SABMag 45 - teaser for web by SAB Magazine

Issue number 45 | FALL 2014 | PM40024961 | $6

THE ENVIRONMENTAL Learning Centre Light footprint provides lessons in environmental stewardship

Farnham Garrison Kitchen and Dining Hall Thoughtful design raises user comfort

Westmount Recreation Centre Underground construction saves energy, creates green space

Advancing sustainable design Life cycle assessment gives long-term view

sabMag - FALL 2014

YOUR IDEAS ARE AHEAD OF THE CURVE. OUR SOLUTIONS ARE AHEAD OF THE CODES.

Stay ahead of the curve, choose Owens Corning™, Canada’s No.1 insulation products and systems to achieve optimum energy efficiencies that meet or can exceed today’s building codes.

1-800-GET-PINK® or visit owenscorning.ca

70% Lower Global Warming Potential Than Previous Formulation

sabMag - FALL 2014

THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964-2014 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. © 2014 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. 73% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. SCS certified. GREENGUARD Children & Schools SM Mark is a registered certification mark used under license through the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. Owens Corning PINK™ insulation is GREENGUARD Certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. This product has achieved GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification and is verified to be formaldehyde free.

Award Winner 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

For more on the projects in this issue

Best issue bronze award 2013 International excellence in business-to-business publishing

www.sabmagazine.com Fall In this issue 2014

6 Industry News, Products and Events 13 Viewpoint - Grey Matter: Lessons from the ‘La Cuisine’ building, Winnipeg Folk Festival - A conversation with Tom Monteyne

17 Farnham Garrison Kitchen and Dining Hall Thoughtful design raises user comfort and well being

16 27

22 Westmount Recreation Centre Going underground to save energy and create green space

29 The Environmental Learning Centre

Light footprint provides lessons in environmental stewardship

35 CEU Article:

Advancing Sustainable Design Life cycle assessment gives long-term view

42 Low-energy building design The occupant factor

46 Interview with Jack Laken The power of themal mass

issuE DON’T MISS next WINTER 2014/15 Telus Spark Science Centre LEED Gold building educates on environment and technologies

Continuing Education article: Energy Modelling Energy modelling tools and their role in the design process

The Case for Tall Wood Arguments in favour of scaling up

Plus …

The SABMag 2015 Directory of Products and Services for Sustainable Building Cover: The Environmental Learning Centre. Photo: Michael Elkin. sabMag - FALL 2014

From far and wide… we’re Connecting Canadians From coast to beautiful coast, Uponor works with partners to provide innovative, efficient and trusted solutions. Whether a hotel in Toronto, a government building in Montreal, or a Condominium in Vancouver, the Uponor PEX-a Plumbing System, featuring Uponor AquaPEX tubing and ProPEX expansion fittings, consistently provides cost and labour savings, without compromising quality. At Uponor, we stand on guard for our partners. We work with you to find the right solution each and every time. • Most trusted, tested and listed in the industry • ULC S102.2 plenum listing* • Shape memory — kink reparable • Full-service design and technical support • Engineer’s resource portal: CAD, Specs, BIM, LEED®

Get connected, change your business

* Please visit listing agency website for complete listing www.QAI.org 4

sabMag - FALL 2014

editor’s note

Dedicated to high-performance building

Member Canada Green Building Council

LEED EDUCATION PROVIDER

The Truth about Trees

SABMag is a proud member and media partner of the CaGBC, and works closely with them on content for each issue.

