Showcasing BC & Alberta’s architects and interior designers
winter 2016 Vol. 16 No.3
d e s i g n q ua rt e r ly
PM 40063056
UBC Bookstore Architect Brian Wakelin, Public Architecture + Communication Best Practices | Lighting
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in this issue
Features
06
06 Designer Profile
Brian Wakelin, founder and principal of Public Architecture + Communication, credits much of the firm’s early success to creative and unique commissions that have earned the firm awards for communication, interior design, landscape, and architectural design.
12 Project Profile
The Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects and Designers redefines the UBC Bookstore while also bringing a renewed vitality to the heart of the campus.
18 Best Practices
▶ Building Materials and Human ▶ ▶
Health BIM at Crossroads WELL Building Standard Uptake
28 Lighting
▶ LED Challenges ▶ Workplace Lighting Strategies ▶ Evolution of Lighting Technologies
12
Departments 04 From the Editor 34 IDIBC The Role of Strategic Planning 36 Architects in BC Engaging Uncertainty
38 Design Headlines
On the cover: The UBC Bookstore has been opened up with a stronger identity while simultaneously creating a vibrant social gathering space for the campus. Photo: Latreille-Delage.
Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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from the editor
Exciting New Look
WINTER 2016 Vol. 16 No.3
www.designquarterly.ca PUBLISHER Dan Gnocato dang@mediaedge.ca Managing Editor Cheryl Mah Graphic Design Tang Creative Inc.
Welcome to Design Quarterly 2016. Since DQ was last redesigned in 2003, we thought it was time for a refresh with a new look, new size and new logo. It is appropriate that we launch the redesign with our winter edition as it will be distributed at Buildex 2016, which was the original link for the creation of this magazine (DQ was created in conjunction with Design Northwest in 2000 which has since amalgamated into Buildex). The magazine may have a new and more modern look, but the mandate remains the same: to showcase the design profession and industry issues in B.C. and Alberta. Inside this issue, I speak with Brian Wakelin, principal and founder of Public Architecture + Communication. Wakelin and his team’s passion for enriching public life and delivering the unexpected has earned the firm a number of notable accolades including the prestigious $50,000 Professional Prix De Rome in Architecture by the Canada Council for the Arts. For our project, we put the spotlight on the UBC Bookstore. The renovation and expansion of the bookstore by Vancouver firm Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers (OMB) transformed an unwelcoming and anonymous fortress into a brighter and engaging presence that greatly improves the store’s visibility and services. Other features inside include best practices, lighting, tile and stone. For best practices, we take a look at the continuing evolution and challenges of integrating BIM, the impact of building materials on human health and the uptake of the WELL Standard. We hope you enjoy this issue and as always, please feel free to email me ideas, stories or feedback.
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DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
The purpose of Design Quarterly is to reflect and represent practitioners and professionals in the architectural, interior design and design resource communities throughout British Columbia and Alberta.
O L L A R C L I N E A A R P E R B O C C I D A D A E 1 5 F L O S F O S C A R I N I F L O U H E R M A N M I L L E R K A R T E L L K N O L L L I G N E R O S E T M I N O T T I M O LT E N I & C P O LT R O N A F R A U PA L E R M O O O I P O LT R O N A F R A U PA O L A L E N T I P O R R O R O D A T E C H N O G Y M L I V I N G D I VA N I M D F I TA L I A D A D A E 1 5 F L O S F O S C A R I N I F L O U H E R M A N M I L L E R K A R
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DESIGNER PROFILE
The UBC transit shelters provide new amenities for the public realm in a responsive and reflective natural setting. The wood cell-like structure resembles tree branches with dappled light and shadow playing on the structure and sidewalk
A Public Force By Cheryl Mah
photo: Krista Jahnke
If success is measured by accolades, then Vancouver based Public Architecture + Communication has that in spades. The young interdisciplinary firm is no stranger to awards and 2015 delivered three notable recognitions. In September 2015, Public was awarded the prestigious $50,000 Professional Prix De Rome in Architecture by the Canada Council for the Arts. It is awarded annually to a young architect or architectural firm to develop their skills and creative practice as well as work with specialists worldwide.
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DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
DESIGNER PROFILE
Wakelin wants to change the conversation in the city away from the price of real estate to meaningful and dynamic public spaces.
Public’s winning submission aims to improve Vancouver’s public realm by travelling to Europe and Asia to learn how different cities have reclaimed public space. “Our goal is to show how buildings with significant public space can be built in any urbanizing city, where divergent groups can coexist rather than be siloed, segregated and marginalized,” says Brian Wakelin, principal Public Architecture. “We will catalogue and present our findings at conferences focused on architecture and urbanity in an effort to effect positive change in one of Canada’s greatest cities and our home town, Vancouver.” Wakelin and his team will travel next spring to Rotterdam and Oslo and then Tokyo and Singapore in the fall. The cities were chosen for their similarities to Vancouver in terms of economy, politics, and relation to water, he notes. “Vancouver is often touted as a poster child of urbanity, yet when we travel to the great cities of the world and then return home, we question why Vancouver’s public spaces aren’t better. We want the areas we collectively experience in our city to be more widely used, more vibrant, more fun and more poetic,” says Wakelin, who wants to change the conversation in the city away from the price of real estate to meaningful and dynamic public spaces. An ongoing commitment to enriching public life at all scales of design also garnered the firm two awards for the Field House in Newton Athletic Park in Surrey — a B.C. Masonry Design Award and an AIBC Architectural Award of merit for architectural excellence. Housing bathroom facilities and a mechanical room, the building’s unique form was inspired by the overlapping folds of a soccer ball. “What is exciting about that building is we learned about the potential for how humble materials can do elegant things. We put the material [cinder block] and program together and what came out was unexpected,” says Wakelin. Injecting beauty and the unexpected into some of the more commonplace experiences have become an area of excellence for Public. Founded just seven years ago, the firm has successfully made its mark with early “experimental” projects that include exhibition designs, signage systems, graphics and wayfinding and outdoor installations. “We’ve been lucky. We have really good clients. We’ve been really focused in the scale of projects, using these small ones as experiment labs and as a good learning ground,” says Wakelin.
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Top: The Field House in Newton Athletic Park won a 2015 AIBC Architectural Award of Excellence. Bottom: Totem Park Residences is a current project at UBC.
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The firm’s mission to provide interesting and enjoyable public spaces that create a sense of place and community has led to an eclectic and creative portfolio of small but distinctive projects such as an outdoor installation at Vancouver’s Science World and transit shelters at the University of British Columbia (UBC). For Wakelin, the unknown aspect of a project is the most exciting. “I’m happiest on a project when I’m absolutely lost. It goes back to our first projects where we were really excited because we had no idea where we were going,” he says with a laugh. A great example is the firm’s first built commission, an aboriginal student gathering place for Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey Campus. Called Xthum (meaning basket and drum), the warm and inviting flexible multipurpose space
successfully fosters a sense of place and identity for Aboriginal students on campus. Inspiration for the design concept revolved around the use of a basket like weave pattern for wall-scapes and ceiling elements, delivering much more than the longhouse originally envisioned by the client group. “We had no idea how to transform that space. We took a risk and we eventually solved it,” recalls Wakelin. “We learned from that project that form and shape of the space can be a variety of outcomes but the material logic has to be established early — whether two bricks or two sticks — and how those pieces go together are the DNA.” Other significant projects include the Centennial Beach Day Use Facility and the UBC Faculty of Arts Buchanan Courtyards.
photos: Martin Tessler, Public Architecture + Communication
DESIGNER PROFILE
DESIGNER PROFILE
In 2008, Wakelin struck out on his own and established Public Architecture with fellow UBC alumni John Wall.
