Canadian Consulting Engineer May 2014 by Annex Business Media

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contents

May 2014 Volume 55, No. 3

features Cover: Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, Montreal. Photograph © Espace pour la vie / Raymond Jalbert.See story p. 16.

Immigrant Engineers and Licensing. See story p. 22.

departments Comment

Up Front

ACEC Review

Products 40 Advertiser Index

Next issue: Lac-Mégantic response and remediation; Halton Region watermain; bridge aesthetics; stormwater and heat effects.

SPECIAL ISSUE: GREEN BUILDINGS Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. Montreal’s new Planetarium shows the mysteries of the universe in a building with extraordinary design features of its own. By Laurent Laframboise, ing. and Hieu Trong Nguyen, B. Arch., Dupras Ledoux

Immigrant Engineers and Licensing. Canada’s professional engineering associations are facing challenges. By John Boyd, P.Eng.

Energy Retrofits at Lakeridge Health. Cogeneration, solar power and other technologies are reaping big energy savings. By Olivier Matte, ing. and Josephine Pham, Ecosystem Energy Services

The New LEED. In Canada LEEDv4 is about to be rolled out. So what has changed? By Steve Kemp, P.Eng., David Rekker, and Braden Kurczak, P.Eng. MMM Group

Living Walls: Art and Science. A new study shows these features are successful in removing pollutants from the indoor air. By Alan Darlington, Ph.D., Nedlaw Living Walls and Emma Rohmann, P.Eng., Halsall Associates

Geoexchange Systems: Next Steps. While geoexchange systems have many advantages, things can go wrong. By Ruben Arellano, P.Eng., GeoExchange BC & Associated Engineering

on topic CONVERSATIONS Martin Roy. Quebec’s first LEED Fellow explains why he was drawn to the green building sector. 46

ENGINEERS & THE LAW Liability and Green Buildings. By Bryan Buttigieg, Miller Thomson LLP 42 May 2014

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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

Editor

Renewable energy promises great future for First Nations

o matter how energy efficient and green our buildings become, a critical factor is still where and how the energy that fires them is generated. Renewable versus carbonbased fuels are one obvious answer for reducing greenhouse gases and important developments are taking place among First Nations in this sector. The resignation of Shawn Attleo as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations in early May exposed some of the divisions and disarray among aboriginal people. But at a deeper level big changes are taking place. Aboriginal people are gathering strength and demanding that they have a much bigger role in developing their economies, including in renewable energy projects. If they succeed, they could establish themselves on a much firmer footing and at the same time sustain and broaden Canada’s energy supply. Solar, wind and hydroelectricity power relies on land, and First Nations have a lot of it. They also have a particularly close and reverent attitude to the earth, so developing renewable energy seems to be a perfect marriage. Today, First Nations are partnering with companies, government agencies, and engineering companies to develop projects on a large scale. The First Nations Land Management Act provides for communities to opt out of the Indian Act and take control of how the resources on their lands are developed. So far, according to the AANDC web site, 67 First Nations have chosen this route, which requires that they each develop their own land codes. At the All-Energy Conference held in April in Toronto, on Thursday, April 10, Byron LeClair, director of energy projects for the Pic River First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior, Northern Ontario, insisted: “Standard energy projects must include First Nations on the development side.” His community now has three operating run-of-river generating stations — Twin Falls at 5 MW, Umbata Falls at 23 MW, and the Wawatay station at 13.5 MW — as well as another 140 MW of new wind and water projects on the books amounting to over $500 million in investment. Matt Jamieson, director of economic development with the Six Nations of the Grand River in southwestern Ontario near Brantford, also spoke. Six Nations includes the Mohawk, Seneca and Oneida, and is the largest First Nation in Canada by population, with 25,500 people. He explained that after Ontario’s Green Energy Act passed in 2009, Six Nations is now involved in large projects like Samsung’s massive solar and wind Grand Renewable Energy Park. While the potential is great, the track to the future is rough and steep. LeClair warned that overlapping land claims between First Nations could hinder transmission line projects. Also, First Nations are committed to achieving community consensus before they proceed with projects, which slows things down. Meanwhile financing is tricky, since Bay Street isn’t clear on how to sit down and negotiate with First Nations, suggested Jamieson. Meanwhile communities urgently need housing, roads, water and other infrastructure. Jamieson had this advice for project proponents: “Have a genuine relationship with the First Nation, not a transactional one. Accept delays. They’re a way of life in these communities.” And lastly, “Make sure you support the First Nations person who is advocating for your project.” Bronwen Parsons 4

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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 of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

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up front

CONSTRUCTION

Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvements, Metro Vancouver. AWARDS

Port Mann, Highway 1 wins top award in B.C. The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia (ACEC-BC) gave its 2014 awards at a gala dinner on April 12, at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. Guests dressed in 1940s attire for the theme “Swing into Spring,” and dignitaries in attendance included the Hon. Judith Guichon, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and the Hon. Linda Reid, Speaker of the BC Legislature. The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence went to H5M, a joint venture of Hatch Mott MacDonald and MMM Group, for their onshore works for the Port Mann/ Highway 1 Improvements. Part of the Trans-Canada Highway between Vancouver and Langley, the transportation corridor is Metro Vancouver’s busiest. Awards of excellence went to: Jasper Place Library, Edmonton by Fast + Epp; Mosquito Creek Debris Flow Net, North Vancouver by Tetra Tech; Ruskin Dam Seepage Control Upgrade, Mission by Golder Construction; John Matthews Ravine Restoration, Burnaby by Associated Engineering; and finally, the Heat Seeking Sewer Model, Vancouver by

Kerr Wood Leidal Associates. In the awards for individuals, the 2014 Meritorious Achievement Award went to Brian Johnson, P. Eng. Johnson recently retired from Stantec after 30 years, 20 of which he served as vice president of B.C. where he oversaw the growth of the company to over 800 staff and revenues in excess of $100 million. The Young Professional Award went to Allison Clavelle, P.Eng., of Urban Systems who has served two terms as chair of ACEC-BC’s Young Professionals Group. AWARDS

Consulting Engineers of Ontario celebrate excellence Also on April 12, a few hours before ACEC-BC gave out its awards, the 12th Annual Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards were held by Consulting Engineers of Ontario. The top Willis Chipman Award went to REMISZ Consulting Engineers for a multi-use path they completed for the National Capital Commission along a very steep escarpment on Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Parkway. The design uses a system of micro piles, elevated precast concrete slabs, and a new type of guiderail system. The awards were handed out at the

Ontario to review Construction Lien Act The government of Ontario is conducting an independent review of its Construction Lien Act. The decision is in response to concerns raised by general contractors, owners and others about the proposed Bill 69 Prompt Payment Act, which has already passed its second reading. The unions and trade industries who support Bill 69 say that the habitual late payment of subcontractors invites abuse and puts an unfair burden on the trades. HVAC

Highrise and lowrise ventilation standards to be same ASHRAE is proposing to consolidate its residential air-quality standards, regardless of building height. Common areas in any residential building would fall under the current standard for higher buildings, standard 62.1. All dwelling units, meanwhile, would fall under the current lowrise residential ventilation standard 62.2. MATERIALS

Cement giants merge Switzerland’s cement manufacturer Holcim announced in April that it is buying Lafarge of France. The merger will create the world’s largest construction materials company.

continued on page 8 6

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29944_LAA

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Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario headquarters, Toronto.

Liberty Grand in downtown Toronto. Bruce McCuaig, president and chief executive officer of Metrolinx, was keynote speaker. Awards of excellence, selected according to the firm’s number of employees, went to: 1-25 employees: Integral Group for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario headquarters in Toronto. 26-50 employees: Cowater International of Ottawa for planning, financial management, design and construction supervision of 600 rural water systems in Mozambique. 51-100 employees: Associated Engineering for upgrading the century-old Scott Street Sewage Pumping Station in downtown Toronto. 100-350 employees: Halsall Associates won for renovations and a new 15-storey tower at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences. 350+ employees: MMM Group for Quito International Airport in Ecuador. The awards were chosen from 36 nominees. Barry Steinberg, chief executive officer of CEO, noted: “The quality of the work we see each year through this awards program speaks volumes about the incredible skill and dedication of consulting engineers in Ontario and the reputation they’ve earned around the globe.” PROFESSION

APEGA struggling to keep up with applications The Association of Professional Engi8

neers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is struggling to keep up with the large number of applications it is receiving from engineering and geoscience graduates. APEGA received 6,200 applications for membership in 2013, a statistic that — astonishingly — means approximately 1 in 10 of newcomers to the province is applying to the association. About 60% of the applications come from other Canadian provinces, while 40% are from other countries. Philip Mulder, director of communications with APEGA, says that the reasons why they have so many applications is “obvious.” “There’s work available for professional engineers and geoscientists in Alberta right now and into the foreseeable future. While this is good news, it does result in a large number of applications to APEGA,” he says. COMPANIES

Engineering giant Parsons acquires Delcan Parsons, based in Pasadena, California, has acquired Delcan, a company that has its roots in Toronto. Delcan was incorporated on December 31, 1953 as De Leuw Cather Canada and one of its earliest projects was the first subway transit line in Toronto. Today the company, which is mostly employee-owned with Manulife as a minority shareholder, employs 800 people in 25 locations around the globe. It had revenues of $126 million in 2013.

SNC-Lavalin sells AltaLink SNC-Lavalin has entered into a binding agreement to sell 100% of its interest in AltaLink. The sale is to Berkshire Hathaway Energy of Des Moines, Iowa. It will bring SNC-Lavalin approximately $3.2 billion. Founded 12 years ago, AltaLink operates approximately 12,000 kilometres of transmission lines and 280 substations in Alberta. It delivers electricity to approximately 85 per cent of the province’s population. SNC-Lavalin said that the sale represents “another significant step” in the execution of the company’s strategic plan. Two hydraulic modelling companies join forces Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd (NHC), based in Edmonton has acquired LaSalle Consulting Group based in Montreal. They are among the few private companies in North America that have hydraulic laboratories. Brian Hughes. Brian Hughes, P.Eng. of NHC said: “It’s a fit that makes sense. Both firms are highly regarded in the industry, but operate mostly in different geographic markets.” PEOPLE

Jacques Whitford founder honoured Michael S. Whitford, P.Eng., vice-president for Canada-geotechnical at Stantec, was presented with the Michael S. Whitford. President’s Award from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-New Brunswick (ACEC-NB) in April. Whitford was a founding partner of the wellknown Atlantic Canada company Jacques Whitford, which at one time had 1,700 staff working primarily in the environmental and geosciences fields. The company was acquired by Stantec in 2009.

