÂ˛, with a typical floor plate of 50 m x 17 m. It has solar chimneys from Level 2 to Level 5. The chimneys have acoustically-insulated sheet metal elbows at each of the grilles that incorporate fire dampers and motorized dampers. The elbows serve as sound traps to reduce noise transfer between floors. Fans in the chimneys have silencers to minimize noise transfer down the shaft. Multi-speed ceiling fans were also used throughout the naturally ventilated spaces to improve the occupantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comfort conditions. The Evergreen Brickworks project was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, dTAH Architects, Stantec Consulting (mechanical/ electrical), Halsall (structural/LEED) and AECOM (civil). continued on page 36

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Section through Centre for Green Cities, Evergreen Brickworks. The natural ventilation system, including chimneys, helped reduce the size of the mechanical plant by 50%.

tures based on the envelope design and the internal heat gains (from people, lights and equipment), which can be very useful information for the design team and owner. The design of the solar chimney should also consider components such as the velocity of air (typical design air velocity of 2.0 m/s maximum to match ideal wind speed), the selection of dark coloured material on the upper part of the chimney (to heat up the top of the chimney and induce thermal draft), and the discharge arrangement at the louvres. At the Evergreen Brickworks (see p. 35 and above), discharge cones were added to guide the air through the louvres because in the fan-assist mode the discharge air from the fan within the chimney was rebounding off the inside top of the chimney. The air was then bouncing back down the shaft, creating a positive pressure at the top floor corridor. The louvres were also installed with low leakage insulated dampers to keep cold air from entering the building during heating season. Some solar chimney/natural ventilation schemes make use of motorized clerestory windows in atriums, and the fan-assist mode is accomplished through the smoke exhaust fans. The dual duty use of the smoke exhaust fans is cost-effective and ensures the fans are regularly exercized. 36

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Occupants must play their part One of the key items with this type of design feature is the training of the occupants and building operators. The occupants must be made aware that they have a responsibility in opening and closing their windows. Measures can be incorporated into the building automation system (BAS) such as high and low temperature alarms triggered by space thermostats. These can send a signal to the building operator if windows are left open when outdoor conditions are unsuitable. Or after hours the BAS can send a signal to the security desk staff to close windows if needed. Occupants who leave their windows open should be notified that they need to follow building protocols in the future. The BAS system should also be used to determine when it is appropriate to naturally ventilate the building. Sensors for outdoor air temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels, wind speed and a rain sensor should be provided as part of the control system, and the designer should work with the building operator and owner to determine the appropriate low and high levels of operation within all these variables. More energy savings are possible if the natural ventilation operating hours are increased as much as possible and if interior temperatures are

Diamond Schmitt Architects

allowed to rise beyond normal North American standards. In any scheme considering the use of solar chimneys and natural ventilation the cost of the solar chimney and associated equipment such as fans, variable speed drives and silencers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not to mention the loss of usable floor space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; must be weighed against the goals of the project. Using natural ventilation and expanding the typical range of thermal comfort parameters such as inside temperature and humidity will reduce the cost of the mechanical plant compared to a fully air-conditioned building. In the case of the Evergreen Brickworks building, the mechanical cooling plant size was reduced by over 50% and the natural ventilation system has been used right into the hot summer days of July. In conclusion, solar chimneys provide a functional and unique design feature to buildings. They allow the building to be energy efficient and allow user control. Careful design using the integrated design team approach is necessary and energy modelling should be used to ensure proper air movement through the building. CCE Mike Godawa, P.Eng. is a principal and partner in the consulting firm The Integral Group of Toronto. He was the mechanical engineer-of-record with Stantec for the Evergreen Brickworks project in Toronto.