Contributing to the campus’ outdoor public spaces has been special, with the firm having completed several commissions so far. With UBC changing its standard RFP evaluation to allow for younger practices and voices instead of just only established firms has opened doors, notes Wakelin. “They are a great client. It’s great to see the changes happening and helping them to build their brand and be known for design excellence,” says Wakelin, who graduated from UBC with a Master’s degree in architecture. Born and raised in Victoria, the 45-year-old is the youngest of three boys and was always drawn to art, math and science. His father was trained as an architect in New Zealand before becoming a professional planner in Canada.
Wakelin obtained a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Victoria in 1992, followed by his Masters at UBC in 1998. During his studies, he worked for a number of different firms. In 1999, he joined Busby & Associates (now Perkins+Will) where he spent almost 10 years, becoming an associate principal and leading the firm’s higher education work. “Peter [Busby] was a good mentor. We didn’t always see eyeto-eye aesthetically but he gave me a tremendous education in the business of architecture and taught me the rigourous process of explaining — defending — your thoughts and approach,” says Wakelin. In 2008, Wakelin struck out on his own and established Public Architecture with fellow UBC alumni John Wall. Susan Mavor joined
shortly after as principal, complementing the two architects with her expertise in communication design. “It was terrifying to step out on your own, especially when the world economy was so uncertain,” says Wakelin, referring to the recession. “At a time when larger firms were downsizing and scrambling, we had none of those problems. We had good fortune — right contacts, right people — and have grown ever since.” As a boutique firm delivering with big firm experience, Public Architecture successfully launched and purposefully focused on small, creative and unique commissions that resonated with some key clients to help build their brand. “Starting our firm was about an ambition to provide a kind of service that others I felt were not providing — an integrated design service that Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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DESIGNER PROFILE
“We find some projects are poorly programmed — poorly understood, poorly documented or not realistic”
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works in a variety of media, not just architecture. It was about differentiating ourselves in some small way and it worked. We ended up providing clients with a pretty custom and unique skill set for projects,” he says, acknowledging the firm’s name reflects what they are most passionate about. “The work we’ve done and continue to do that interest us and motivates us the most is in the public sphere.” The interdisciplinary, integrated design studio is currently a team of 11 with five principals (the other two principals are Teresa Miller and Craig Simms). Wakelin is the official spokesperson for the firm, and along with the other principals provide design leadership throughout each project from inception to completion. “The next decade for us is really important because it sets up what we’re going to be doing in our mid-60s — as an architect that is a super important time when your best work is done,” says Wakelin, citing as examples architects Rem Koolhaas and Oscar Niemeyer. As the firm matures, the goal will remain to be imaginative, experimental and innovative. “Definitely the testing and experimenting phase has been important and fruitful and it’s leading to some bigger projects that are in the works now,” he says. Some of those bigger projects include a couple of projects at UBC (the new Quantum Matter Institute and a six storey student residence) as well as a new school of design at Kwantlen University’s Richmond campus. The firm also recently completed the Sechelt Water Resource Centre. Wakelin says the firm works hard to deliver design value to their clients and often the result may not be what the client asked for but is better and their approach starts with strong programming. “We find some projects are poorly programmed — poorly understood, poorly documented or not realistic,” he says. “We work hard to determine and document what the program is for a project. When it’s not done well at the start, the project late in the game can suddenly become unwound and fluid and uncomfortable.” In addition to looking forward to traveling for the Prix De Rome, the Public team will be moving to larger spaces in 2016. “The new space will be bigger with better infrastructure and a proper model shop. It will help us to work more efficiently and smarter,” says Wakelin. As for Vancouver’s future, the father of two boys predicts positive changes. “So many of our policies and city makers have a nostalgic view of what Vancouver is that is not productive. That will change — I know that will change in my working life time. Vancouver will look incredibly different 50 years from now — it will have much more diversity of public experience and that’s exciting.” DQ
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PROJECT PROFILE
Transparency was a driving inspiration behind the redesign with the interiors opened up to create visual connections to the exterior.
Redefining the Bookstore
By Cheryl Mah | Photos by Ema Peter
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PROJECT PROFILE
One of the first and most dramatic change was to raise the main entrance to grade level, better connecting it to the adjacent public outddoor space...
The University of British Columbia Bookstore has begun a new chapter with a modern design that redefines the store while simultaneously creating a vibrant social gathering space at the heart of the campus. The renovation and expansion project by Vancouver firm Office of McFarlane Biggar Architects + Designers (OMB) has transformed an unwelcoming and anonymous fortress into a brighter, lighter and engaging presence that greatly improves the store’s visibility and services. Like many institutional buildings from the 1970s, the existing bookstore was a brutalist concrete building with a challenging entry way that was subterranean, dark and hidden. “UBC has evolved significantly since the bookstore was built. It was a tremendous opportunity for the bookstore to be transformed so that it could be more responsive to the new, exciting public realm on campus,” says Steve McFarlane, OMB principal-in-charge. One of the first and most dramatic changes was to raise the main entrance to grade level, better connecting it to the adjacent public outdoor space at the corner of University Boulevard and East Mall while also providing the store a stronger identity.
“It had turned its back on the street for 40 years and it was time to turn that inside out and open it up and create a new face that is more of an invitation,” explains McFarlane. “The challenge was to use the modest program of new spaces as an opportunity to transform the bookstore into something vibrant and contributed to campus life.” The bookstore was expanded 7,500 square feet to accommodate more retail space, a new convenience store, a coffee shop and a variety of flexible spaces to encourage gathering and socializing. With some renovation to the existing space, the bookstore now sits at 45,200 square feet. Syncra Construction Corp. began construction at the end of February 2013 with completion in May 2014. According to McFarlane, transparency was a driving inspiration, which was a reaction to the building’s tough solidity. The eroded concrete face was replaced with a high performance glass skin, opening the interiors to create visual connections with the exterior and the larger university community. A second level new mezzanine was added over the coffee shop which cantilevers over a newly landscaped courtyard, providing seating for the cafe, a place to study and to people watch. The expanded glazing helps to bring light deep into the building core. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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PROJECT PROFILE
“We were interested in really trying to capitalize on what this new cafe could do so we ended up distributing all the gathering space that was programmed for the cafe up to the mezzanine. It’s been one of the most successful aspects of the project,” says McFarlane. The mezzanine features a unique fritted glass consisting of words arranged alphabetically. To celebrate the bookstore’s 95th anniversary, the design team engaged students, faculty and book users to share words from page 95 of their favourite books. The frit acts as shade and privacy for the area and creates a dynamism 14
DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
as the sun moves around, notes McFarlane. Featured throughout the new space is a hybrid wood and steel roof structure comprised of nail-laminated timber panels supported between pairs of steel channels set on slender columns. The system, developed with Fast & Epp, was built in a factory offsite and hoisted into place in a few days, says McFarlane. It also contains the building’s mechanical and electrical services. White brick on the exterior was used to resonate with the other buildings on campus. A new internal stair, complete with integrated wood seating, connects the expansion to the original bookstore.