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com May 2014

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Sustainability drives long-term thinking about engineering

hether it is through creating economic opportunity, enhancing communities or preserving the environment, the way in which we, as consulting engineers, touch the daily lives of individuals is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work. There is no other profession or business that provides such value to society while at the same time incurring such professional and commercial risk. Paradoxically, both the recognition and remuneration of consulting engineering firms do not reflect the value we provide to society. I suspect there are a few reasons for this. Perhaps we are a victim of our own success. Engineered assets in this country have been so successful and so reliable that they have become invisible. Engineering rarely receives any attention from the public other than for extremely rare failures. The second reason is that unlike other professions, we normally do not work directly for the people that benefit from our services. Frequently, our clients are large public and private sector organizations that engage our services on behalf of the beneficia-

ries of our expertise, whether they be taxpayers, shareholders or consumers. Another reason is that many projects have been driven by short-term savings, usually at the expense of long-term value. It is in the long-term that our value proposition is strongest. Engineers provide the best value to both clients and society when measured against criteria such as life-cycle savings, design life, reliability and environmental sustainability. The good news is that through sustainability we are offered an opportunity to showcase our value proposition. Increasingly, sustainability — in some form — is being identified as a key objective for engineering projects. While other long-term criteria are often seen as esoteric by some, the notion of sustainability has been embraced by society at large. Achieving sustainability inherently requires a longterm approach to projects, which the engineering community has pioneered and long advocated. With the opportunity to approach engineering projects through the lens of the long-term, the consulting engineering sector is well positioned to demonstrate its value proposition. JASON MEWIS, P.ENG. CHAIR, ACEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL

La durabilité des projets d’ingénierie

ue ce soit la création de débouchés économiques, l’amélioration de la qualité de vie des collectivités ou la protection de l’environnement, la manière dont nous, les ingénieurs-conseils, touchons la vie de tous, est l’un des aspects les plus valorisants de notre travail. Il n’existe aucune autre profession ou industrie qui procure autant de valeur à la société tout en assumant un important risque professionnel et commercial. Paradoxalement, la reconnaissance et la rémunération des firmes de génie-conseil ne reflètent pas la valeur que nous procurons à la société. Je soupçonne quelques raisons pour cette situation. Nous sommes peut-être les victimes de notre propre succès. Les actifs d’ingénierie dans ce pays ont été si réussis et si fiables qu’ils sont devenus invisibles. L’ingénierie reçoit rarement l’attention du public, sauf en cas de défaillances extrêmement rares. Ensuite, contrairement à d’autres professions, nous ne travaillons habituellement pas directement pour les gens qui bénéficient de nos services. Nos clients sont souvent de grandes organisations des secteurs public et privé qui font appel à nos services pour les bénéficiaires de notre expertise, que ce soient les contribuables, les actionnaires ou les consommateurs. De plus, de nombreux projets ont été ré-

alisés avec un souci d’économie à court terme, habituellement aux dépens d’une valeur à long terme. Or, c’est à long terme que notre proposition de valeur est la plus pertinente. En effet, les ingénieurs procurent la meilleure valeur à leurs clients et à la société lorsque cette valeur est mesurée selon des critères d’économies sur le coût du cycle de vie, de durée de vie utile, de fiabilité et de durabilité environnementale. La bonne nouvelle, c’est que les principes de durabilité nous donnent l’occasion de présenter notre proposition de valeur. La durabilité est de plus en plus reconnue comme un objectif clé des projets d’ingénierie. Alors que certains perçoivent souvent d’autres critères à long terme comme ésotériques, la notion de durabilité a été adoptée par la société en général. Pour réaliser les objectifs de la durabilité, il faut une approche à long terme aux projets, une approche que la communauté des ingénieurs a proposée et qu’elle prône depuis longtemps. Avec la possibilité d’approcher les projets d’ingénierie comme des réalisations à long terme, le secteur canadien du génie-conseil est bien placé pour démontrer sa proposition de valeur. JASON MEWIS, P.ENG. PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION DE L’AFIC

May 2014

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Selecting Enterprise Software in the Professional Services Industry By Barry Goman, AMR Group Limited

nterprise software — also referred to as ERP (enterprise resource planning) software — is an integrated suite of front, middle, and back office applications used to support the operational and administrative functions of an organization, including resource scheduling, project management, business development, and accounting. Although ERP solutions can carry a heavy price tag for large, complex companies, affordable alternatives exist for small and mid-size businesses. The benefits include streamlined processes, productivity increases, and improved access to critical information. Investments in programming and IT support are also more manageable given the significant improvements in software designed specifically for professional services firms (not manufacturing, construction, or distribution businesses). Choosing ERP software is like buying a house – it’s usually not done very often, you have many choices, and some expert advice comes in handy. Let’s review a few important guidelines that will help ensure you’re prepared for meetings with vendors and, ultimately, for selecting the best ERP solution. 1. Begin by conducting an initial review of the financial, time, and resource commitment necessary. Web research, networking, and preliminary vendor discussions can augment

in-house expertise. Circulate findings and seek feedback from all members of the management team and other key stakeholders. Determine whether there is broad-based support for change. 2. Ensure a decision to proceed has the full support and commitment of the leadership team. Appoint at least one executive sponsor and form an evaluation team with enthusiastic members from operations, administration, and accounting. Keeping staff informed is vital to success and acceptance of change. This team represents your communication channel to the whole organization. 3. Other important stakeholders must be given a “voice” in the process. The evaluation team should solicit and obtain comments on issues and problems with current systems (and vendors) as well as requirements – from key workers in each department – for a new system. Once this feedback is assessed, a “needs” document that prioritizes the findings should be prepared. At this stage in the process, documentation of no more than 10 pages should be sufficient. 4. A needs list is not restricted to software functionality. Other factors that come into play include the desired profile of your potential soft-

ware business partners, for example years in business, financial stability, reputation, industry experience, local support capabilities, and commitment to innovation. 5. Naturally, assessing cost and how well this aligns to a budget is another factor. There are a number of elements to consider: (a) Software cost and annual software maintenance; (b) Implementation support (installation, training, data conversion, consulting); (c) Post-implementation support; (d) IT infrastructure investments necessary to support new software. Some vendors offer lease financing and “cloud” or SaaS (software-as-a-service) solutions that bundle these costs into monthly or annual payments. The benefits of ERP software for professional services organizations can be significant. Taking the time to develop a statement of needs and preparing for a thorough evaluation of solutions are critical first steps to successful implementations. Now you’re ready to meet vendors and begin the evaluation process! Barry Goman, CMC, is Managing Director with AMR Group Limited, www.amrgroup.ca.

Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC-Canada), 420-130 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5G4, tel: (613) 236-0569, fax: (613) 236-6193, info@acec.ca, www.acec.ca. ACEC Member Organizations: Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – British Columbia, Consulting Engineers of Yukon, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Consulting Engineers of Northwest Territories, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – 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, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador. 12

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Sustainable Development for Canadian Consulting Engineers ACEC report reviews sustainability measurement systems for engineering projects

CEC recently released a report which will serve as a valuable resource to its member firms as well as owners of both public and private infrastructure. In addition to explaining the important role engineers play in ensuring our sustainable future, Sustainable Development for Canadian Consulting Engineers identifies proven practices and tools developed by the engineering community around the world that will help consulting engi-

“From its beginnings in the mid 1970’s, the modern concept of sustainable development has evolved to become an increasingly important driver in the delivery of consulting engineering services.”

–Sustainable Development for Canadian Consulting Engineers neers and their clients achieve sustainable projects that meet the needs of our population over the long term. The report was commissioned by ACEC with three overall objectives in mind: • To put together a summary of the background to sustainable development and its implications for consulting engineers and their clients, • To look at existing systems to measure the sustainability of infrastructure projects and consider their possible use in Canada, and • To suggest an approach that would support ACEC member firms in their efforts to execute projects

more sustainably. The concept of sustainable development rose to significance in 1987 when the Brundtland Commission defined it as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In 1992, at the first UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), an agenda for the environment and development in the 21st century was adopted. Today, governments and companies around the world recognize the need for sustainable project solutions. In Canada, our federal and provincial governments have enacted sustainability legislation and municipalities are becoming increasingly interested in the concept and promise of sustainable cities. The result of this interest and activity is an increased demand for more sustainable projects from the consulting engineering industry. To meet this demand, numerous systems for measuring the sustainability of infrastructure engineering projects have been proposed. In Sustainable Development for Canadian Consulting Engineers, four of these systems are reviewed: Envision™ from the United States, CEEQUAL© international from the UK, AGIC IS from Australia, and CBDD from France. These systems represent current thinking and provide an excellent and comprehensive perspective on infrastructure sustainability. “As an industry and as a country it is imperative that we both promote practices that serve today’s needs and those of future generations,” said John Gamble, President of ACEC. While the concept of sustainable development is inherent in good engineering practice and has been embraced by the Canadian engineering community for de-

cades, it has not formally and explicitly been embedded in the way in which consulting engineers do their work. “It is in the long-term that the value proposition of engineering is strongest. Consulting engineers provide the best value to both clients and society when measured against criteria such as life-cycle savings, design life, reliability and environmental sustainability,” according to Gamble. The report’s author and internationally recognized authority on sustainability, Dr. John Boyd, believes that Canada has an opportunity to be a world leader in environmentally sustainable projects that meet the needs of today’s modern economy. “Canadian consulting engineers are among the best in the world,” said Boyd. “We are ready to provide leadership in this vitally important area. Marrying economic growth with environmental protection is the challenge of this century. This report will provide vital guidance to our sector as it seeks to develop sustainable infrastructure solutions.” To access Sustainable Development for Canadian Consulting Engineers, please visit www.acec.ca. May 2014

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

ACEC Leadership Summit 2014 The national business meeting for Canada’s leaders in consulting engineering

The Fairmont Winnipeg June 19-21, 2014

ACEC LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2014 DRI V I NG

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on’t miss ACEC Leadership Summit 2014, an unparalleled opportunity to gain key insight from industry experts, network with peers and discuss the issues that impact your business the most. You’ll hear perspectives of decision makers with some of Canada’s leading private and public sector organizations.