May 2013

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pumps

Sheraton Vancouver Sustains Water Pressure with Grundfos Energy-Efficient Booster

verlooking the Pacific Ocean is downtown Vancouver’s third tallest skyscraper: Sheraton Wall Centre. Occupying two towers of 48 stories each are the Sheraton Hotel and residential condominiums. Being a green hotel with a strong dedication to environmental sustainability, including water and energy conservation, the Sheraton saw it fitting to turn to Grundfos for a pump audit when the original 13-year old booster pumps that were supplying water to the North Tower needed replacing. The challenge was to find an energy-efficient pumping system that would pump water to the top floors while maintaining constant water pressure throughout the building. Sherezad Shafiq of Grundfos worked with mechanical contractor Dan-Jen Mechanical to conduct the pump audit. During the audit process the existing system’s pressure profile was logged, as well as the system’s water and power consumption. It was identified that by “right-sizing” the system to meet the Sheraton’s actual demand, there was potential for substantial savings. Based on these findings Grundfos recommended a MPC (multi-pump controller) BoosterpaQ system consisting of 3 CR vertical inline multistage pumps for variable speed operation. The BoosterpaQ was chosen for the following reasons: • The CR range of multistage centrifugal pumps provides the best foundation for the booster system. The pumps are extremely reliable and have the highest efficiency when compared to any other multistage centrifugal pumps on the market. They provide substantial savings on energy costs. • The MPC specially designed for Grundfos boosters controls the number of CR’s in operation, as well as the speed of the individual CR’s. It alternates between lead and lag pumps, ensuring equal run hours on each of the CR’s. • The variable frequency drive (VFD) located in the MPC adapts to variations in water pressure demand in the system, ensuring that it has the capability of maintaining pre-set constant pressure. It also allows the CR’s to run only when demand is detected. This decreases energy consumption, saving on energy costs, extends the life span of the pumps, and reduces maintenance costs. • The system is a compact unit with easy access to all service parts, saving time and money. It comes preassembled for easy installation and is tested prior to delivery. The switch from the old pumps to the new BoosterpaQ took place on January 31, 2012 between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m., ensuring only a short disruption in water service for guests and residents. Given the BoosterpaQ’s small footprint it was able to be installed alongside the original pumps, which saved on breakdown and removal costs. Within the first three months of the BoosterpaQ’s installation, the Sheraton Wall Centre began to effectively reduce energy consumption and achieve cost savings. Sheraton is well on its way to reducing energy consumption from 192 000 kWh annually to a projected 58 000 kWh, reducing Sheraton’s energy bill by over $9,000 per year. Additionally, Sheraton will be saving thousands of dollars per year on maintenance costs.

ADVERTORIAL

GRUNDFOS

Grundfos is the world’s largest manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems. Grundfos’ Canadian headquarters is located in Oakville, Ont. 1-800-644-9599, www.grundfos.ca May 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

13-05-09 8:25 AM

Specifier’s Literature Review BEHLEN COMBINES FUNCTION WITH VISUAL APPEAL

BEHLEN Industries’ CORR-SPAN® building system uses engineered steel panels, roofing, and other steel components for a durable, long-lasting performance and quick, easy construction. CORR-SPAN® delivers spacious facilities with no structural columns and clear, unobstructed space up to 300’. Its lightweight structural components allow CORR-SPAN® buildings to be more energy efficient than traditional buildings with unobstructed interiors improving airflow and aiding the energy performance of HVAC systems. www.behlen.ca SUPPLIER: BEHLEN

ACO Stormbrixx is a unique and patented plastic geocellular stormwater management system. Designed for surface water infiltration and storage, its versatility allows it to be used in applications as a standalone solution or as part of an integrated sustainable urban drainage scheme. Its ingenious brickbonding and crossbonding feature delivers greater structural integrity – increasing reliability. Visit: www.acostormbrixx.com, Contact: 1-877-226-4255. SUPPLIER: ACO SYSTEMS LTD.