“Those stairs become another opportunity for socializing and a place to gather,” says McFarlane. The simple transformation of the bookstore has been successful on many levels including a dramatic positive effect on business and the quality of the space as a workplace. The project is also a good example of the transformative influence of architecture where even modest interventions can make a difference. “The biggest sustainable issue is what to do with the aging infrastructure that was built in the 50s and 60s. How can we work with those buildings and adapt them to suit our current values and technologies
A new internal stair connects the expansion to the original bookstore.
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PROJECT PROFILE
The project is a good example of the transformative influence of architecture where even modest intervention can make a difference.
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DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
rather than tearing them down,” notes McFarlane. “The biggest idea around the project is working sensitively to transform the out-of-date building so it can carry on as a rich and vibrant building appropriate for the time and place where we are now.” New branding was another important element to reinvigorate the bookstore. OMG created a new logo comprised of colourful, geometric shapes that abstractly depict open books. “The new branding was carefully integrated into the interior,” says McFarlane. The innovative transformation of the bookstore earned the firm a Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Merit Award in Architecture from the Architectural Institute of BC. “We are super proud to get the recognition — that thoughtful modesty is celebrated,” says McFarlane. “It’s a piece of architecture that clearly demonstrates our philosophy of a highly integrated approach to interior design and architecture.” DQ
B&O’s BeoLab 90 Loudspeakers Named in honour of the Danish company Bang and Olufsen’s 90th anniversary, the gargantuan BeoLab 90 will hit the market in 2016. Standing 4 feet (123.5 cm) tall, weighing in at over 300 pounds (137 kg), the loudspeakers deliver an earthshaking 8,200 watts through a complex array of drivers and amplifiers. Built for any contemporary or traditional home, the speakers are designed to spray sound in all directions, eliminating the need for multiple speaker locations. This “music furniture” highlights entertainment rooms designed for ‘flair’ as much as for elegant sound reproduction. What’s more, they are ‘wireless’ wonders — a designer’s dream — in that as furnishing placements or lifestyle changes, speakers can move without ripping up walls to re-wire the house for them. This is a loudspeaker that breaks the traditional form. Buried within the beautiful 360-degree
design are 18 speaker drivers (7 tweeters. 7 midrange and 4 woofers), each with its own custom designed amplifier.
The BeoLab 90 isn’t all about brute force though. Getting the best auditory experience in the home usually requires the careful placement of an assortment of amplifiers, drivers, soundbars and standalone bass units, but the BeoLab 90 is designed to turn that notion on its head. The key is a combination of technologies that take into account room acoustics and give the listener far more control over the actual direction and width of the sound that comes from the loudspeaker. Active Room Compensation technology adjusts the sound output according to factors like room composition, furniture location, and the placement of the loudspeaker relative to where one is sitting. In addition, Beam Width Control allows users to select a different “sweet spot” to suit different listening locations and the number of people in the room. These features, along with various presets, can be controlled using a smartphone app.
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best practices
Building Materials and Human Health By Ben Campbell
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DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
The impact of the built environment on human health and wellness is becoming a more important topic in the industry.
As the buildings industry attempts to meet new demands related to human health and wellness, an important concept that has emerged is the impact of building materials and finishes. What is the concern? An emerging concern is whether a certain material contains toxicants — chemicals synthesized or concentrated by manufacturing that are harmful to human health at relatively low doses. Toxicants can assert their effects during the manufacture, use or disposal of a product. They may be carcinogenic, or otherwise impact the health of the respiratory, neurological, endocrine or other systems of the human body. Consider a typical office space: paint on the wall may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs); particleboard may contain formaldehyde; flooring may contain phthalates; and furniture is often coated in flame retardant. Each has the possibility of containing toxicants. This is only the tip of the iceberg — it has been asserted that the vast majority of manufacturing ingredients are poorly understood for their health impacts. Numerous studies have demonstrated that reducing exposure to toxicants has real, measurable health benefits. A recent study shows that minimized VOC emissions in an office environment can significantly improve cognition, which is positive news for an employer whose operating budget is almost entirely tied to employee costs and productivity. The healthcare system is similarly alleviated by measures such as eliminating formaldehyde, which has shown potential to reduce asthma symptoms by over half. Many studies claim that overall, these kinds of interventional measures are much more cost effective than clinical treatment of illness. As an industry, we have grown more confident when speaking about the environmental impacts of the products we use. Data related to recycled content or regional materials, for example, have become commonplace. But the same cannot be said about data related to human health impacts. The industry now avoids some of the “worst offending” substances, like lead and asbestos, due to government regulation. Even for these products, there was a decades-long delay between the scientific identification of the health risks they posed and implementation of regulatory action. For the toxicants mentioned earlier, however, there are relatively few regulations to address their use. What is a building professional to do? Fortunately, there are frameworks emerging to help building professionals sort through the data and contribute to a solution.
The LEED rating system, for example, has long rewarded building projects for choosing products with low VOCs and no urea formaldehyde. Until recently, however, the broader concept of toxicants has not been well addressed. The latest version LEED v4 introduces a new credit, “Material Ingredients”, which rewards projects for sourcing at least 20 products where the manufacturer has fully disclosed the ingredients it contains. This might seem trivial, but is in fact atypical practice. The most common formats for a manufacturer to disclose ingredients is through a Health Product Declaration (HPD), an online publication or database such as Pharos, or obtaining a third-party certification such as Cradle to Cradle. There are various websites with databases of products which fully disclose their ingredients, such as GreenWizard, Pharos and the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Database. Under the same new credit, a project pursuing LEED v4 can earn additional reward by choosing products that demonstrate a low hazard to human health. Other green building rating systems like the WELL Building Standard and Living Building Challenge offer similar reward mechanisms. What do you need to know? The impact of the built environment on human health and wellness is becoming a more important topic in the industry. We need to start treating materials in the same way as energy efficiency — something that impacts many different disciplines in a project, and which requires coordination, early planning and critical thinking to achieve desired results. In the short term, project teams can leverage their product selection efforts to reward ingredient transparency and help mainstream this practice among manufacturers. The ultimate goal of transparency is for manufacturers to invest more effort in creating healthier products. In the long term, teams will need to arm themselves with knowledge to accurately evaluate a product’s benefits and risks based on the information disclosed by the manufacturer. The positive news is that many manufacturers are already anticipating this trend and are offering more data and information about the ingredients and health impacts of their products. DQ Ben Campbell is a project manager with WSP Canada’s sustainable buildings team. Specializing in new and existing commercial buildings, his experience encompasses over 30 LEED projects, including LEED version 4.
2015 aibc awards
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit UBC Bookstore Expansion + Renovation Firm: office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers inc. (omb)
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit Steveston Fire Hall
Firm: HCMA Architecture + Design
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon
Firm: MGA | Michael Green Architecture (project started at mcfarlane | green | biggar architecture + design)
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit Newton Field House
Firm: Public Architecture + Communication Inc.
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VOMO SPA: Mark Ritchie/Andrew Klaver Photography | STEVESTON FIRE HALL: Hubert kang | RONALD MCDONALD: Ed White | WOOD INNOVATION: Ema Peter | UBC BOOKSTORE: Ema Peter | PITT RIVER: Michael Elkan | NEWTON FIELD HOUSE: Martin Tessler | Emerging Firm: Andrew Latreille | BC PASSIVE HOUSE: Ema Peter | WOOD INNOVATION: Ema Peter | 564 Beatty: Sham Sthankiya | Sands: Sandy Wang
2015 AIBC Architectural Awards
2015 aibc awards
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture – Merit Wood Innovation and Design Centre
Firm: MGA | Michael Green Architecture
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit Pitt River Middle School
Firm: Perkins+Will Canada Architects Co.