Business Program highlights include: • The state of business innovation in Canada • Business and market trends • Leveraging innovation through project delivery • Innovation: managing the risks and creating opportunity • Creating an innovative culture in the workplace • Success strategies for the age of innovation

Technical tour: Manitoba Hydro Place (LEED platinum certification), June 19, 9:00-11:00am Register today

For more details and to register, visit www.acec.ca/summit.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Bruce Good, Executive Director, Centre for Business Innovation, The Conference Board of Canada According to The Conference Board of Canada, “the case for action to transform our firm-level innovation to world-leading status is compelling, and frankly, urgent.” Hear from Bruce Good on how business innovation results require firm-level management strategies that are comprehensive, competitively driven, metrics-based and methodically implemented with the latest techniques and tools. Paul Zofnass, President, Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG) EFCG is regarded as the leading strategic, financial, valuation and merger and acquisition advisor to the engineering/consulting industry. Each year, EFCG brings together CEOs of leading e/c firms to discuss trends, issues, and changes taking place in the industry. Results of a detailed financial and operating survey of participants, including outlook and issues for the industry, will be presented. Jim Bottomley, Consultant and Futurist From Fortune 500s to non-profits, Jim Bottomley has advised organizations in every sector as they set about charting a path for the future. Providing insight into how social, economic, and demographic trends are shaping the years ahead, Jim’s presentations combine humour, high-energy, and practical examples to leverage future changes for success.

www.acec.ca/summit

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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May 2014

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green buildings

RIO TINTO ALCAN PLANETARIUM Montreal’s new Planetarium introduces visitors to the mysteries of the universe within a building that has extraordinary design features of its own. BY LAURENT LAFRAMBOISE, ING. AND HIEU TRONG NGUYEN, B. ARCH., DUPRAS LEDOUX

Government of British Columbia

ontreal’s Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium has received an overwhelming amount of attention since it opened on April 6 last year. Visitors were amazed by the design, beauty and comfort of the facilities. The new building is part of the Montreal Espace pour la

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vie (Space for Life) group of museums in the Olympic Park district and was constructed next to the Biodôme. The Planetarium is an educational, cultural and scientific museum that aims to direct the population’s interest towards the natural sciences, specifically astronomy. It is the largest planetarium in Canada, with a capacity to host 375 people.

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Espace pour la vie / Daniel ChoiniĂ¨re

green buildings

Left and above: the Planetarium's distinctive tilted cone roofs enclose the theatres but also allow natural ventilation.

ÂŠ Espace pour la vie / Raymond Jalbert

The 86,080 sq.ft. building has two theatres beneath two distinctive, enormous tilted pillars. It also includes exhibition halls, laboratories, meeting rooms, shops, restaurants and offices. The Milky Way Theatre, which seats approximately 200, is the traditional astronomical facility where visitors study

and learn about the stars in the sky. In the second hall, dubbed the Chaos Theatre, visitors sit back and relax on bean bags and are taken for a 20-minute multimedia odyssey through the universe. There is also a permanent interactive exhibition with projections and multimedia games that ponder the question of whether life exists beyond Earth, and an area displaying the largest public collection of meteorites in Quebec. The building was designed by a joint venture of Cardin Ramirez Julien and AEdifica Architecture + Design. The structural and civil design was by SNC-Lavalin, and the mechanical and electrical design, which included the design of the interior and exterior lighting concepts, was by our firm, Dupras Ledoux. In regard to the unique construction of this building, the project was greatly challenging. The City of Montreal recontinued on page 18 May 2014

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green buildings

continued from page 17

quested that the building achieve Platinum level LEED Canada NC 1.0 certification. The objective was to accumulate 54-57 out of a possible total 70 LEED points. Most of the project team members are certified LEED specialists in Quebec, which contributed to their keen interest in working with this type of sustainable development and renewable energy construction. Exchanges energy with the adjacent Biodôme The neighbouring Biodôme uses an open geothermic loop, together with high-efficiency equipment. [See Canadian Consulting Engineer, August-September 2010.] This building consumes a lot of heat and air conditioning simultaneously in order to maintain the ideal climate conditions in its different exhibition zones: arctic, tropical, marine, and dry desert. The objective for the Planetarium was to recycle excessive heat or cooling from the Biodôme to maintain certain of the Planetarium’s energy needs. Thus the largest portion of the Planetarium’s energy requirements are generated by the Biodôme. The complementary effects between the two buildings permit diversity between the thermal capacities of each facility and optimize the use of the geothermal open well. In order to achieve an efficient energy exchange between the two buildings, the Planetarium equipment and systems were conceived with similar operating temperatures to the Biodôme. Specification adjustments such as an oversized heating coil were made to the initial design to accommodate a very low temperature heating supply at around 85°F. Early in the design process, it was determined that the building automated controls should also be centralized into

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the Biodôme mainframe system. It is essential to have a good amount of dynamic data in order to produce heating and cooling simultaneously at an optimal cost. The heat pumps are screw type equipment and allow a coefficient of performance (COP) of 7 in certain conditions (7 kW of energy generated with 1kW of electricity). The actual challenge is to keep the efficiency at a maximum point in all sorts of conditions and operating schedules based on trends and historical data. The Planetarium has a heat pump that generates heat or cooler temperatures based on the results of the neighbouring building’s capacities to produce these requirements. This heat pump can ensure 100% of the heating and a portion of the cooling needs. Thus, the air-conditioning of the Planetarium is provided by the Biodome, but with a portion provided by the Planetarium when needed. The heat pump system is installed throughout a primary distribution network at a constant speed and a secondary variable speed. The heating temperature is adjustable based on the demand of the critical zone. An electric boiler is installed in case of failure from the heat pump. The cooling temperature is constant and the flow is modulated to maintain a return temperature of 55°F. A feed temperature between 95°F and 100°F is sufficient to heat the building in the winter. A BTU meter is installed on each of the networks between the Biodôme and the Planetarium to measure the energy of cooling and heating exchanged each way. The value of energy is modulating depending on the season and time of day. Heat rejected from the equipment, lighting and visitors in the Planetarium is entirely recuperated by the cooled

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green buildings water circulation system and transferred to the heated tion humidification system which is adiabatic and allows low water circulation in the winter. In the summer, heat used temperature energy usage as a source of heat. to dehumidify the air is 100% recuperated from the coolWindows and dampers are installed on the outer walls of ing condensers. the halls and in the cone-shaped roofs to allow natural hyAccording to the energy brid ventilation when the simulation model, the Planconditions permit. The etarium surpasses the pershapes of the building as “The objective was to recycle formance of a building refwell as the large open areas excessive heat or cooling from the erenced by ASHRAE 90.1were key elements when cre1999 by 50.6% for the reguating effective air sweeping Biodôme to maintain certain of the lated energy and achieves 8 of the entire space. This venPlanetarium’s energy needs.” points out of 10 on the tilation system does not reLEED Canada scale. place the mechanical system, but is a hybrid that reHybrid ventilation and massive heat recovery duces the air-conditioning charge, while increasing the The office space, halls, training rooms and exposition quality of indoor air. The system is also used to produce rooms are ventilated through the floor, while the theatre nocturnal purging. areas are ventilated from the walls with the help of a combination of displacement diffusers and adjustable nozzles, all Two large reservoirs while respecting NC20 acoustic requirements. The building contains two large water reservoirs, which The air treatment systems are subdivided by thermal and each accumulate 40,000 litres of rain water from the roofs occupant zones, using a fan-coil variable heating-coil and and terraces. A filtration system and chemical treatment cooling-coil unit. All these units are connected to a high ensure the quality of this grey water, which is used in the toilets and urinals. performance centralized fresh-air system. In order to limit the amount of fresh-air injected into Thanks to the use of rainwater, the decrease in drinking each of these zones, when the exterior conditions are ex- water consumption for the building is 59% below the LEED treme, CO2 sensors are used to control the quantity of fresh Canada building requirements. air used. All the plumbing equipment was selected with care. Low The heat from the evacuated air of all systems is recuper- flow sinks, low consumption toilets and urinals all have moveated by a massive, high efficiency (80-95%) system. The sys- ment sensors, while thermostatic mixing valves were installed tem recuperates latent and sensible energy in winter and to control the water temperatures for showers and sinks. The summer. The fresh-air central system has a water atomiza- domestic hot water is produced locally in small tanks. continued on page 20

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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green buildings

continued from page 19

Hieu Trong Nguyen

Espace pour la vie / Daniel Choinière

Left: main hall with tube lighting feature inspired by the movement of planets and stars. Below: lighting effects help to evoke a sense of the mystery of the universe.