David Suzuki has long been an outspoken

VISIT www.sabmagazine.com

advocate for the idea that the ‘ecosystem

Publisher Don Griffith 800-520-6281, ext. 304, dgriffith@sabmagazine.com

services’ provided by natural environments

Editor Jim Taggart, FRAIC 604-874-0195, architext@telus.net

of their value. Suzuki has tended to focus

Editorial Assistant Katherine Berry

natural forests and wetlands. However a

Senior Account Manager Patricia Abbas 416-438-7609, pabbas8@gmail.com

recently published study out of Portland

Graphic Design Carine De Pauw 800-520-6281, ext. 308, cdepauw@sabmagazine.com

that the green spaces in our cities punch

should be factored into any assessment on the services delivered by large areas of

State University [PSU] in Oregon suggests photo: ROY GROGAN

well above their weight. The research team worked with numerous

community volunteers, including many PSU and Washington State University

Published by

students, to place a web of 144 sensors across the greater Portland region.

www.janam.net 81 Leduc St.,Gatineau,Qc J8X 3A7 800-520-6281, ext.304, 819-778-5040 Fax: 819-595-8553

Subscription/address changes: info@sabmagazine.com, 800-520-6281, ext. 304

The scientists then examined neighbourhood-specific air quality data correlated with detailed maps of Portland’s tree canopy, creating a new way to project and compare what it’s like to breathe in different corners of the city.

Subscription prices Canada: [Taxes extra]

Then the researchers went a step further. They calculated the total amount

PRINT DIGITAL 1 year [4 issues] $24.95 $19.95 2 years [8 issues] $46.95 $34.95 3 years [12 issues] $67.40 $54.95

of nitrogen dioxide - an air pollutant that contributes to asthma and other

ISSN 1911-4230

When the numbers were crunched, they concluded that the overall saving

for the region was $6.59 million per year in what would otherwise be lost

respiratory conditions -removed from the air by the city’s ‘urban forest’. They then quantified the beneficial impact that this reduction would have on missed school and work days, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations.

productivity and health care costs. The results of the study, which was titled ‘Trees in a City And the Air Quality

Publication Mail Agreement #40024961 Return undelivered Canadian address mail to: Janam Publications Inc., 81 Leduc St., Gatineau, Qc J8X 3A7

it Enjoys’ were published in the academic journal ‘Environmental Pollution’ and are the first to take the study of pollution effects to the neighbourhood level and to quantify the value of regional ecosystem services provided by urban trees.

The print version of SABMag uses Rolland Enviro 100 Satin, a 100% post-consumer fiber that is certified FSC and EcoLogo. It is processed chlorine-free, FSC-recycled and is manufactured using biogas energy.

Add to these findings those of another recent study which determined that the birth weight of babies born to urban mothers who live close to parks is on average 50 grams heavier than those born to mothers who don’t -and public health, city and parks board officials surely have pause for thought. Jim Taggart, FRAIC Editor

Environmental savings for this issue:

54 Trees

197,767 litres water

2,996 kg waste

7,787 kg CO2 sabMag - FALL 2014

Architects can help the industry meet the 2030 Challenge - By Pierre Gallant, FRAIC Architecture Canada | RAIC Report

buildings

gy consumption targets and

built in Canada designed by

encourages building owners to

architects, including commer-

adopt them. It sees the cre-

cial,

institutional

ation of low energy-consuming

Building projects start with an

and residential, typically con-

buildings and infrastructure as

Every profession sees itself

owner who works with the archi-

sume twice the energy of simi-

a design issue.

as a leader. Architecture is no

tect to translate the dream or

lar buildings in Europe. While

Clearly, architects and engi-

exception. The realization of a

need into an eventual reality.

such a comment is simplistic,

neers have a key role in imple-

it underlines the progress our

menting the solutions to achieve

society needs to achieve.

carbon neutrality for buildings.

Pierre Gallant

industrial,

building requires a formidable

To turn dreams into realities

team, and each member of the

requires the architect typically

team is in a position of leader-

to consider sociological, cul-

As part of its mission to

Other members of the team

ship during some of the phases

tural, environmental, economic

promote responsible architec-

need to feel the same obligation.

of the project. For example:

and regulatory factors. Society

ture and to equip members

Many architects have made

at the programming stage, the

now expects that the architect

with sustainable design knowl-

sustainability a core philosophy

owner is in the lead; during the

will also consider sustainability.