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture — Merit Vomo Spa, Vomo Island Resort
AIBC EMERGING FIRM AWARD Firm: Measured Architecture Inc.
Firm: ABC Architecture Building Culture Inc.
Lead Design Architects: Clinton Cuddington Architect AIBC MRAIC and Piers Cunnington Architect AIBC MRAIC
Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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2015 aibc awards
2015 AIBC Architectural Awards
AIBC INNOVATION AWARD BC Passive House Factory
by Hemsworth Architecture
AIBC INNOVATION AWARD Wood Innovation and Design Centre
by MGA | Michael Green Architecture
AIBC SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
AIBC SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
Adaptively Increasing Urban Density: 564 Beatty Street
Inverting Assumptions About Landscape: Vermilion Sands
by Bruce Carscadden Architect Inc. & IBI Group Inc.Â
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by Matthew Soules Architecture Inc..
Abbotsford Senior Secondary: “A school to be proud of” Known to locals as “Abby Senior,” the new Abbotsford Senior Secondary School incorporates technology suggested by BC Hydro that has helped make it 33% more energy efficient than it might otherwise have been. The old Abby Senior dated from 1952 and was “deteriorating rapidly,” says Bob Mainman, Assistant Director of Facilities for School District No. 34 (Abbotsford). “It turned out that it was more economical to retain a few of the newer sections, two gyms and some classrooms, and build the rest new – and better. We had the opportunity to make the new school a school to be proud of, that the students would really like to come to every morning.” School District 34 also wanted the new Abby Secondary to be a model of how to build responsibly, sustainably and energy efficiently, even on a limited budget. With the help of an energy-modeling study funded by BC Hydro’s New Construction Program, the District was able “to ask all of the ‘what if” questions: what if we turn the building this way, what if we add triple glazing, what if we go to three storeys instead of two,” says Rick Walker, in charge of energy management for the District. The result is a building situated east-west to capture the most light and heat, with a stunning, three-storey, cast-inplace concrete, steel, glass and wood rotunda that provides natural “stack effect” ventilation. It also features increased roof and wall insulation, a heat recovery ventilator, and a wind and solar powered computer lab (if it’s cloudy or calm, students pedal stationary bikes to generate electricity). The building’s advanced, energy-efficient lighting systems – designed by Abbotsford’s Jarvis Engineering Consultant’s Ltd. – account for 33 per cent of the school’s total electrical energy savings, but perhaps the most innovative energy conservation measure of all is an open loop ground source heat pump system that uses well water for year-round heating and cooling. Making the new Abby Senior even more special: it was designed by Ryan Huston of Chilliwack’s Craven Huston Powers Architects. Huston graduated from Abby Senior in 1975. 37 years later, he returned to design a beautiful new, sustainable school for generations to come.
Looking for new ways to build better? Visit bchydro.com/construction or call 1 866 522 4713 to learn more.
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best practices
BIM at Crossroads Five challenges to overcome By Allan Partridge
in the realm of architects and engineers. However, now we can bring in industrial designers, mathematicians, etc. to address the shortfall. Using BIM will also allow teams that with clear distinction can work “on” or “for” a project.
Varscona Theatre: capture of the entire BIM showing all the 300 parts exploded.
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The concept of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been around since the early 1970s, but it was not until 1986, with a series of papers by Robert Aish exploring the integration between this nascent technology and construction, that BIM moved from the conceptual to the actual. It’s been almost three decades since that initial exploration, and yet construction, the second largest industry with the potential to significantly influence the cost of infrastructure and address the climate agenda, is far behind other industries such as automotive and aeronautical which have not just integrated technology but truly leveraged it. Five challenges that BIM can begin to address:
Jobs Without People & People Without Jobs With the departure of the boomer generation from the AEC industry, fewer people joining the industry, and the slowing of the birth rate in many countries, we face a challenge in that the growing global infrastructure backlog is unachievable without a skilled and scalable labour force. Using BIM-enabled technologies, we can efficiently reduce required labour by utilizing computational design tools. BIM can also be used in a much broader sense to train a work force in diminishing industries (for example, the energy sector) and those unskilled in the design and construction industry, and industry that once remained
End of Paper, Rise of Data We have effectively reached “peak paper” in our industry. Paper has been the primary deliverable in construction for several millennia. Going back to Chuck Eastman’s vision in 1974, BIM was never intended to be used to create 2D drawings. Yet all the problems BIM faces right now can be traced to trying to use it within archaic methodologies instead of exploring how architects and engineers can create significant amounts of metadata. Through the Internet of Things we can fashion digital conduits to create data for both production and consumption, which requires a huge shift away from traditionally structured architectural and engineering practices and away from the limited
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dependency on BIM to deliver 2D content using 3D environments. This begs a question — who owns the BIM? The movement away from documents (copyright) to data (shared) means that owners who are focused on asset management beyond construction should begin to explore the hosting of BIM-enabled data for their architects, engineers and contractors to work on. We have to get over the notion of ownership, intellectual property rights, and copyright if the BIM agenda is going to move to its next level of evolution. Efficient and Effective Design & Construction We have to stop thinking about the cost of construction as purely the first cost — capital. We now need to link the first and second cost — maintenance and operations. The industry accepts that over a 20-year life of a building it is conceivable to spend 4-5 times the first cost on the second cost. Yet owners are fixated on the first cost. How can BIM address this? Many BIM software vendors have add-on packages that explore and optimize the energy footprint of a conceptual building design. In Canada the NECB 2011 has three routes to energy performance — BIM can be used to explore them all. By simple export of even delimited text files, programs like Excel can crunch the numbers towards the committed goals. Mass Customization vs. Mass Production Moving away from a documentcentric deliverable towards a BIM enabled data-centric model will allow for the exploration of the integration
...BIM needs to be at the very DNA of both design and construction companies as a language where shared values result in the creation of high performance teams...