Lighting objectives Platinum LEED certification: • Reduce the maximum amount of energy consumption, while using natural lighting; • Avoid light pollution projected on site towards the sky in support of observing the stars; • Reduce the maximum quantity of mercury content in the lamps used. Lighting quality: • Provide a very high quality of lighting by creating appropriate levels of lighting for the visibility and comfort requirements; • Create flexibility in the lighting to adapt to the various activities; • Accentuate the architectural concepts; • Create inviting, mysterious and futuristic ambient lighting to engage the visitors; • Create a strong and unique identity for the new planetarium. Respect the budget. Avoiding light pollution and mercury High performance lighting, dimmable ballasts, and high efficiency lamps with low energy consumption (LED, fluorescent T5 or T8) are used with a high-tech centralized control system that works with motion detectors. The system controls “on-off” functions in the entire building, based on programmable lighting control schedules. Design calculations showed an energy consumption approximately 45% less than the referenced building 20

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ASHRAE 90.1 (0.9W/pc versus 1.6W/pc), which is an exceptional result. Almost all of the light fixtures in the building and the exterior surroundings use LED lamps. These light fixtures are a “full cutoff” type (i.e. the light stream is oriented downwards) or they are directed towards the ground. The strategy helps limit the amount of light pollution and improves the observation of stars. Only lights that have a low or non-existent mercury content have been used. The LED lamps, of which a large number were used, do not contain mercury. For fluorescent or metal halogen bulbs, only those with the lowest levels containing mercury were selected. Based on calculations, the level of mercury detected is well below the level permitted by LEED. Creating a mysterious and futuristic ambiance A variety of lighting levels creates a subtle difference from one area to the next while the control system and the choice of gradual lighting allows specific activities and ambiances. For example in the activity room the lighting scenarios can adapt to various activities such as training, projection and conferences. In the halls the low level of lighting creates a calm and mysterious environment that stimulates the curiosity of guests prior to their experience in the theatres where they enjoy the lighting effects and artificial projections. The lighting concept also provides a distinctive character to the building. In the main hall, for example, simple tube lighting is suspended in a creation inspired by the move-

May 2014

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green buildings ment of planets and stars. This thematic idea, which visitors, particularly children, can relate to, is also seen in the group eating areas where the lighting portrays flying saucers. In addition, the DEL RGB lighting in the hallways is programmed to illuminate naturally in the following order: sunrise, sunset, and night. To emphasize the exterior landscape design, lighting has been incorporated into many of the elements, such as railings and canopies. On one side of the curved benches, for example, the lights create an illusion of planets coming out of the ground, and on the other side blue lights project in streams to the ground, creating a futuristic and mysterious effect. The inner courtyard hidden at the main entrance requires special lighting to accentuate the concept of fallen meteorites and the illusion of them marking the earth. The rocks placed randomly in this area are lit by accent lighting, while beams of coloured light project onto a perforated wall background to create different lighting effects (aurora borealis, midnight blue, etc.). Having a limited budget was a difficult challenge for a building with such a large area and several particular spaces. By careful planning, the team created an exceptional design and quality in the most important areas of

Project: Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium Owner-client: Ville de Montreal, Espace pour la vie Mechanical, electrical & lighting engineers: Dupras Ledoux (André Dupras ing. Laurent Laframboise ing., Khalid Saadaoui ing.) Architect: Cardin Ramirez Julien and Aedifica Architecture + Design Structural: SNC-Lavalin Landscape architecture: Fauteux and associés

the building, and provided economical solutions to the secondary areas such as the warehouse, service areas etc. Regardless of budget constraints, site constraints and the complexity of the project, the lighting concept not only has exceeded the set criteria, but

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

14-05-15 8:52 AM

opinion

Immigrant Engineers a

BY JOHN BOYD, P.ENG.

cross Canada, the require ments for registration as a professional engineer are consistent. The person must have an ethical and mature character, a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Canadian engineering program or equivalent, and four years of acceptable work experience (of which one must be Canadian). They must succeed in the professional practice examination, and have the ability to communicate in the official language of the province in question. These requirements are not arbi trary but reflect the obligation of our registration bodies to protect the safe ty of the public. They are necessary so that our society can trust the compe tence, integrity, and professional knowledge of the codes and standards of the practicing engineer. Disman tling them would not be consistent with our professional obligations. Yet the existence of this registra tion procedure is increasingly being seen as discriminatory towards immi grants who wish to practice the engi neering profession in Canada. In a recent case (Mihaly v The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta), the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal hand ed down its decision that “… Mr. Mih 22

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aly has succeeded in establishing that the Examination Standard and the Ex perience Standard used by APEGGA to assess his educational credentials, with out more individualized assessment or exploration of other options, consti tutes discrimination which cannot be justified under the Act.” The decision is being challenged in court, but in other provinces similar Human Rights Tribu nals and Commissions are expressing the same sort of reservations. This is clearly an issue that we need to address comprehensively. I have just finished carefully read ing the Mihaly decision (all 67 pages of it), and while I remain convinced of my personal opinion that Mr. Mihaly was not discriminated against (as I understand the meaning of the word), the essence of the tribunal’s argument is that the professional registration body needed to do more to help Mr. Mihaly and others in a similar situa tion make the transition from their place of origin to practice in Canada. For many decades we have success fully grown our country by encourag ing good people from around the world to move here, make it their home, become citizens, and contribute their skills and abilities to our collective knowledge and experience. The high standard of living that makes Canada

so attractive to these newcomers arises in no small part because of the quality and consistency of our engineering work. Yet for an immigrant with an en gineering background, acceptance as a Canadian professional engineer can be an unexpectedly onerous process. Many immigrants have successfully transferred their credentials from their point of origin by this process, but for others it is difficult. The validation process There are three hurdles to becoming licensed. The first is the equation of the applicant’s educational credentials to Canadian educational credentials (sometimes by means of a technical examination). The second is the re quirement for at least a year of Cana dian experience, and proof of another three years of foreign engineering ex perience. The third is the professional practice examination that tests the ap plicant’s knowledge of Canadian ethics and applicable law. This examination is a requirement regardless of the appli cant’s previous experience elsewhere. Young professionals raised and trained in this country get their knowl edge from accredited Canadian uni versities and acquire their experience working in junior positions under the direct supervision of a professional

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opinion

rs and Licensing

CANADA’S PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATIONS ARE FACING CHALLENGES. THEY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST IMMIGRANT ENGINEERS, YET AT THE SAME TIME PROTECT

©Michael Eddenden

engineer. Immigrants validate their knowledge either through the Wash ington Accord, bilateral mutual recog nition agreements between Engineers Canada and their country of origin (such agreements recognize a coun try’s certification process as equivalent to ours), or through the extensive da tabase of thousands of educational in stitutions maintained by our registra tion bodies from previous applica tions. Unfortunately many thousands of other foreign educational establish ments are not part of our experience network and the process of accrediting knowledge often requires validation by examination. For working profes sionals who have many years of experi ence in their country of origin, going through an examination process in Canada can be galling. The acquisition of appropriate Ca nadian experience requires the im migrant to work for a year in a super vised role. During this period, the ap plicant also accumulates the knowl edge necessary to pass the profession al practice examination. It means finding work in an organization that is sufficiently forward thinking to accept that the employee’s role will be limit ed for the period of the licence regis tration process. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that finding such an or

ganization can be very difficult for an immigrant – the job is necessary to get the experience and the experience is necessary to qualify fully for the job. What should we do? It does us no credit to erect barriers that frustrate our immigrants in achieving success in their transition to our country. Yet we need to recognize that the term “engineer” means vastly differ ent things in different countries. Many countries have no registration requirements to use the term “engi neer,” and no certification of the quality and completeness of an indi vidual’s educational training. As a result, in certain cases it is inappro priate for us to accept at face value the claim that the immigrant is quali fied to practice without some form of proof (examination, supervised prac tice in Canada, and the like). In our companies we need to rec ognize the new immigrant pool as a resource that will require a little in vestment to realize its potential. We need to work actively with the provin cial registration bodies to identify those newcomers who could use our help to achieve professional registra tion, then offer them the job that makes it possible.

PUBLIC SAFETY. In our profession we need to en courage the steps that are being taken to clarify the specific requirements of the experience criteria and make the requirements more subject to formal training. The registration bodies should take whatever steps are neces sary to streamline the registration process, recognizing the international agreements that are in place and are being further developed. With our federal government we need to become much more assertive and proactive with regard to its nego tiation of trade agreements that affect the profession, and in its provision of clear and concise information to pro spective immigrant engineers. These are not new ideas and there are many actions being taken across the country on all of them, but we cannot afford to be satisfied by the rate of current progress. Increasingly, engineering is becoming a global pro fession and in Canada we need to think of it in that context. CCE John Boyd, P.Eng. of Toronto is a former vice-president and senior principal with Golder Associates. Now "retired" he is is involved with Design First Seminars. He is a past chair of ACEC-Canada and past president of FIDIC, the international federation of consulting engineers. May 2014

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

14-05-28 10:42 AM

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14-05-14 12:44 PM

Ecosystem

health care

Lakeridge Health Oshawa.

ENERGY RETROFITS AT LAKERIDGE HEALTH Cogeneration, solar power and deep energy retrofits at four hospital sites in Durham Region, Ontario, are reaping annual savings of $1.2 million BY OLIVIER MATTE, ING. AND JOSEPHINE PHAM ECOSYSTEM ENERGY SERVICES

n November 2013, the Ontario Hospital Association named Lakeridge Health the Green Hospital of the Year. The award recognizes the hospital’s multi-faceted energy efficiency and waste reduction measures. “We’re for healthy communities, and that’s what this project is all about,” said Lakeridge Health President and CEO Kevin Empey. “We’re reducing our environmental footprint together with our energy costs, generating savings that can be put toward front-line care.” Lakeridge Health is a large community hospital with a total of 15 sites located in and around Durham Region in southern Ontario. Four of these sites are large hospitals in Oshawa, Bowmanville, Port Perry and Whitby. In 2009, similar to many other Canadian hospitals, Lakeridge Health was under pressure to cut costs, upgrade its infrastructure and renew its assets — all without compromising the quality of patient care.