edge, the Royal Architectural

of their practice. Those archi-

buildings

Institute of Canada is among

tects are the early-adopters

can be argued that the munici-

consume up to 40 percent

other Canadian organizations

and specialists that spearhead

pality’s planning personnel is

of all energy. Currently, this

who have endorsed the 2030

change.

in the lead; during the design

relies heavily on fossil fuels. Of

Challenge,

www.architec-

The architectural profession

stage, the architect leads; dur-

course, single-family residen-

ture2030.org. The internation-

has an opportunity to build

ing construction, the builder

tial construction, usually con-

al movement was started by

[pardon the pun] on its early-

leads. Equally important are the

structed without architects, is

American architect Ed Mazria,

adopters to help owners, the

contributions of the specialist

a large portion of all buildings

Hon. FRAIC. It proposes that all

construction industry and soci-

consultants [usually our engi-

and consumes a very signifi-

new buildings will use no fossil

ety-at-large to meet the RAIC

neering colleagues], the trades,

cant amount of that 40 percent

fuels and emit no greenhouse

2030 Challenge: carbon neu-

the suppliers, and many more.

of energy.

gases by 2030.

trality for buildings.

development permit stage, it

know

that

ADS IN THIS ISSUE 2 Owens Corning 4 Uponor 6 Sustainable Forestry Initiative 9 Toronto Green Building Festival 16 Interface 25 Hydrotech/ Eco Insulating Glass 28 Forest Industry Investment

The Challenge sets enerNevertheless,

34 GE Lighting 37 Inline Fibreglass 39 Morrison Hershfield/CaGBC Toronto 41 IIdex Canada 47 Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute 48 Forbo Flooring

Our mistake Not all of the contributors to the award-winning projects published in our special Summer issue on the Canadian Green Building Awards were correctly identified. SABMag apologizes for this oversight and sets the record straight as follows:

uVanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre – Glazing was provided by Columbia Glazing Systems

going to greenbuild?

uCanMet Materials Technology Laboratory – The Landscape Architect was GSP Group Inc.

October 22 and 23, New Orleans â visit the SABMAG Booth #838

uOne Planet Reno - The project manager was BuildGreen Solutions. The architects were Carolyn Jones, Tobias Fellows, Daniel Pearl, and Simon Jones.

sabMag - FALL 2014

news CPCI offers educational plant tours The Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute [CPCI] in conjunction with its members across Canada invites SABMag readers to join students and members of the building community for a plant tour. Plants are open from 10am to 3pm, September 29 - October 3. Select a plant near you and a date at: www.cpci.ca/en/resources/npd/ • Learn through precast concrete CPCI Life Cycle Assessment how energy efficiency, recyclability, reusability, along with minimal waste in the precast plant and on the jobsite are keys to meeting today's environmental standards. • See how precast is manufactured under rigorous quality control. • Learn about the many benefits of building with Precast Concrete. • Literature and design guides will be available after the tour.

New Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide now public Engineering firm Morrison Hershfield has announced that the Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide – Analysis, Applications, and Insights is now public and can be downloaded from BC Hydro [www.bchydro. com/construction]. The guide

aims to overcome obstacles confronting industry with respect to mitigating thermal bridging to reduce energy consumption in buildings. The Guide was developed by Morrison Hershfield in collaboration with co-sponsors and industry partners to mitigate the energy waste of thermal bridging. The Guide addresses a number of obstacles currently confronting our industry by: 1. Cataloguing the thermal performance of common building envelope assemblies and interface details. 2. Providing data-driven guidance that will make it easier for the industry to comprehensively consider thermal bridging in building codes and bylaws, design and whole building energy simulations. 3. Examining the costs associated with improving the thermal performance of opaque building envelope assemblies and interface details, and forecasting the energy impact for several building types and climates. 4. Evaluating the cost effectiveness of improving the building envelope through more thermally-efficient assemblies, interface details and varying insulation levels. The Guide, which is broken into three main sections for ease of use, contains information for technical committees for energy

standards, regulators, utilities, architects, mechanical designers, building envelope consultants, energy modellers, developers, manufacturers and trade organizations. The Building Envelope Thermal Analysis [BETA] Guide outlines how to effectively account for thermal bridging and is backed up by an extensive catalogue of thermal performance data. Info: propel@morrisonhershfield.com