with CNC and other computerized manufacturing. By using BIM, we can explore direct integration of data vs documents by exporting the BIM to the site (F² = File-to-Field) or to production and then to the site (F³ = File-to-Fabrication-to-Field). With the ascendency of 3D printing we can introduce the concept of mass customization into the industry. Previous wet trades can now leverage this technology to mass produce materials for more efficient installation. Lowest Cost vs. Least Cost The procurement method preferred by many owners (in particular public sector clients) is the traditional race to the bottom — lowest cost through the archaic “design-bid-build” or “Soanian” model. BIM is misplaced in this environment and is at risk of fostering more disintegration, making many suspicious of BIM. Rather we should be exploring more modern methods where we can transform the industry to be one with the least cost (best value proposition over time) vs. the lowest cost (least value proposition at the time) This means BIM needs to be at the very DNA of both design and construction companies as a language where shared values result in the creation of high performance
teams that build trust and respect into their respective project charters to encourage aspirational goals vs. just having contracted goals. Let’s move beyond BIM 1.0 to BIM 2.0 where this technology is used to improve the design, procurement, assembly and operations of our infrastructure in a leveraged manner. Not satisfied with the current state of design and construction, the AEC community should apply management practices that move beyond where we are today by using BIM as the core technology. Furthermore, by using Integrated Project Delivery as the core framework, we can then apply collaborative LEAN approaches to slingshot the process and meet the challenges of cost both in procurement and the environment. Through BIM we can be better. DQ Allan Partridge is a registered architect with over 30 years of practice highlighted by the integration of digital technologies into design and construction. Since 2002 he has been working with a wide range of BIM enabled technologies and in 2008 established Next Architecture, a firm dedicated to R & D and being a vanguard for the integration of these emergent tools. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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WELL Building Standard Uptake By Rebecca Melnyk
Of the 87 per cent of total healthcare costs attributed to tobacco, food, physical activity and stress, 67 per cent are related to individuals under the age of 65. Such statistics from the U.S. based Cleveland Clinic directly point to how the workforce is being impacted by these illnesses. Since buildings, which house this pre-retirement cohort, have the ability to positively affect employee health and wellness, The WELL Building standard (WELL), created by Delos, has emerged in direct response to offer certification that takes into account seven areas: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. 26
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A plethora of studies is now connecting the growing concern for wellness, according to Regan Smith, managing principal at WSP Canada Inc., who spoke about WELL during a seminar at PM Expo. Take, for instance, the American Society of Interior Designers 2015/2016 Outlook on the state of the industry. Energy efficiency is the new normal, it states, and health and wellness is a growing commitment — the number one trend. Meanwhile, residential designers are reporting a higher adoption than commercial designers. And yet another study, out of the UK, called Shoppers Vista, recorded that shoppers felt empowered to
make positive decisions related to healthy eating, up 20 per cent in the last seven years. “WELL is offering a brand for both corporations and buildings to promote health,” said Smith. “We spend 90 per cent of our time indoors; the built form directly impacts our health.” The WELL process and updates “There has been interesting uptake in the last year since it’s been available on the marketplace,” added Smith. “The development that went into the standard came from a number of individuals informed by doctors and health care providers, in addition to architects and designers. The focus
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was to address all of the human systems and a building’s impact.” Currently, three types of projects can register online: new and existing buildings, new and/or existing interior space and compliance for a core and shell building. Certification comes with a Silver, Gold or Platinum level and requires a threeyear recertification cycle, except for the latter project category. Mandatory requirements, items all projects need to meet, are called preconditions. Optional items are called optimizations, and depending on how many optimizations are pursued on a project, higher certification levels can be achieved. As it stands, there are 41 mandatory requirements, 36 for interior or tenant fit-outs and 30 for the core and shell compliance path. If 40 per cent of optimizations are achieved, a project reaches a Gold level, while 80 per cent contributes to a Platinum level. After registration, a WELL assessor from the Green Business Certification Inc. is assigned to a project and a WELL commissioning takes place where the project receives a WELL report on its performance. In the online reference guide, some components require testing, others need a letter of sign-off, while others need annotated documentation. Every three years annual performance data needs to be conducted, and there is a resubmission component where an individual comes to a site to conduct verification tests. LEED vs WELL While both LEED v4 and WELL are organized to work seamlessly together, WELL requires less documentation than LEED. “Some say LEED is a focus on quantity while WELL is a focus on quality,” Smith pointed out. “LEED also focuses on energy and energy performance, which is not specifically addressed in WELL.” In comparison, indoor air, water and comfort are all relevant to both
LEED and WELL; however, in existing buildings, WELL is more focused on the personal health and wellbeing of occupants whereas LEED is more focused on how a building is being operated. According to Smith, specific requirements that greatly overlap include the smoking ban, an education requirement, daylighting, indoor air quality when it comes to ASHRAE 62, water, active transportation, material transparency, thermal comfort related to ASHRAE 55 and noise control. “There is not a significant amount of research that shows the direct impact or results of pursuing the WELL Building Standard within your space,” noted Smith, “which is typical when pursuing new standards as there are risks associated with being the first.” Yet, she adds, there are also rewards, such as bragging rights and being featured in media and publications. Still, one main question that continues to arise is, “What are the results and what are people saying?” “The amount of hard data that is available is lacking,” she added. “Individuals who have pursued WELL are saying that ongoing research is happening and they are collecting data, but it’s not there yet.” The first WELL space was CBRE’s office in Los Angeles. Based on its WELL standard employee survey, 92 per cent of tenants said the new space created a positive effect on their health, 94 per cent said the new space created a positive effect in the business performance and 90 per cent would not go back to their old way of working. With pilots coming onto the market and feedback rolling in, further refinement is expected to create a standard that is usable to the industry. “There was a time when we thought quantifying and measuring energy and getting those numbers right was challenging,” said Smith. “Now, we’re trying to measure overall human health and tie it back to the built form.” DQ
While both LEED v4 and WELL are organized to work seamlessly together, WELL requires less documentation than LEED.
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LED Challenges By Carlos Flores
...CRI is a measure of how well a light source renders the true colours of an object...
As we approach the end of 2015, it is quite amazing to think that the United Nations proclaimed this year as the International Year of Light (IYL 2015). With an opening event taking place in Paris in January to other events that spanned across the globe recognizing the positive effect of light-based technologies in everyday life, it was quite exciting to those of us in the lighting industry that lighting has been given this type of notoriety. We have seen major changes in the lighting industry recently with the introduction of more efficient LED lighting sources, but as with most new technologies, we have also experienced challenges that still make designers long for the simplicity of incandescent or halogen sources. The adoption of ASHRAE 90.1 (2010) as an energy standard in B.C. in December of 2013, and Alberta in November 2015, has seen wattage per square 28
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foot power density limitations within a given building shrink significantly, prompting a spike in the use of LED lighting for new construction and tenant improvement projects. While LED lighting has addressed energy concerns, other features such as colour rendition, colour consistency, and dimming compatibility ratings of the chosen LED light fixture remain a challenge. A recent development introduced by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) in evaluating colour rendition of a light source looks outside what is typically known as Colour Rendering Index (CRI.) Put simply, CRI is a measure of how well a light source renders the true colours of an object when compared to another light source of similar colour temperature. The new system recommended by the IESNA, known as “TM-30-15: Method for
Evaluating Light Source Colour Rendition,” takes into account 99 colour samples that represent natural objects such as flowers, textiles and human skin, whereas CRI only considered 14 colours from the Munsell colour system. The IESNA stresses the fact that this is not a new required standard, but rather a suggested method to “specifying appropriate light sources and optimizing spectral characteristics of light sources.” As lighting designers begin to design using this new method, we will see more lighting manufacturers designing their LED light fixtures to meet these new requirements. In the meantime, a point of reference to choosing a high quality LED light fixture is by looking at a tight Standard Deviation Colour Matching (SDCM) rating, also known as “MacAdam Ellipse.” A rating of 1-2 step MacAdam
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Ellipse in a light fixture will assure the user a more accurate colour temperature consistency. If the light fixture specification does not state the MacAdam Ellipse rating, it is suggested that more information be obtained from the lighting supplier. Keep in mind that an art gallery would have higher quality colour consistency requirements, whereas a lunch room or storage area may not need this level of colour consistency. A lighting designer would look closely at these ratings to suit the project requirements. Choosing a specific type of dimming with LED fixtures can also be a challenge, mainly if there are several different manufacturers being used, as is typical with large projects. The main design consideration to be aware of in this case is to make sure that the lighting control system matches the type of dimming chosen for the light fixtures to avoid the added cost of extra modules or integrating interfaces. This is crucial when there is more than one consultant in the project specifying the lighting. The most popular system we see being used in commercial projects is 0-10V dimming, while Electronic Low Voltage (ELV) remains common in residential projects. The “Internet of Things� is a buzzword that we hear often related to electronics and networking. With LEDs being part of the world of electronics, innovative technologies are being introduced on a regular basis to simply mimic the effects that designers are used to with incandescent and halogen technologies, or to offer a scalable level of integration with building management systems that support lighting as well as HVAC and surveillance systems. These are a few new technologies worth mentioning: Comfort-dim: produces a warm glow when dimming LEDs to mimic the behaviour of incandescent or halogen lamps. A great feature for hospitality or residential projects.