Recognizing that there were untapped savings opportunities within the existing infrastructure, the Lakeridge team issued a competitive public call for tender. This resulted in a partnership with Ecosystem Energy Services, a Canadian firm that specializes in deep energy retrofits that are self-financed through guaranteed savings. Beginning in 2010, Ecosystem has designed and implemented energy-saving retrofits for the four main hospital sites, which together amount to 136,680 square metres (1,471,200 sq.ft.). The retrofits aim to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the hospital environment for staff, patients and their families. Construction at the Whitby and Port Perry locations was completed in November of 2013. At the Oshawa and Bowmanville locations construction is expected to be completed by this December. The project has 29 energy conservation measures, which continued on page 28

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Photos: Ecosystem

health care

Above left: cogeneration system at Lakeridge Health's Oshawa hospital site; it gives 42% of the project energy savings. Below left: testing parking lot lighting at Oshawa, before (left) and after (right). Above: installing PV solar panels at Oshawa.

together are expected to cut energy costs by 20% annually. In addition, the project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,078 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent of displacing the emissions produced by 310 typical Ontario family homes. The hospital will pay for the project out of the energy savings achieved, and Ecosystem guarantees the construction costs and the annual savings for a period of five years. “This guaranteed energy saving investment has allowed us to reduce our risk of infrastructure failures and save money to reinvest into capital improvements,” said Neil Clarke, director of engineering and infrastructure at Lakeridge Health. Cogeneration cost offset The 1.6 MW combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Oshawa site will generate 42% of the total project energy savings. The plant is fuelled by natural gas and uses 37% less energy than a conventional power plant and boiler system. The CHP plant’s two reciprocating natural gas-fired engines are rated at 800 kilowatt electric each and are sized to optimize the running time throughout the year and the payback period. They have a combined efficiency of over 87%, considerably higher than using separate grid power and natural gas-fired boilers. Each engine generates over 3,100,000 BTU/h (or 911 kilowatts of heat) of recovered energy in the form of hot water, which is used through a re-engineered hot water heating network. The costs of the CHP plant are offset by a $1.78 million incentive payment from the Ontario Power Authority as part of the new “Save on Energy Process & Systems” pro-

gram. As of March 2014 this new incentive had been granted to only five projects; Lakeridge Health is the first hospital recipient. LED lighting — innovative tendering Over 33,000 fluorescent tubes have been replaced with highly efficient fluorescent models, which will reduce Lakeridge Health’s lighting electricity consumption by 26%. All four sites have had their interior T12 lighting replaced with extra-long-life high efficiency fluorescent tubes. By simultaneously replacing tubes and their ballasts, Lakeridge Health can defer its lighting maintenance by four to six years, depending on the application. Lighting in the north and south atriums of the Oshawa site was converted to LEDs. The conversion, together with an improved design for the positioning of the fixtures and a natural light harvesting control system, has allowed for energy savings of 87% to 95% in these atriums. In the parking lots, Ecosystem’s preliminary field testing with LED lighting led to a public call for tender whereby manufacturers were prompted to guarantee the specified lighting levels at the best price. This strategy created a truly integrated approach between Lakeridge Health, Ecosystem and the lighting manufacturer. The resulting LED lighting upgrades are saving between 68% and 87% depending on the application. They will also reduce future maintenance costs, since the new lighting’s life expectancy is nearly 10 times greater than that of the previous lamps and ballasts.

Rec aer of v

Lea

Solar power to generate revenue A total of 144 photovoltaic solar panels have been installed continued on page 30

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Subjec OM Offic

May 2014

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Tom Chessman (back), Bill Docherty (centre), Stuart Leitch (front)

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continued from page 28

Ecosystem

health care

Key Energy Conservation Measures • Cogeneration system • Efficient lighting retrofit • Solar photovoltaic power generation • Steam-to-hot water heating network conversion • Steam network optimization • Control optimization • Variable frequency drives on selected fans and pumps • Removal of city water cooling load • New efficient cooling equipment New boiler conversion at Lakeridge Health Port Perry.

Lakeridge Health Energy Retrofit at Bowmanville, Oshawa and Port Perry, and each site now has a generating capacity of 10 kilowatts. This is power that Lakeridge Health is selling back to the province’s electricity grid as part of the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT (feed-in tariff) 1.0 program. Each of the three sites now has a steady revenue stream of between $9,000 to $11,000 per year for a period of 20 years. Steam to hot water conversion Central to the energy retrofits is the steam to hot water conversion of the heating networks in Port Perry, Whitby, and Bowmanville. New hot water boilers were installed, along with a variable flow hot water heating network. The network is taking advantage of variable frequency drives to minimize the additional electricity load generated by the new pumps. Modulating the flow and maximizing the temperature differential makes for a flexible and efficient heating network. In total, Ecosystem replaced seven boilers, three chillers, four rooftop units, and four old domestic hot water tanks. As well, a new building automation control system was installed at the Whitby location. At Bowmanville and Port Perry, the building automation control system was upgraded and extended to include all of the main HVAC equipment. Removal of city water cooling load In hospital kitchens it was common practice to use water provided by the city to cool refrigerator and freezer compressors. This has served as a reliable source of supply. However, the price of water has gone up and so has the emphasis on water conservation. As a result, the design at Bowmanville and Oshawa calls for the use of the existing chilled water system to cool the kitchen compressors. This approach cuts operating costs and conserves water. Alignment of interests spurs collaboration Ecosystem guarantees the energy savings and construction costs of the retrofit. This performance-based model drives 30

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• Project period: 2010-2014 • Total investment: $17,710,000 • Guaranteed annual savings: $1,257,000 • Avoided cost: $7,110,000 • Subsidies/grants: $2,585,590 • Payback period: 6.4 years

the company to meet and surpass contractual numbers and creates a highly collaborative partnership. Design is finetuned at each stage to address the needs of the system operators as well as the needs of the management team. The incentives thus far have surpassed expectations and will reach $2.2 million, well over the $340,000 originally planned. Collaboration is essential to the success of the project. Teams from both Ecosystem and Lakeridge Health's engineering and infrastructure department hold regular meetings and are in constant communication. “Because we’re constantly present on site, we’re able to adjust our design based on the needs of Lakeridge Health,” says Guillaume Lavallée, Ecosystem’s project manager. “Overall, it has been a smooth process with a lot of trust and open communication from both parties.” CCE Olivier Matte, ing., is coordinator of training and awareness with Ecosystem Energy Services, a Canadian company with offices in Toronto, Quebec City, Montreal, and New York City. Owner/client: Lakeridge Health Energy retrofit contractor: Ecosystem Energy Services (Thierry Desjardins, ing., André-Benoit Allard, ing., Guillaume Lavallée, P.Eng., Etienne deMuelenaere, EIT, Olivier Matte, ing., Lucas Kruitwagen, EIT, Terry Irwin, Dmytro Atroshko, Thomas Falk). Other key players: Efficiency Engineering (plans and specifications).

May 2014

14-06-12 9:56 AM

rating systems

By Steve Kemp, P.Eng., David Rekker, and Braden Kurczak, P.Eng., MMM Group

LEEDv4 is about to be rolled out in Canada. What has changed? And what will it mean for your green building projects?

THE NEW LEED

CHANGES IN THE APPROACH Originally the philosophy behind LEED was to reward designs that did as little harm as possible to the environment. With LEEDv4, the overarching goal is to promote positive actions. Practically speaking, this new mantra is reflected in encouraging more integrative design practices and promoting transparency in reporting. Another change with LEEDv4 is that the delineation between a LEED BD&C (Building Design & Construction) project and a LEED

©Wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

EED has emerged as North America’s de facto green building rating system since it debuted a decade ago. The newest iteration of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) — "v4" as it is called — is already in effect in the U.S. and will be released in Canada, complete with Canadian Alternate Compliance Paths, this June. Of course the first question developers, architects and their engineers have about the new rating system is: “Will it be easier or more difficult to get certified?” The answer is: it’s different. It will be more difficult in some areas, but allow for more flexibility in others. While many of the technical details of LEED have changed, the new rating system is more about a shift in its big picture philosophy and a reprioritization of its key environmental goals and related credits. Perhaps the most noticeable changes for those “on the ground” in building design and development, will be around site impacts and materials.

EB:O&M (Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance) project has become more clear. The operations-related credits in BD&C, such as Measurement & Verification, have been weighted less given that BD&C's focus is on design through the end of construction rather than post-occupancy performance. LEEDv4 will be the most flexible LEED system released in Canada. There’s still the same level of detail, but more flexibility for adapting it to the conditions and realities of different building types. Anyone familiar with LEED Canada v1, v1.1, and v2009, will appreciate the approach of one rating system to rule overall, i.e. they have one base system with various application guides to allow flexibility in building types that do not fit the traditional LEED paradigm (e.g., Core and Shell, Campus). Combined into one 800+ page reference manual, LEEDv4 has adopted this bookshelf approach. The new reference guide now provides unique direction, and

in some cases new available points, for each of the following building types: • New Construction • Core and Shell • Schools • Retail • Warehouse and Distribution • Hospitality • Healthcare This is a positive change in Canada, where we have struggled to fit some of these building types, especially warehouse and hospitality, into the LEED mould. TWO NEW CREDIT CATEGORIES There are two new credit categories in LEEDv4: the Integrative Process, and Location and Transportation. Integrative Process The Integrative Process (IP) category includes a new credit for teams who conduct a discovery study on how to improve the energy and water efficiency of the proposed design. There is a prerequisite for healthcare projects and a credit (worth 1-5 points) continued on page 32 May 2014

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rating systems

continued from page 31

for other building types. The team must also implement and document how the discovery study then improved the design and was incorporated into the owner’s program requirements and basis of design. Location and Transportation This new credit category, which was adopted from the LEED ND framework, rewards thoughtful decisions about building locations. It incorporates many of the LEED 2009 Sustainable Sites credits related to the surrounding community and its infrastructure. The points available here include for sensitive land protection, high priority sites (e.g. brownfields), surrounding density and diverse uses, access to transit, bicycle facilities, a reduced parking footprint, and green vehicles. CHANGES TO EXISTING CATEGORIES Sustainable Sites Having had many of its traditional credits pulled into the category above, the Sustainable Sites category has undergone a minor facelift. Notable additions include an overview of the site characteristics: a new prerequisite for schools and healthcare built around identifying potential environ-

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May 2014

Water Efficiency The major change for these credits is that there are now three prerequisites. First, each building must have a water meter. Second, outdoor water use must be reduced by at least 30%. Third, the building must show a 20% reduction in indoor water use compared to standard practice. More emphasis has been put on understanding where water is used in that further points are available for end-use metering. Additionally, point opportunities are available for reducing process water, specifically in cooling towers. Energy and Atmosphere Building energy performance through commissioning and energy efficiency remains a common thread in this section of LEEDv4. Happily, building envelope commissioning is now included as an option for enhanced commissioning. It's interesting that the point count for energy efficiency changes is based on the type of building — up to 16 points for schools, 20 for healthcare and 18 for the remainder. Other positives: a prerequisite for building level energy metering and a credit for design for demand response. One disappointment of LEEDv4, though understandable considering the focus on the “new building” rather than long term operations, is the apparent watering down of the measurement and verification credit (now called advanced energy metering). Yes you still need meters; yes you still need a plan. It’s questionable, however, if you need to execute the plan and show that your building is performing. We expect most forward thinking building owners will look beyond the point requirements and will see the benefit of true measurement and verification to improve their buildings’ operations. Materials and Resources This category has perhaps the most significant changes. Transparency is the focus. Product suppliers will need to up their game to meet LEED requirements. They will have to complete life-cycle assessments, third-party declarations, ingredient disclosure, and provide the source of raw materials. In fact, some leading-edge suppliers have anticipated the shift and are already incorporating Environmental Product Decla-

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mental contamination. There is also the addition of a general site assessment, focused on the way a development integrates with its surrounding soils, vegetation, wind, water and human activities. Other credits have been added for specific building types (e.g. places of respite for healthcare). The points related to rainwater (“quantity” and “quality”) have been combined into one credit, seeking to have sites behave the same way post-development as pre-development under frequent rainfall conditions. Most of the other Sites points have been refined, allowing for clearer or more flexible compliance paths.