U.S. Building Industry groups streamline green building tool development ASHRAE, the International Code Council [ICC], the American Institute of Architects [AIA], the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America [IES] and the U.S. Green Building Council [USGBC] have signed a memorandum to collaborate on the development of Standard 189.1, the International Green Construction Code [IgCC] and the LEED green building program. The unprecedented cooperation aims to create a comprehensive framework for jurisdictions looking to implement and adopt green building regulations and codes and/or provide incentives for voluntary leadership programs such as LEED.

The agreement outlines the development, maintenance and implementation of new versions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES/USGBC Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, and the IgCC, which will be combined into one regulatory tool. This agreement also endeavours to align the LEED program with the new code to ensure a streamlined, effective set of regulatory and above-code options.

Updated Green Globes® Sustainable Interiors Certification Program an alternative to LEED ECD Energy and Environment Canada have released an upgrade to the Green Globes® for Fitups program, now renamed Sustainable Interiors [SI], as an alternative to the LEED rating system commercial and institutional building interiors. Green Globes is a web-based program that offers guidance on integrated design and provides certification in two stages: at the Design stage and Post Construction.

Choose SFI There’s a simple way you can ensure healthy forests for generations to come while supporting the people and communities in North America who depend on them. Choose the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Standard. It’s a symbol of responsible forestry. Learn more at sfiprogram.org

bout care a u o y ays . This s forests r u o f ture o the fu sabMag - FALL 2014

CONCRETE BUILDINGS ARE MODELS OF SUSTAINABILITY Energy efďŹ cient, resilient, durable and versatile, concrete plays an essential role in building safer, more sustainable communities. Learn more at rediscoverconcrete.ca

sabMag - FALL 2014

news

In Canada, Green Globes SI is now largely based on a Canadian adaptation of the ANSI standard. The standard was developed in the US using an ANSI-approved consensus process involving stakeholders from across the sustainable building industry. Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces. When pursuing Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors certification, tenants can focus on both designing new and/or improving their interior space to Green Globes standards without the need to certify an entire building. This lets tenants certify the specific environmental and sustainability attributes of the space they lease without including other aspects of the building over which they have no control. Certification is in two stages. At the completion of the design phase of the project, a Green Globes Design rating Certification is issued. Following the project’s construction, the assessor revaluates the project and issues a Post-construction Certificate. A project is awarded one to five Green Globes according to the points earned in the certification process. www. greenglobes.com

New fees announced for LEED certification and registration The Canadian green building market is expected to grow rapidly over the next three years. In order to meet this increased demand for new products and services, and continue to improve the certification process, as well as support changes to the LEED program in Canada, the CaGBC is adjusting registration and certification fees.

As a not-for-profit national organization, the CaGBC provides programs, products and services by recovering costs through service fees, industry sponsorship, and the support of hundreds of professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to advance green building in Canada. Service fee adjustments are periodically required to support the continued development and improvements necessary to meet the growing demand for LEED in Canada. Some of the recent initiatives undertaken to maintain and improve the LEED program include: • Development of LEED v4 Alternative Compliance Paths, Regional Priority Credits, and other tools, guidance and education; • Development and maintenance of various tools including the LEED Canada for EB:O&M Recertification Guidance, LEED Canada EB:O&M Reference Guide Addenda, and the Application Guide for Multiple Building Projects in LEED Canada EB:O&M; and • Increased engagement with key stakeholders across the country, including the development of master accounts and enhanced communications to better service and support owners of large portfolios of LEED projects. These fees will support improvements to the current LEED program as well as the implementation of LEED v4 in Canada. In addition, new products and services are being introduced in the coming months, such as partial internalization of the LEED review work within the CaGBC to enhance the quality and speed of certification; automated re-submittal reminders for LEED consultants; an option for projects to undergo expedited reviews; and an evaluation of options to facilitate volume certification of EB:O&M projects.