Colour tuning: allows the user to change the colour temperature of the light fixture ranging from approximately 1700K (dimmed incandescent) to 6000K (daylight). Colour temperature ranges depending on the individual manufacturer. A great application for multipurpose spaces like hotel ballrooms that host weddings requiring a more intimate lighting effect but also need a bright space for a corporate conference during the day. Wireless controls: these systems can now integrate solutions like simple retrofit dimming systems for executive boardrooms in tenant improvement projects, or an entire new construction project integrating interior and/or exterior lighting with diagnostics tools that allow facility managers to monitor the entire system through their tablet or smart phone. Even landscape lighting is now incorporating wireless controls that gives the user flexibility over lighting levels but also an added feature when entertaining guests. POE: power over Ethernet. It eliminates AC wiring to power electrical devices and uses network cabling instead. RDM dimming: similar to sophisticated theatrical lighting controls but with the added bonus of offering a two-way communication, allowing for diagnostics of the entire system to monitor energy consumption as well as potential issues within the network. DQ Carlos Flores is a Lighting Certified Professional by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP) with 15 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is also a past vice president of the IESBC and a founding partner of Symmetry Lighting, a lighting manufacturer’s representative based in Vancouver, B.C. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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Workplace Lighting Strategies By Victor Quezada
Today’s North American workplace environments are a complex blend of sustainable goals and an open, more democratic structure which requires a pluripotent lighting design response. There are three basic lighting metrics that projects are designed to: 1) ASHRAE 90.1 for Lighting Power Density (LPD) in the form of watts per square foot formed from compliance paths which are based on building or space types. 2) LEED rating certification which in turn follows ASHRAE 90.1 LPDs, its goal in energy efficiency calls for a further reduction from the baseline LPDs contingent upon which LEED rating the project is subscribing to. 3) Finally, IESNA foot candle recommendations which suggest best practices on illuminating types of spatial environments. The dilemma for lighting designers is that these IESNA best practices have remained relatively static and have not followed ASHRAE & LEED’s trend in energy reduction. Lighting an environment to achieve best practices in illumination and at the same time utilizing a diminishing number of watts per square foot can be somewhat of a 30
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challenge. Lighting designers have to use their creative talents and think out of the box to accomplish this blend of goals and metrics. The new workplace environment starts at the workstation, which is often communal and shifting. Overhead lighting that targets work area illumination should aim for uniformity and not simply brightness. Ancillary illumination (e.g. monitors, task lamps and daylight autonomy) provide the supplemental lighting that suits the worker’s habits and comforts. However, only a portion of work in a contemporary workplace environment occurs at one’s desk. Portable technologies enable the worker vast means of flexibility. This requires environments within the workplace to allow for social interaction and privacy. Strategies to illuminate these environments discreetly vary from project to project, however the interior provides a primary canvas to forge dynamic moods while integrating lighting into the architecture. The architectonics involved with this collaborative endeavour is what makes design ambitious and projects unique and exciting.
A good example is the CB Richard Ellis’s (CBRE) Vancouver head office, a four storey tenant improvement in the MNP Tower designed by New York architects Kohn Pedersen Fox. The project was designed to the WELL Building Standard which is the world’s first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. The project begins with ASHRAE 90.1 2010 calculations per each floor to arrive at a budgeted watt total. The lighting scope excluded the areas that employed the base build luminaires and focused on the high visibility areas and architectural features. This included lighting treatments for the elevator lobby, connecting stairwell, reception, tree feature, boardroom, cafe, kitchen and communal areas. P+W’s glazed clad concept for the elevator lobby was complemented by linear runs of LED luminaires in an inverted U-shape seam of light to illuminate the spatial surroundings infinitely. This seam concept transferred to the connecting stairwell as the stair treads were lit via concealed linear LEDs mounted in the riser. The riser was designed with a slot for light to escape onto the tread while
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the inner cavity mounting angle mitigated pixilation onto the surface below. Xicato XSM Artist series LED modules in downlight form factors supplied from Dasal Architectural Lighting was used throughout in minimal fashion on the main floor reception area. The 95 CRI and 90 R9 value in 1000 lumen packages provides a welcoming and warm ambient environment crucial for a client’s first impression. The other key feature that parallels the stairwell on all four floors is a ficus tree that was strategically placed in centre of the communal areas. The ceiling detail included a cove that mimicked the mound onto which the tree was mounted. Small form factor linear cove lighting from Lumenpulse produced a glow in the ceiling simulating sunlight while 70W Metal Halide recessed adjustable downlights provide the appropriate light levels and Ultra Violet light to promote and sustain growth for the ficus. The tree lighting was exempt from ASHRAE under Section 9.2.2.3-F “Lighting For Plant Growth And Maintenance”. The “Black is the new Black” boardroom featured a cutting edge 20-foot-long linear LED pendant from Fluxwerx to again echo the seam of light concept. The café ceiling was comprised of undulating wood blocks that formed a topographical map of Burrard inlet. Square form factor surface mounted luminaires from Delta Light with Bridgelux LED modules aesthetically integrate onto the wood blocks while providing comfortable light levels. Adjacent Dasal downlights in the kitchen and communal areas also use Bridgelux LED modules for continuity and colour consistency. Complementing the interior architecture while being cognizant of the design intent, and complying with the sustainability aspects are all key components in the lighting design process. DQ Victor Quezada is lighting principal at Render Light & Planning Inc. an independent lighting design firm providing consultancy, design and project execution services for all scales of architectural and landscape environments. He is jointly leading the lighting design for numerous projects with a high level of technical and architectural ambition. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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Evolution of Lighting Technologies New LEDs allow for the endless design possibilities. By Doug McMillan
Lighting design is experiencing an evolution with the introduction of the new energy codes ASHRAE 90.1 — 2010 and NECB 2011 at the end of 2013 in British Columbia and at the end of 2015 in Alberta. Then there is the constant introduction of new, brighter, higher quality LEDs (light emitting diodes), and control systems to keep up with the new technologies. There are many benefits to using LEDs over traditional lighting sources, and their versatility provides lighting designers the freedom to explore design options not previously available to them. However, because of the increased initial cost of LED compared to the traditional sources, new and exciting designs often never see the light of day and are lost, instead, to cost savings. 32
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West Newton Park Field House was designed and constructed to support the increased demand for cricket facilities in Surrey, B.C. Like an optic installed over LEDs, the architectural gate shapes the light leaving the building, creating an amazing feature of the gate while generating shadows on the grass. As the prospective changes so will the pattern experienced. Photo Credit: Ema Peter Photography; Architect: Shape Architecture Inc.