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rating systems rations (EPDs) in their literature. There are also a significant number of points (2-6) available for a building life-cycle impact reduction. The points can be achieved by reusing a heritage or blighted building, or by conducting a whole-building life-cycle assessment using the Athena Impact Estimator Calculator to prove a 10% reduction in three of the six material impact categories. Indoor Environmental Quality Two of the main changes to this category are lighting control and acoustic performance. In v4, at least 90% of individual occupant spaces must have individual lighting controls with at least three lighting levels (e.g. on, off, mid-level). For shared, multioccupant spaces, there must be multi-zone control systems that allow for occupant control with at least three lighting levels. A common complaint in modern offices (not just LEED projects) is the acoustic quality in open concept spaces. To address this problem, v4 requires a minimum acoustic performance for schools using sound-absorbent materials and provides a point for achieving a high acoustic performance in other building types in terms of reverberation time, speech privacy and noise isolation, room noise levels, and paging and

sound masking systems. Occupant thermal comfort is still included, with some modifications. Occupant visual comfort is now better addressed through the inclusion of quality views and interior lighting credits. The former promotes interesting sights outside your window (and no, swaying trees donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t count as interesting). The latter appears easily achieved through the use of direct/indirect lighting fixtures. Innovation and Regional Priority For the most part, the concepts in this category are consistent with v2009. That is, there are six points available for innovative concepts, one of which is linked to the LEED AP (with relevant specialty). Regional priority credits remain organized according to urban and rural areas, but are aligned along climatic regions rather than provincial boundaries. ROLL-OUT IN CANADA Since LEEDv4 was developed by the US Green Building Council, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Technical Advisory Groups have been working hard to identify relevant nuances in the Canadian market and propose Alternative Compliance Paths. ACPs are credit adaptations that allow the more U.S.-centric credits to be better applied to an interna-

tional context without reducing the basic performance metrics of LEED. The ACPs for Canada are expected to be released in June. Canadian projects can already apply using the US LEEDv4 system, and there is a grace period for Canadian projects to choose to use LEED 2009 or v4, which lasts until June 2015. The CaGBC is currently looking for pilot projects to test v4. It should be noted that the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) tests are also slated to be revised to the v4 rules around June. Overall LEEDv4 stands as a step change in the right direction. It is the inevitable evolution of a rating system geared to encouraging the top tier of buildings to quantify their benefits. While raising the bar for some credits, it affords additional flexibility. It clarifies the documentation requirements and promises all the benefits of LEED Online to expedite the submission and review process. All of these are positives for the green building movement in this country. CCE Steve Kemp, P.Eng., M.A.Sc., LEED AP BD+C, David Rekker LEED AP BD+C, and Braden Kurczak, P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C, are with the buildings-sustainability group at MMM Group in Kitchener, Ont. They are also on Technical Advisory Groups for the Canada Green Building Council.

May 2014

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indoor air quality

Living Walls: Art and Science

VERTICAL STRUCTURES MOUNTED WITH HYDROPONIC PLANTS HAVE BECOME A FEATURE OF GREEN BUILDINGS. NOW A STUDY SHOWS HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE IN REMOVING POLLUTANTS FROM THE INDOOR AIR.

By Alan Darlington, Ph.D., Nedlaw Living Walls & Emma Rohmann, P.Eng., Halsall Associates Photo courtesy of B+H Architects/Toni Hafkenscheid Photograph

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indoor air quality

t is generally understood that greening a building’s indoor space can have a favourable impact on the wellbeing of its occupants. The possible benefits read like a business manager’s wish list: greater productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower overall stress levels. Add to that the latest research confirming that people seek out natural settings, and the increased use of biophilic designs is no surprise at all. A living wall biofiltration system is a vertical hydroponic plant arrangement that relies on a combination of mechanical and natural processes to help clean the air within buildings and create beautiful, comfortable spaces for building occupants. While a living wall biofiltration system may not garner specific LEED points, it can help fulfil a building’s LEED potential by improving indoor air quality and enhancing indoor spaces. Why use an indoor air biofilter? Most non-residential buildings have fixed windows and HVAC systems designed to “ventilate” a building. Outdoor air is drawn in, heated or cooled to match indoor conditions, then filtered and distributed to the occupied spaces. Using mechanical filters, the process dilutes and, over time, removes a portion of the airborne pollutants. However, it typically cannot remove VOCs, gases and odours. Biological systems can clean air of most types of pollutants. And unlike mechanical systems, they don’t need parts to be changed every six months. Also no energy is required to condition the return air beyond what is normally required. Although biofiltration has been tested as a means of maintaining air quality in a variety of spaces, including residential and agricultural buildings, to date most installations are found in commercial or institutional spaces.

Do they work? Results of a study Biofilter performance was the subject of a recent investigation undertaken by the Controlled Environment System Research Facility in the School of Environmental Science at the University of Guelph. The first part of the study was a randomized field trial. Here, two portable biofilters were cycled between four buildings (two single detached houses and two small office buildings) for four cycles of roughly 10 days each. At the end of the experiment, each building had two sampling periods with the biofilter and two without. Using 3M Organic Vapour Monitors (OVM), the concentration of tVOCs (total volatile organic compounds) in the spaces was measured with and without the biofilter and exhaust air stream from the biofilter. The presence of a biofilter in the space lowered tVOCs from 204 to 113 µg/m3. The biofilters were extremely ef-

fective at removing alcohols such as ethanol and iso-propyl alcohol. They were also constituently able to remove aromatic compounds such as BTEX, styrene and cymene. Terpenoids, limonene and pinene were also effectively removed. Surprisingly, the long chain alkanes, as well as decane, octane, heptane and hexane were also degraded. The biofilter had little impact on chlorinated compounds, however. A follow up experiment evaluated the performance of 12 biofilter installations. These biofilters were actual commercial installations ranging in size from less than 1 m2 to over 150 m2, and ranging in age from a few months to over seven years. A portable PID VOC sensor was used to measure the reduction of tVOC concentrations as the air stream passed through the biofilter, as well as the amount of air treated. In this study, a single pass through the biofilter reduced tVOCs by approximately 85%, effectively lowering them to outdoor concentrations. By also measuring the air flux through the biofilter, it was possible to calculate the biofilters’ Clean Air Delivery

UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR CENTRE FOR ENGINEERING INNOVATION The photo opposite shows the three-storey living wall at the University of Windsor’s new Centre for Engineering Innovation designed by B&H Architects. Comprising nearly 110 square meters of living plants with an artistic appearance of flowing water, this Nedlaw living wall biofilter is located in the building’s main atria and serves as a backdrop to the main staircase. The biofilter is integrated into the building’s HVAC system and includes a series of perforated internal diffusers with a maximum flow rate through the living wall of 0.07 m/s. The wall functions as a vertical hydroponic garden. Water trickles evenly down the interior of the wall at a rate of 40 litres per minute, is collected in a basin below and then is circulated back to the top by two pumps. The water levels in the basin are monitored by the BAS, ensuring sufficient hydration is available for plant survival. The estimated water demanded by the biofilter is about 0.2% of the building’s plumbing fixture water use. For B&H principal Kevin Stelzer, biofilter walls are a sustainable technology with enormous potential. “They give us the combined effect of substantially higher indoor air quality while providing a delightful architectural amenity,” he says. Halsall provided green building and structural engineering services. continued on page 36 May 2014

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indoor air quality

continued from page 35

Rate (CADR) – that is, the product of the amount of air treated and its quality. The biofilters were found to have an average CADR of 40 litres of virtual outside air per square metre of biofilter. The delivery rate was found to be limited almost entirely by the size of the mechanical system drawing the air, not the system’s biology. With larger fans, the biofilters could easily deliver between 80 and 100 litres of virtual outside air per square metre of biofilter. In this way, virtual outside air can be added to the makeup air calculation for the space, allowing the occupants to enjoy a higher IAQ without increasing the amount of outside air being brought in. This improvement in the indoor environment can be recognized as roughly $2,000 per m2 of biofilter (depending on the size of the system). The results of this study are currently being prepared for a peer reviewed publication. Constructing a living wall A living wall is constructed using three major components: the basin, the infrastructure, and the plants. The basin functions as both a catchment for the water circulating in the biofilter and as a reservoir for this water. Submersible pumps located in the reservoir lift the circulating water to an emitter system that disperses the water across the top of the wall at a rate of approximately four litres per second per metre of wall width. The infrastructure component of the biofilter includes the air diffuser and the growth media. The diffuser is an array of vertical perforated ducts which are fastened directly to the support wall (typically block) using concrete anchors. The diffuser ensures that uniform air flow is drawn into the porous growth media. Typically, the diffusers connect to the return air of the HVAC on each floor, allowing differential air flows through the different heights of the biofilter. Air flow and systems Since the semi-rigid growth media offers very little resistance to air flow, it is important that the size of the manifolds, internal ductwork, and perforations in the ducts are carefully engineered to ensure there is an even air flow into the biofilter. The systems are typically designed to flow between 0.05 and 0.20 m3 of air per m2 of biofilter per second with a pressure of less than 0.5” across the system. The flow rates are determined to supply enough “virtual outside air” to replace or augment a significant component of the normal make-up air for the space. Moving the potential volumes of air through the biofilter means the system has to be fully integrated into the building’s mechanical design, while control and monitoring of the biofilter must be interfaced with the building management system. 36

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NOT JUST PLANTS ON A WALL The living wall biofilter is an adaptation of three proven industrial environmental remediation processes:

Biofiltration.

Beneficial microbes in a biologically active

substrate use pollutants, such as VOCs, in the airstream as a food source and oxidize the contaminant into their benign constituents (CO2 and water).

Phytoremediation.