THE MOST EFFICIENT TANK TYPE COMMERCIAL WATER HEATERS ANYWHERE

The eF Series high efficient heater is one of the most exceptional additions to the Bradford White’s commercial line-up. Utilizing exclusive designs and technologies, the new eF series outperforms all competition when it comes to unprecedented installation flexibility, quiet operation and, most importantly, superb thermal efficiencies as high as 99.1%. SUPPLIER: BRADFORD WHITE CANADA

CREE® LM16 LED LAMP

PREVENT ASPHALT CRACKING

NEW PUMPS CAN CUT ENERGY COSTS BY UP TO 80%

KSB – THE WORLD OF PUMPS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

LED lamps designed to replace halogen MR16 lamps, use up to 80% less energy, and last eight times longer than the traditional MR16 source. The LM16 lamp provides the same center beam candlepower as incumbent technology and is offered in both 7W (35W MR16 halogen equivalent) and 9W (50W MR16 halogen equivalent). Learn more about LM16 and Cree at www.cree.com/canada SUPPLIER: CREE

A Grundfos pump system refurbishment can deliver fantastic savings and performance improvements in older buildings – even without changes to the building envelope or piping. Learn more at www.thinkingbuildings.ca/grundfoscrew SUPPLIER: GRUNDFOS

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INTRODUCING ACO STORMBRIXX

If you were planning to rout and seal your asphalt joints after they fail, think about the added costs of repairing what you’ve already done. Denso Re-instatement Tape is a polymer modified bituminous strip that is cold applied and designed to seal the joints between asphalt, concrete and steel, the first time. Re-instatement Tape seals around catch basins, manholes, utility cuts and next to concrete curbs prior to paving. Do it right the first time with Denso Road Products. For more information contact: Blair Slessor at 416-291-3435, email: Blair@Densona-ca.com, or visit our website at www.densona.com SUPPLIER: DENSO NORTH AMERICA INC.

KSB, one of the world’s largest pump manufacturers, has released a comprehensive product brochure listing KSB pumps, mixers, and controls for a wide range of applications – from sludge and wastewater treatment to power generation and manufacturing processes. The free brochure includes a product finder, linking products to specific applications. KSB pumps transport virtually any fluid – from water to solids-laden liquids or liquefied gas. With their modular design, they can be easily tailored to specific customer requirements. Ph. 905-568-9200 E-mail: ksbcanada@ksbcanada.com www.ksb.ca SUPPLIER: KSB

13-05-09 10:44 AM

LG MULTI V III: INNOVATION THAT OUTPERFORMS

WATER-SOURCE HEAT PUMPS FOR COMPLETE BUILDING

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER 2013 MEDIA KIT

LG reaches a whole new level of HVAC with Multi V III. It boasts a huge 20 HP capacity, so fewer units are needed, saving valuable space. It also supports an incredible 1000m piping length, making it perfect for high-rise buildings. And with world-class COP efficiency levels in heating of 4.58 and 4.27 in cooling, it consumes less energy, making LG Multi V III the intelligent choice that outperforms the competition in every way. Website : www.lgvrf.ca Phone : 1.888.824.6211 SUPPLIER: LG ELECTRONICS CANADA, INC.

This application will allow WEG Electric Motor customers in NEMA markets to search an electronic catalog for motors and produce data sheets and technical drawings. The application will also allow the user to download or email PDF data sheets and drawings. The app is available for iOS, Blackberry, Android. Go to www.pamensky.com/downloads SUPPLIER: V.J. PAMENSKY

Online product comparison charts are available for each product group. Look for comparison chart links in the lower left corner when viewing product pages. Comparison charts can also be found in the Product Catalog I000. Request a copy from your local tekmar representative or download from tekmarControls.com today. SUPPLIER: TEKMAR CONTROL SYSTEMS

It is geothermal ready and integrates with building’s water loop, each City Multi WaterSource Heat Pump (WR2) is compact enough to fit easily in an elevator and a machine room for providing efficient heating and cooling to each and every floor on high-rises and multi-stories buildings. Equipped with Mitsubishi Electric’s energy-efficient VRF technology, City Multi WR2 systems has been applied worldwide in hotels, offices, condos and institutions to keep indoor environment consistently comfortable. To learn more about the wide array of styles and capacities of City Multi indoor and outdoor units, or to download specifications, please visit www.CityMulti.ca SUPPLIER: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

• Reinforced concrete section design and detailing for columns, beams and walls • Interactive and automated design interface • Comprehensive implementation of numerous standards • Evaluate multiple design alternatives • Perform sensitivity analysis • Batch mode design checks for thousands of sections • DXF export • Detailed reporting includes equations employed, clause references S-CONCRETE, one of many structural design tools developed by S-FRAME Software Inc. s-frame.com info@s-fame.com SUPPLIER: S-FRAME SOFTWARE INC.

Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine provides high quality editorial coverage of the most pertinent and timely issues that affect engineers across Canada. The magazine reaches the consulting engineers who make the critical decisions on building and construction projects. This is exactly the audience you need to reach. Advertise your product or service with us. Be seen and be specified! To order your 2013 media kit, please send along your request to Maureen Levy at (416) 510-5111 or email: mlevy@ccemag.com

products POWER

A new Critical Power line manufactured by GE includes UPS systems paired with automatic transfer switching technology. The eBoost-equipped UPS is Energy Starrated for reduced energy consumption. GE’s DC Energy Systems DC-powered data centres are small, medium and large

power plants, retrofit power systems, DC distribution/BDFBs, management software, inverters, etc. www.ge-energy.com Schneider Electric has a new range of residential, commercial and off-grid solar and backup power. The line includes the

Conext SW Inverter/Charger for off-grid and solar back-up power. It comes in 2.5 and 4 kW ratings, with switchable 50/60 Hz functionality. The Conext Monitor 20 is a compact and simple remote monitor and control for small PV plants up to 20 kW. www.schneider-electric.com continued on page 40 May 2013

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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products

continued from page 39

HVAC

The Trane Series S CenTraVac Chiller featuring AdaptiSpeed technology is an extremely efficient centrifugal chiller in its tonnage range (250-350 tons),

A condensing tankless gas water heater from Navien won the 2013 Innovation Award at the AHR Expo in the plumbing category. The 199,900 BTU/H indoor-outdoor, residentialcommercial NPE-240A NG uses existing ½ (13-mm) gas lines, 2 PVC venting and features field gas convertibility. It recognizes usage patterns and preheats water at appropriate times for immediate availability. www.navienamerica.com

having the highest full and part load efficiencies and the best integrated part load value (IPLV) in its class. Designed mainly for retrofits, the chiller has a smaller footprint for easy installation. www.tranecanada.com

Broan-NuTone has expanded its ULTRA ventilation fan line to include humidity and motion sensing models. Available in 50, 90 or 110 cfm models, the fans have brushless DC motors for energy efficiency. www.broanultra.ca

The H2AC Rooftop Unit by Rheem Manufacturing was selected as the 2013 Product of the Year at the AHR Expo in Dallas. The unit integrates air-conditioning with a water heater and uses refrigerant-to-water heat recovery. The system pre-heats the cold water supply to as much as 125°F, reducing energy consumption by about 50%. www.rheem.com

HYDRONIC SYSTEMS

professional directory

The MAGNA3 for commercial hydronic applications from Grundfos cuts power consumption by up to 85% compared to other circulator pumps. The Magna3's Autoadapt function automatically and continuously adjusts the circulator performance and its Flowadapt control mode reduces the need for pump throttling valves. The

ECM-based circulator uses an integrated logic algorithm to “learn” the varying energy usage patterns of an application, enabling the software to determine the lowest possible operating efficiency point to meet a facility’s changing demand. The pumps have a variable-speed wet rotor circulator that features a permanent magnet motor design. www.grundfos.com Victaulic’s hydronic balancing systems include the TA-SCOPE which provides fast and accurate measurement of differential pressure, flow, temperature and power. The TA Select software helps in valve selection. www.victaulic.com/balancing.

Experts in Measurement, Analysis & Control

905-826-4546 answers@hgcengineering.com www.hgcengineering.com

For information on placing an advertisement in the Canadian Consulting Engineer Professional Directory, contact Maureen Levy, Senior Publisher, 416-510-5111, email: mlevy@ccemag.com Vince Naccarato, Sales Manager, 416-510-5118, email: vnaccarato@ccemag.com

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Sheraton Vancouver Sustains Water Pressure with Grundfos Energy-Efficient Booster

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conversations

Jacqueline Hinman of CH2M HILL describes how the company manages projects around the world — many of them on a gigantic scale.