With the arrival of new energy codes and the requirements of luminaires to provide multilevel illuminance, which LED naturally provides at no additional cost, it proved to be yet another benefit over traditional lamp sources. As a result, designers are now able to use the latest exciting luminaires to execute designs without fear of cost cuts, while owners and building managers can benefit from low maintenance costs until the end of the LED system life. Originally, LED lamps were simply added into existing luminaires without taking into consideration the glare and efficiencies they had once marketed. Today, manufacturers design LED luminaires from scratch, resulting in smaller, more efficient optics which seem to defy the laws of physics. These new optic systems either control each LED separately or as a whole. With manufacturers designing around the LED, they are looking at illuminating for all possible applications and to overcome the shortfalls of the LED source. This allows the designer to achieve the desired look, without compromise. The controls systems that are emerging for these new LED luminaires are simpler than ever. Luminaires can be complete with on-board modules that provide the head-end of the system with an IP address to allow for easy relocation of the luminaire should a room change or be relocated. While there were systems that provided similar functions for traditional luminaires, their cost did not allow for the frequency of use that these new systems allow. New sensors can be easily connected and removed from the luminaire without requiring electricians.
At the same time, manufacturers are realizing they should not be stopping with just on-board controls, and are starting to add small microchips and processors on the LED boards to replace remote drivers, act as speakers, or even allow for Li-Fi technology that uses light to deliver wireless internet faster than existing 4G and Wi-Fi systems. The design of the new luminaires around the high quality LED source and optics, along with the ever advancing controls, has allowed lighting designers to refine their designs. Using today’s technologies, we are now able to surpass a design completed just five years ago, almost completely. These technologies allow designers to fulfill many architects’ aspirations of having certain lighting effects without seeing the luminaires. Designers can use thin or small luminaires that still have usable amounts of light in them, whether they are flush or recessed into the ceiling. They can be in plain view without creating glare. They can be adjusted on the fly without an occupant being in the building or standing next to a large bank of switches. They can light our path when we arrive to work after hours by just clicking one control point. The general rules for lighting are now irrelevant and the design possibilities seem endless. DQ Doug McMillan, Associate IALD, is a lighting designer at AES with over 15 years of experience in the lighting design field. His perspective of lighting design is about effect and allowing the light to work with the texture and features of the building. The importance of lighting, on both the aesthetic and practical use of a space, cannot be overstated. AES provides solutions that enhance architectural details, create the desired mood, and enhance functional aspects. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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The Role of Strategic Planning How design and strategic planning can affect the bottom line. By Lindsey Nelson
The new Canada Green Building Council office in Vancouver illustrates how a great compact floorplate can impact business. The project is the first LEEDv4 ID+C project in Canada, and shadows the WELL Building standard.
Most companies look at design and strategic planning, and its costs, when looking to re-organize, re-locate, or re-brand. These key times in the life of a business allow for the ability to step back, gain perspective, and implement change. Design should be an integral part of the decision making in business; it may not be quantifiable on an immediate ROI, but it will pay dividends in spades. Given the key performance indicators, design can drive business decisions, or be used to solve business problems. Programming. Designers are always looking to solve problems and address issues with their design. Designers will walk a company through an interview or engagement process called ‘programming’. This allows designers to ask the hard questions that may not have been asked. We have seen design directly affect operational costs through creating efficiencies in the workforce, initiating time-savings in processes, and allowing for transparencies in communication channels. 34
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Follow the Paper. Who touches each piece of information as it moves through the company? Design can affect how information is displayed, the audience it is shared with, the timing of information, or the sensitivities of information. Information is not just shared digitally: What about being able to see collaborator across the office? Being able to pin-up and share work? Are there exciting items that the company wants to share with a client as they walk in the door? Follow the Chatter. What creates a buzz within the office? Design can allow this energy to flow through the office, swirl and eddy at key points, and pause where quiet is required. The location of key ‘hot zones’ within the office creates those accidental meetings of the mind. In a world where knowledge is an asset, these timely meetings are key for innovative thinking and collaborative problem-solving. Designers also take a hard look at who needs to sit together, when, and how. Collaboration needs to be balanced with the ability to focus, sitting needs to be balanced with intentional activity. The company’s workforce is the largest asset, and design can help them to function as the efficient, healthy machine that they want to be. Spaceplanning and Schematic Design. Many companies bring in a designer at the time of leasing a new workspace, or redesigning their current space. Bringing on a designer prior to signing a lease, allows the exploration of efficiencies possible with each floorplate, and how each space may play into the long-term flexibility of the company. This has saved companies that we have worked with millions of dollars throughout the term of their lease, and millions of dollars in moving costs and potential operational down-time. Follow the Stuff. How much real estate does the company devote to outdated documents, outmoded workstyles, or obsolete equipment? The best part of a move is asking the question: ‘Do we really need this?’ It is a simple question, yet it is staggering the amount of ‘stuff ’ that a company will keep around, because no one has bothered to question if it is truly needed. The way a company operates may change completely within a business cycle — what ‘stuff ’ is required to now support this new business model? A well-strategized design allows for change and long-term flexibility, to minimize the amount of ‘stuff ’ and maximize the function of the space.
The company’s workforce is the largest asset, and design can help them to function as the efficient, healthy machine that they want to be.
Re-branding: Outside looking in; Inside looking out. Companies want to ensure that their space is aligned to the values and visions that are brought forth from their re-branding strategy, and the design of their space is key to ensuring that this new identity is seamless across their space, their product, and their communications. The outside looking in: how others view the space, and the perception that the public can gain of who the company is through the space. Does the company value transparency, light, and a sense of space? Or, does the company value security, solidarity, and a sense of protection? Whatever the business, the mission and values should be evident through the design of the space. The brand should flow seamlessly from the product or ideas to the design details. Conversely, the space and design should also speak to the staff. How does the design tell staff of the importance that they play in the company, and why they come to work? Design can invigorate and energize staff, support them through tough times, and remind them of the killer company that they are a part of. An engaged workforce truly affects the bottom line. From large-scale mega projects to small tenant renovations, design and strategic planning can ensure that the design of the space truly affects a company’s bottom line. DQ Lindsey Nelson is interior designer and strategic planner at Dialog Design in Vancouver. She is also the current president of Canadian Construction Women Association. lnelson@dialogdesign.ca. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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Engaging Uncertainty Understanding Regenerative Design By Ray Cole
Building design priorities are shaped by the prevailing worldview and value system of the societal and cultural context within which they emerge. Within this overarching value frame, the ways and extent that environmental issues are emphasized in building design is further influenced by immediate societal concerns in the aftermath of significant events such as security threats or economic instability. More directly, environmental priorities in design are influenced by the types of tools and methods deployed in practice. Performance assessment and rating systems such as the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) have undoubtedly been instrumental in mainstreaming green building practice. Almost two decades or so after their introduction, they have profoundly influenced the range of considerations deemed important in design and are now embedded within the parlance and decision-making processes of building procurement, design and construction, and operation. Although significant adjustments have been made in response to shifting environmental priorities over time and seeking efficiencies in the certification process, LEED remains profoundly shaped by its initial aspiration of market transformation and it’s emphasis on mitigation—creating buildings that slow the degeneration of natural systems. Green design is primarily directed at reducing the degenerative consequences of human activity on the health and integrity of ecological systems or, more generally, “doing less harm.” While clearly necessary, this is both an insufficient requirement for charting an ecologically sustainable future and, argued here, an 36
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insufficient aspiration and motivator for design professionals and their clients. Current green building practice also remains primarily focused on individual buildings typically without acknowledging the larger system context. Moreover, the complex array of stakeholders associated with the production and use of buildings have a limited understanding of each other’s particular motivations and drivers, and most agencies directly and indirectly shaping environmental policy operate largely independently of each other. To some extent, these have begun to change through the introduction of neighbourhood scale assessment tools (e.g., LEED-ND) and the blurring of professional boundaries as a result of integrative design practice. Many North American architectural practices have a wealth of accumulated experience in green design and, indeed, in producing buildings achieving “Platinum” — the highest levels of performance within the LEED program. As such, they continue to seek more challenging performance goals. Although the notion of a “sustainable” building is often used seemingly as an advance beyond one demonstrating green performance, it doesn’t withstand serious scrutiny when judged against key issues such as social equity & wealthfare and intra & intergenerational environmental equity that are key to sustainability. A building, in and of itself, cannot be sustainable but it can be designed to support sustainable patterns of living and thereby suggesting that it is the role the building plays rather than the building itself, is potentially of greater consequence. Such a viewpoint is the central to the emerging notion of regenerative development.