From brownfield reclamation, where

green plants speed the recovery of contaminated soils by facilitating the growth of beneficial microbes.

Hydroponics.

A method of growing plants using mineral

solutions without soil. The living wall biofilter takes conventional greenhouse hydroponics which is done on a horizontal plane and rotates it to the vertical.

As the return air comes in contact with the rooting substrate, contaminants move into the water phase where they are broken down by the beneficial microbes. After the air is actively drawn through the plant wall by the HVAC system – conditioned in terms of its temperature and humidity – it is returned to the occupied space. Installation and plants The growth media is mounted directly to the internal diffuser system with stainless steel fasteners; it goes on as two staggered layers, each about 2 cm thick. Since the media has very little nutrient holding capacity, nutrients for the plants and microbes must be delivered via the circulating water in the form of hydroponic fertilizers. Water from the pumps trickles down between the layers, creating a vertical hydroponic system. Although the infrastructure is typically installed at the final stages of the rough construction (when the drywall has been taped), planting usually happens closer to the occupancy date. Rather than pre-growing the plants in the growth media, mature potted plants are obtained from the open market. The plants are carefully bare-rooted to remove the soil from the root mass and then transplanted into the biofilter. After little more than a few weeks, the transplanted plants have re-established their root systems to the point where they cannot be easily removed. The plants used in the biofilter fall under the general category of “foliage” plants which include Ficus spp., Dracaena spp., Philodendron spp. and Syngonium podophyllum. As each type of plant has a number of species and/or varieties, living walls actually use more than 30 different types of plants.

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indoor air quality The plants for the growth media are selected based on four criteria: their ability to form good relationships with the beneficial microbes that actually clean the indoor air; their ability to tolerate the unique conditions of the vertical system; how closely they match the light, temperature and water conditions of each installation; and design. Leaves of varying colour, shape and texture are used to give a distinctive look. Integrating with the architecture A living wall is most effective when the biofilter is integrated into the space. This requires careful coordination with the entire design team, starting with simple sizing of the biofilter for the space. A starting point is 1 m2 of biofilter to 100 m2 of the floor space to be treated. Lighting is also a key factor for the success of the system, and supplying enough natural and artificial lighting for plant growth has both architectural and electrical considerations. Maintenance, pest control and feeding As with any mechanical component, the living wall biofilter requires routine maintenance. The systems are typically serviced monthly. Seventy per cent of this service is similar to what is required for any interior plantscape — pruning, fertilizing, pest control and plant turnover. Maintenance draws on standard agricultural practices, with particularly heavy reliance on organic solutions, such as the biological control of pests (“good bugs” eating the “bad” ones), rather than petrochemical solutions. However, because of odour concerns, organic nutrients are not routinely added. The remaining 30% of the maintenance is related to the hydroponic nature of the system — checking flow, controllers and pumps. The tasks can be divided between the landscape and building facilities personnel. A breath of fresh air The most successful buildings make people feel more comfortable. These happier people become more productive and, in the long run, help their companies become more profitable. One challenge of building design is to meet and solve that calculation. Adding living wall biofilters into the mix can make the task easier. Alongside the glass, concrete and steel that fill our cities, living walls offer an indoor breath of fresh air, naturally. CCE Alan Darlington, Ph.D., is vice president of Nedlaw Living Walls, near Waterloo, Ontario. His companies have installed over 150 biofilters across North America and he holds patents related to the technology. Emma Rohmann, P.Eng., is a project and team manager in the green building and energy services team at Halsall in Toronto.

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energy

GEOEXCHANGE SYSTEMS: NEXT STEPS WHILE

GEOEXCHANGE SYSTEMS

HAVE MANY

ECONOMIC AND

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES, THINGS CAN GO WRONG. A GROUP IN B.C. IS UNDERTAKING TO STUDY THEIR PERFORMANCE AND GUIDE THEIR DESIGN.

eoexchange and heat pump technology is long established, with the first systems developed and implemented in the 1950s. With increasing awareness, improved equipment and industry expertise, and the rising cost of energy in recent years, the technology has experienced a resurgence. It is estimated that there are now over 100,000 geoexchange systems installed in Canada, and in the past

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Associated Engineering

BY RUBEN ARELLANO, P.ENG. GEOEXCHANGE BC & ASSOCIATED ENGINEERING

May 2014

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energy

10 years the industry has experienced double-digit growth in most markets across the country. Geoexchange systems use a readily available source of renewable energy to heat and cool a building. This energy is essentially solar radiation stored within the upper crust of the earth, and it can be tapped wherever you have access to the earth, ground water, a lake, or the ocean. Although some electricity is required to drive the heat pump and circulation pumps, well designed geoexchange systems can deliver 75% of the total heating energy from renewable energy stored in the ground. The systems are a proven and reliable solution to boost energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, and they have attracted significant attention. Seems simple: needs design rigour Although geoexchange technology appears simple, this is deceiving. It relies on the integration of mechanical components and has to adapt to complex site-specific earth and building thermodynamic processes. The systems’ long-term viability and performance require a rigorous and thorough design approach based on science and judgment, quality construction by experienced trades, and a complete and detailed system commissioning. Those working on a geoexchange project for the first time may be unaware of the complexities of geoexchange design and construction. A province like British Columbia has an extremely variable geography, climate and building

GEOEXCHANGE SYSTEM BASICS A geoexchange system includes three primary components – a ground heat exchanger (GHX), a heat pump, and a building distribution system. A typical commercial-scale GHX installation involves drilling vertical boreholes to a depth that ranges from 50 m to 150 m, depending on ground conditions. Long lasting high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping is inserted into these boreholes, which are then sealed with a clay-based grout to provide protection to sub-surface groundwater and ensure good heat transfer with the earth. Once these pipes are connected together in closed-loop header arrangements, a freeze-protected solution is pumped throughout the piping network. By using a heat pump, the fluid can either extract energy from the earth for use in building heating, or reject excess heat from the building to the earth in order to provide building cooling. Where site conditions and construction costs warrant, there are alternatives to the vertical drilled GHX: primarily horizontal or surface-water closed-loop exchange, or groundwater “openloop” exchange.

demographics, which require that each project design is unique and site-specific. Thorough and expert information tailored to each region is needed to ensure that systems meet the needs and expectations of owners and proponents in terms of their specific environmental, social and financial benefit targets. What can go wrong A challenge in the current market is a lack of thorough and verifiable data on the performance of operating systems. While plenty of geo-exchange systems have operated without trouble for years, an unacceptable number of systems that we know of, or have heard of anecdotally, are underperforming. There are also systems that have had difficulties in the implementation. The following examples illustrate situations that can arise: • A care home developer receives a development permit that requires geoexchange technology to be included. The developer juggles complex competing design schedules, but the geoexchange system’s scope for design and construction is procured late in the building design when site preparation is already underway. The result is hurried design and construction, with little ability to optimize costeffective design and performance criteria. • A municipal hall is designed to incorporate a geoexchange system, and design concepts and budgets are developed without consulting a geoexchange engineer or completing an adequate site intrusive investigation. A drilling contract is awarded, and the contractor encounters challenging conditions for their equipment and submits a claim for extra fees. A dispute arises and building design and construction schedules are put at risk. • A prime contractor for an institutional project acts as a design coordinator and separately subcontracts the geoexchange system’s engineering, drilling, heat pump installation, building mechanical, and controls components in an effort to control costs and use preferred service providers. The process results in a patchwork design with no wholesystem design approach and the maintenance contractor is left struggling to operate the costly and complex system. Guidelines to help Given the variability and complexity of applying geoexchange technology in B.C., and recognizing the reported gap between expectations and performance for some geoexchange projects, there has been a call for more detailed B.C.-specific technical materials that will help ensure these situations are avoided. Geoexchange BC has therefore recently published a series of guidelines to educate key players (developers, owners, coordinating professionals, construction managers, engineers, installers and commissioning teams) on the recontinued on page 40 May 2014

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energy

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quirements of a successful geoexchange project. For more information, visit www.geoexchangebc.com These guidelines also help establish a strong standard of practice for the industry going forward. Each guideline covers a separate topic and is focused on commercial-scale applications within B.C., although many of the concepts are applicable to smaller projects and other regions. There are four guidelines in the current series: • Part 1: Assessing Site Suitability and • Ground Coupling Options • Part 2: Design • Part 3: Commissioning • Part 4: Procurement A User Guide is also included that summarizes the key content of each guideline, provides a flowchart and checklist format for guidance and record-keeping, and identifies topics within the guideline relevant to each key player on the project team. The package comprises over 250 pages of detailed, purpose-written literature and documentation. It has collectively been written by 20+ active industry experts, with review and editing by over 40 industry review panelists. It has been directly funded and approved by government agencies at the municipal, provincial and national level, as well as by major provincial utilities. It is a unique resource in Canada, and likely in North America.

products

Quantifying systems’ performance In the next two years GeoExchange BC will be completing a detailed performance evaluation study of geoexchange systems in place in a cross-section of building types across the province. The study will measure and quantify the systems’ performance, and document the implementation processes that contributed to the performance. Studies and feedback so far have demonstrated that where a thorough and thoughtful process is taken towards geoexchange systems’ selection, design, construction, commissioning and operation, they deliver energy and cost savings that can exceed expectations. It is the hope of Geoexchange BC that by sharing the knowledge assembled within their guidelines and setting a standard for best practice, all future projects can be similarly successful. Let GeoExchange BC’s message be clear — failure to adequately design, install, commission, and control a geoexchange system will result in significantly reduced performance and undo the business case for making the investment in geoexchange. CCE Ruben Arellano, P.Eng. is past chair and currently a director with GeoExchange BC, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the education, promotion and responsible design and installation of geoexchange systems. He is also a district energy specialist with Associated Engineering in Burnaby, B.C.

professional directory

HVAC

With high-rise residences in mind, Venmar has launched the Venmar AVS and vanEE ceiling-mount air exchangers. The ERV units are a slim 9” high, are quiet and have low power consumption. www.venmar.ca The Maxi radiator from Jaga has low surface temperatures for safety in public locations. The Low-H20 heat exchanger inside the radiator reacts faster to temperature fluctuations for energy efficiency. www.jaga-usa.com The NCB Series condensing combi-boiler by Navien won the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating Innovation Award in Moncton, N.B. in May. The series has dual inputs of 120k BTU/h of heating, 199k BTU/h of domestic hot water (DHW) capacity, and can link with NPE tankless water heaters for expanded DHW delivery. www.navienamerica.com Reliable Controls has added optional features to the SMART-Sensor line, such as a setpoint slider, an override button and up/down buttons. www.reliablecontrols.com 40