Mass Movements

he president of the international division of CH2M HILL, Jacqueline Hinman, P.E., is based in Englewood, Colorado. She was in Toronto on March 22 speaking at the Toronto Board of Trade. CCE interviewed her after the presentation. Q. Hearing you speak about some of CH2M HILL’s projects around the world — the London 2012 Olympic/Paralympic Games site, Mumbai international airport expansion, Masdar City in the UAE, the widening of the Panama Canal, and sites for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games and Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup — left me amazed at the sheer scale and importance of the work you are involved in and the responsibilities of it all. What role has CH2M HILL played in these projects? First, the important thing to know is that about 90% of our projects are small ones. A lot of very important things are done at small scale as well as large scale. But I gave a snapshot of some bigger projects only because they’re interesting and they teach lessons learned at a grander scale. In London 2012 we were the program managers, as we are in Mumbai, Masdar, Qatar and Rio. We work in alignment (and are co-located) with the owner to manage the entire supply chain. On other projects we have served as a consultant, doing the traditional engineering and design. We’re not a contractor and we won’t do the construction unless we’re part of the strategic thinking. But there are some sectors in which we will take on the EPC [engineering, procurement and construction] — the whole deal — as the prime. In the water sector we also perform operations, so we can add innovation throughout the process from design through operations. Q. You talked about the Mumbai airport project and how squatters have taken over one of the runways, so now you have to realign the program. As program managers are those the biggest challenges, when circumstance drastically change? Regardless of where the project is, things change. People change their mind, and you do have to be engaged in those issues. But today probably the biggest challenge is getting projects funded. The next biggest challenge is getting alignment from the stakeholders, and getting things mobilized. And safety is always a big challenge, because all of our people need to go to work and come home safely every day. By nature of what we’re doing this is a risky business.

Jacqueline Hinman: "What's most rewarding for me about what we do is that lives are forever changed."

We make projects happen and construction requires vigilance around safety. Q. How much are staff from your Canadian offices involved in these international projects? We have a great talent base in Canada. Canadians are fantastic, well trained, very pragmatic and very business based consultants, engineers and constructors. We like to use Canadians on projects in Canada and all around the world.

T i

Q. I can’t imagine being involved in such a vast scale of work. It used to be that as an engineer I would say, look at this interesting thing! Or look at what we have built! The engineering aspects were fascinating to me. But eventually you think about the broader impacts. What’s most rewarding to me about what we do is that lives are forever changed, for example because people are now skilled and we changed the employment picture forever in a part of London, or because we got rid of contamination, or because the United Arab Emirates have decided boldly to create a new R & D centre for very interesting innovative technology that will deliver benefits to the world for the future. I certainly can’t claim credit for all this, but I do sometimes pinch myself. The world is an amazing place and particularly in our industry there is so much ingenuity. We are really lucky to be part of it. CCE

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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

May 2013

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SFP

The straight way to energy efficiency is all in the details Trust Systemair as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s widest assortment of ventilators driven by cutting-edge EC technology. Our intelligent yet easy-toinstall EC fan solutions are perfect for new buildings as well as renovation projects. Integral electronic control makes sure that the motor always operates at its optimal working point. Besides being both energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, our EC units ensure quiet, flexible and dependable operations. Energy efficient wheels and non-resistance impellers result in low SFP (Specific Fan Power) values, which quantify the electric power that is needed to drive a unit's fan, relative to the circulating air volume. Systemair is 100% committed to provide efficient ventilation products for a comfortable climate with real energy savings. The difference is all in the details. Topvex TR Air handling unit Systemair was founded in 1974 in Sweden and has subsidiaries in 44 countries worldwide and approximately 3150 employees. We sell to more than 120 countries and our product range includes comfort and safety ventilation. Systemair is listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm.

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