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Regenerative development emphasizes “doing more good” and promotes a co-evolutionary, partnered relationship between humans and natural systems rather than a managerial one and, in doing so, builds, rather than diminishes, social and natural capitals. By definition, it offers a positive framing of environmental issues that can both inspire and create the cognitive space for transformative practices to emerge. Such an approach requires design to acknowledge and respond to the unique attributes and potentials of ‘place’ and attempts to secure sustained stakeholder engagement to ensure a project’s future success. In contrast, the structure and emphasis of current green building assessment tools offer little instruction regarding understanding and engaging local ecosystems and their processes or, more generally, of the systems thinking emphasized in regenerative approaches. While the technical strategies of green design will remain valid, the intention and language of regenerative development particularly for the partnering and coexistence of human and natural systems, offers considerable potency for a broadlybased environmental approach. Moreover, the more comprehensive framing of regenerative development offers considerable potential to accelerate the development of the necessary systems-thinking, shared vision, shared ownership and shared responsibility. Regenerative approaches challenge the orthodoxy of current green building practice, the design tools that support it and, perhaps most significantly, what constitutes “successful” performance. Successful green building performance can be readily established and communicated — the percentage reductions in energy and water use, carbon emissions, etc., or the attainment of a level of certification within LEED — gold or platinum. These can be estimated at the design stage and verified during operation with a degree of certainty. But how can one know at the outset if and to what extent a project can be acknowledged as offering value to the context in which it sits given the uncertainties inherent in the evolutionary nature of complex systems? How can regenerative design practitioners convey their ambitions to clients who expect a high level of certainty to what they are committing significant financial resources? We are faced with the need, as complex adaptive systems scholar David Snowden declares, to devise ways of measuring success without knowing in advance exactly what that success might be. Such a task will clearly not be easy. DQ
Regenerative approaches challenge the orthodoxy of current green building practice...
Ray Cole is a professor and past-director of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia and the academic director of UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. Winter 2016 | DESIGN QUARTERLY
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design headlines
Future Project of the Year Vancouver House by BIG Bjarke Ingells Group was named the Future Project of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2015, which celebrates the best of the world’s architecture that is yet to be completed. The project negotiates a difficult site trisected by an overpass, with BIG’s response optimizing the conditions for its future inhabitants — in the air as well as on the street. As a result, it creates desirable spaces for living at its top, while freeing up a generous public space at its base. The silhouette of Vancouver House resembles a curtain being drawn aside, welcoming people as they enter the city. Judges said of BIG’s Vancouver House: “This is a delightful project that generates an exemplar new urban typology, mitigating the destructive impact of the highway flyover and creating an opportunity from typically abandoned public space. It will impact positively on many future municipality and developer-led agendas for cities across the world.”
Oberlander wins Margolese National Design Prize The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia has named landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander the winner of the 2015 Margolese National Design for Living Prize. This unrestricted $50,000 annual prize recognizes a Canadian who has made and continues to make outstanding contributions to the development or improvement of living environments for Canadians of all economic classes. It was created by a generous estate gift to the University by Leonard Herbert Margolese. This award recognizes Oberlander as one of the world’s leading landscape architects who, over the past 60 years, has collaborated with internationally acclaimed architects on a wide range of projects around the world. She devoted her early professional years to designing landscapes for low-cost housing projects and playgrounds throughout Canada. She has also designed the iconic landscapes of the UBC Museum of Anthropology, Robson Square in Vancouver and Ottawa’s National Gallery. In addition to the Margolese Prize, she has been recognized with 12 honorary degrees and was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2009. She was awarded the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Allied Arts Medal in 1995, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects in 2006, the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award (the International Federation of Landscape Architects’ premier award) in 2011, and the ASLA Medal (the most prestigious award by the American Society of Landscape Architects) in 2012. Oberlander plans to use the Margolese Prize to further her work greening the city. 38
DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2016
VANCOUVER DESIGNER WINS DXV COMPETITION Vancouver designer Lianna Armstrong of Evolve Designs has been named the winner of DXV’s 2015 Design Competition, a Canada-wide competition judged by a panel of interior design industry experts. Entrants were required to select a classic story as a theme showcasing at least two items from DXV’s range of luxury products. Drawings, renderings, mood boards, and concept boards were used to communicate the concepts for judging. Armstrong’s design, which brings to life C.S. Lewis’s classic tale The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was chosen as the Grand Prize winner among entries from across the country. A recreation of the winning design was built and featured at the Toronto Interior Design Show in January 2016. It will also be featured at IDS West in Vancouver in September 2016.
TEKNION WINS MULTIPLE GOOD DESIGN AWARDS Teknion has won multiple 2015 Good Design Awards for products from its Teknion, Teknion Studio and Teknion Textiles collections. The annual award celebrates the most innovative industrial, product and graphic designs around the world. The Good Design Awards program is presented annually by The Chicago Athenaeum. The upStage workplace furniture system, Livello Height-Adjustable Bench, Qui collection of seating and surfaces designed by Monica Armani, and Infinito + Masalla lounge seating and tables by Toan Nguyen were all winners. Bandeau, Presse, Boucle Grid and Lustrado, plus Line Language — all from Suzanne Tick’s new Textured Edge collection for Teknion Textiles — were also honored.
Wiggins Leaves IDC Susan Wiggins has stepped down from her post as CEO of the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) and assumed a new role as senior strategic adviser to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) on Jan. 4, 2016. “The entire board is extremely pleased for Susan; there is no one more qualified for this role,” said Aandra Currie Shearer, president of IDC.“The Canadian interior design community has been strengthened over the past several years, the result of Susan’s hard work and professionalism.” Wiggins was named CEO in 2010, following a restructuring of Canada’s association communities. She spent the previous decade serving as the executive director of the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO). IDC has established a recruitment committee to conduct the search for its new CEO and has appointed Ron Hughes as the interim CEO until a replacement is found. Hughes has been working as a marketing and sales professional supporting the interior design industry. He has held senior roles with Knoll, Inscape, Teknion, and Interface. He also served as first director representing the industry on the IDC board from 2010 to 2012.
Top Hospitality Designers Recognized NEWH, Inc. presented the fifth annual NEWH Top ID list for 2016 and three winners were named for the Vancouver chapter of NEWH: Chil Interior Design, Hager Design International Inc. and SSDG Interiors Inc. This prestigious honour is determined by the chapter boards with consideration of a firm’s quality design work in the hospitality industry along with membership and support the firm has provided the NEWH chapter. This exclusive recognition is NEWH’s way of supporting and promoting its designer membership. Not only are firms acknowledged by their local community as a leader in hospitality design, they are also celebrated internationally across the vast network of professionals in the industry.
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WALLCOVERING IN PHOTO
Harlowe from Len-Tex Wallcoverings