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Experts in Measurement, Analysis & Control

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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, or Vince Naccarato, Sales Manager, 416-510-5118, email: vnaccarato@ccemag.com

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GRUNDFOS

Vancouver Residential Complex Reduces Operating Costs with Grundfos Booster Pump Audits

he Marina Pointe complex in downtown Vancouver consists of two high-rise condos: Landmark 33 and Waterworks, as well as a series of townhomes. Originally built in 1998, both high-rises had existing domestic booster systems that were oversized and running inefficiently due to constant speed operation, rather than being controlled based on demand. The two systems were costing a significant amount in both energy and maintenance. The challenge was to find an energy-efficient, low maintenance solution that would be compact enough to fit through the door of the mechanical room and could be delivered on a short timeline. Service contractor Honeywell Building Solutions contacted Grundfos to help with the solution. In order to determine the flow, pressure and power consumption of both current systems, two Grundfos booster pump audits were conducted. The profiles revealed that both systems had low operating efficiency due to the oversized and constantly running pumps. The systems were also over pressurizing, which was contributing to wasted energy. Based on audit results, Grundfos “right-sized” the systems and recommended that Honeywell install two Hydro MPC (multi pump controller) BoosterpaQ systems consisting of three CR10-4 vertical inline multistage pumps, with motors totalling 9 hp and each equipped with a variable frequency drive. The Hydro MPC BoosterpaQ was chosen for the following reasons: • The booster system is ideal for water supply and pressure boosting in multi-storey buildings. Just two CR’s will supply floors 15 and above with water during peak flow demand. • CR pumps are the best foundation for the system. They are extremely reliable, service friendly and have one of the highest efficiencies in the market. • The MPC has been specially designed by Grundfos to control parallel connected pumps. It alternates between lead and lag pumps, ensuring equal run hours on all of the pumps. With built in pump curves, it can identify if it is more efficient to operate two pumps at a slower speed, rather than one pump at full speed. • The VFD located in the MPC adapts to variations in water flow, allowing the CR’s to continuously regulate speed while maintaining pre-set constant pressure. It ensures the CR’s run only when demand is detected, therefore extending the lifespan of the pumps and ultimately reducing energy consumption. • Maintenance requirements are minimal. There are no valves to be concerned with and system seals will last significantly longer due to the pumps shutting off when there is no demand. • The system is a compact unit that comes preassembled for easy installation. Installation of the BoosterpaQ’s took place in early 2013. The calculated annual energy savings for Landmark is 66,918 kWh and 39,768 kWh for Waterworks. Maintenance costs will also be significantly reduced. By upgrading to new energy-efficient booster systems, the building owners qualified to obtain rebates from BC Hydro. The estimated payback for the new systems is 2-3 years. Article by Melissa Almonte of Grundfos. Grundfos is the world’s largest manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems. Grundfos’ Canadian headquarters is in Oakville, Ont. 1-800-644-9599, www.grundfos.ca May 2014

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

14-05-15 7:36 AM

engineers & the law

By Bryan Buttigieg, Miller Thomson LLP

Engineers who design buildings to be sustainable or “LEED-certified” have to be vigilant about the language in their contracts with owners.

Liability and Green Buildings

ecent years have seen a large growth in the number pendent, unbiased organization. But references to LEED of so-called green buildings, but concerns exist standards in a contract need to be carefully scrutinized to about these practices opening up new areas of liabil- avoid such problems as those described above. ity for engineers. While the number of actual lawsuits diAnother pitfall that has resulted in litigation in the U.S. rectly related to engineers’ liability related to green or involves a classic lack of clarity between the expectations of LEED-certified buildings remains the owner and the engineer. In small, increasing pressure, espeControl Air Conditioning Corporation “The owner was not cially by owners through onerous v. WSP Flack & Kurtz, Inc. for incontractual clauses, requires engistance, the owner, engineer and happy with the final product, neers to be vigilant in avoiding contractor appeared to disagree while the contractor claimed the pitfalls that could lead to signifiover what was meant by a requireengineer had applied too rigorous ment to design an HVAC system to cant liability. One common misconception a “LEED-like standard.” The owner a standard in its specifications is that the terms “LEED certified” was not happy with the final prodfor the system.” and “green building” are interuct, while the contractor claimed changeable. They are not. The the engineer had applied too rigterm “green building” can apply to any building that meets orous a standard in its specifications for the system. certain performance standards, usually related to construcOne solution that appears attractive is to use perfortion materials or techniques, heat loss, energy consumption mance based language in a contract. This is a common and water consumption. feature of design-build contracts. It has the attraction of a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental De- clear, objective, measurable standard. Many municipal sign) certification in Canada is obtained through the codes that address green buildings rely upon perforCanada Green Building Council, a private corporation mance based objectives such as specifying the amount of which uses the LEED mark through a licence agreement water consumption, energy efficiency and heat loss as the with the US Green Building Council. To obtain LEED basis for incentive programs that reward green buildings. certification, an owner follows a set of predefined criteria Any contract that refers to such standards still needs to be and then applies to the Canada Green Building Council. scrutinized to ensure the standards are in fact attainable, There is no guarantee in advance that the application but at least the actual expectations of the owner are will be granted. clearly spelled out. Since LEED certification is ultimately obtained through The biggest potential for liability in such performance a third party, it could be quite dangerous for an engineer based contracts lies in the fact that often novel materials, to warrant or guarantee that at the end of construction construction techniques or equipment are required to meet LEED certification at any particular level (Silver, Gold, the greener standards. In Chesapeake Bay Foundation Inc., et al. Platinum) will be obtained. If, for whatever reason, the li- v. Weyerhaeuser Company (U.S. District Court, Maryland, censing body does not issue the desired certification, the 2012), a new wood based construction material was said to engineer is left with a potential breach of contract claim by have been improperly exposed to outside weather, resulting the owner as a result of actions not entirely within the in deterioration to the point of becoming a safety hazard. control of the engineer. While the claim was ultimately dismissed because a limitation There are of course obvious benefits to LEED certifica- period had expired, the case highlights the importance of tion. It is an easy shorthand form of demonstrating that the exercising due diligence when using novel materials to enbuilding has met certain pre-defined standards. It allows for sure that construction methods are adapted as necessary to some level of comparison of different buildings, and it has take into account any unusual properties of the new material. the benefit of an approval from what is seen to be an indeIn its most recent annual report, the Canada Green continued on page 44

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com May 2014

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engineers & the law

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continued from page 42

Building Council states that by the end of 2012 there were “over 60 million square metres of LEED project space registered and certified in Canada,” bringing the total to 4,000 registered and 900 certified LEED 44

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projects. These numbers can be expected to continue to grow in the years to come. Continued vigilance over contractual language is required in order to minimize the risk of such environmentally well inten-

tioned projects turning into litigation nightmares. CCE Bryan J. Buttigieg is a certified specialist in environmental law with Miller Thomson LLP in Toronto.

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com May 2014

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Manufacturer Case Study Grundfos

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Vancouver Residential Complex Reduces Operating Costs with Grundfos Booster Pump Audits

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conversations

Quebec’s first LEED Fellow explains why he was drawn to the green building sector.

Martin Roy

ast year engineer Martin Roy joined a handful of people in Canada to become a LEED Fellow, and he is the only one to achieve the honour so far in Quebec. The designation is given by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Building Certification Institute to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to green building at a regional, national or global level. Roy also received the Grand Prix d’Excellence from the OIQ, the Quebec Order of Engineers, in 2007. His firm, Martin Roy & Associés, is in DeuxMontaignes, near Montreal.

a couple of years, doing a lot of hospital recommissioning projects for energy efficiency. Then in 2002 some architects asked me to work with them on a competition for a project called La Tohu. We won and the client hired me to do the mechanical-electrical design. It’s a permanent circus building, with seats for 850 people. It was the first LEED Gold project built in Quebec. In that project we used natural ventilation in a theatre. It was something that I don’t think has been done anywhere else. When the outside temperature is lower than 12 degrees they don’t need any fans. Q. Why did you become It’s all ventilated naturally with uninvolved in green building? derground ducts to precool the air. I was involved in energy efficienIt was a nice project and it recy from the beginning of my caceived a lot of media attention bereer, but when I heard about this “When I heard about this new way of looking at cause, if you remember, at the start new way of looking at buildings, I buildings, I saw that engineers can be a lot more of 2000 we were all talking a lot saw that engineers can be a lot valuable than I had previously thought.” about the environment. more valuable than I had previAfter La Tohu I took a partner, ously thought. Marc Vacquerie, and we expanded very fast. Now we’re 20 in Before, the architects started with a building design and the office and we’re doing mainly sustainable buildings. We then asked the engineer to build it. In green building it’s do energy modelling, LEED certification, commissioning very different. The engineer has something to say about the and mechanical and electrical design. One of our commisway the building will be set up, the orientation, whether it sioning projects is CHUM, the big mega-hospital in Montreal. will be a two storey or 10 storey building, and so on. Q. What do you think about the green building industry today? Q. Please explain a bit about your career. The problem is there’s a recipe, and people are all using it At the École Polytechnique de Montréal my final project to get their buildings LEED certified. Today there are more was to do an energy simulation program. Then I graduated green buildings and that’s a good thing. But they are not as at the end of the 1980s and worked for a contractor. It was innovative as they were. the start of automated building management systems The difference between a good engineer and the best (BMS) at a time when all the big controls companies didn’t engineer is attitude: the way you look at solutions. If you are have centralized control or DDC systems yet, so it was very, looking at off-the-shelf solutions, well, you can be a good very new. For me it was very exciting to understand how a engineer. But if you look under the shelf, how the shelf is mechanical system works and then to program the equip- holding up, trying to understand how things work, then you ment to interact in time. can design something that’s excellent, and that’s what green CCE I started my own firm in 1992-93. I was mainly alone for building needs. 46

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