ResilienCity: the new urban paradigm THURSDAY OCTOBER 2 2014 DANIELS SPECTRUM, Toronto Only $149 for a full day of programming featuring ■ 16+ expert speakers ■ lunch and networking reception ■ Regent Park walking tour ■ affordable CEU’s for CBGI, OAA and OALA

Designing smarter Planning more sustainably Building better Implementing green solutions Creating robust & resilient communities Sponsors:

Partners:

For information & to register: www.sbcanada.org/gbfestival @SustBldgCan SustBldgCan Sustainable-Buildings-Canada

sabMag - FALL 2014

PRODUCTS J+J Flooring Group Releases Counterbalance

to 95. It is made with more than 50% post-consumer content and is the only flooring that can be recycled back into itself. Kinetex is certified to NSF 140 Platinum and meets the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus for low indoor air emissions. www.jj-kinetex.com

Icynene upgrades its foam insulation

RAIN WATER HARVESTING STRATEGIES

3 3

2 1

5 8 5

Buildings section

The Counterbalance Collection includes modules with patterns, colours and accents that define and separate spaces, and create wayfinding. The Collection creates a soft textile look in interiors requiring the durability of hard surface flooring. Appropriate for high traffic areas, it has a Texture Appearance Retention Rating [TARR] of 4.5, offers minimal resistance to rolling traffic and resists stains including blood, urine, betadine, hand sanitizers, oily foods, condiments, paint, red wine and copier toners. Kinetex also provides better acoustics, comfort, cleanliness and slip-andfall resistance than traditional hard surface flooring. Its high moisture transmission allows installation on slabs with RH up

1 2 3 4 5

Patio Solar window Path to 10th [see bottom photo of p. 24]

Cistern

6 4

drain to eavetroughs The simple shed roofs of both houses harvesting basin. which direct water to a rainwater

Rainwater harvesting plan 1 2 3 4

5 6

Canadian spray foam insulation manufacturer, Icynene, has unveiled Icynene Classic Plus™ – designed to help meet the stringent Canadian building code requirements. The 11.2kg/ m3 [0.7lb/ft3] open-cell spray foam insulation product offers one of the best thermal resistance values in the market, at 0.72 [m2•K]/W at 25.4 mm, or an R-Value of R4 per inch. The CCMC Report for Icynene Classic Plus™, CCMC #13864-R, can be downloaded from the CCMC website www.nrc-cnrc. gc.ca/eng/index.html or from the Icynene website www. icynene.com.

Lane way House roof plan Main house roof plan Skylights Rainwater harvesting basins concrete open basin - 6” dia. river washed stones over inlet - slope basin to free drain into drain - no standing water 2” over run, drains into Eavetrough open at low end, slope to storm sewer harvesting basin which connects 4.5” over run, drains into Eavetrough open at low end, slope to storm sewer harvesting basin which connects

out to build a smaller house. From the onset the owners set downsizing from a larger Both work from home. They were wanted a house that was house with the kids moving out. They room for a home office and modern and urban looking with to have a connection and site studio space. These spaces had can work separately but still lines between them so that they maintain contact. spacious and large enough They wanted the main floor to be open, They wanted the food prep to accommodate family gatherings. socializing with guests. The located such that it would facilitate and kept to a minimum with private spaces needed to be modest when vacant. a guest room that could be repurposed home to maximize the They also wished to build a laneway floorplan was designed density of the site. A simple, yet elegant to achieve their goals. as sustainable as possible In order to make the home and site front, side and courtthe utilize to crafted were outdoor spaces Plants were selected yard areas for movement and socializing. in water-smart perennials from two nurseries, one specializing other in native plants. and ornamental grasses, and the

4” dia. potable pipe run to buried cistern tank 3x3 galvalume trough 8x8 wood posts beyond

non slip finish

Rainwater harvesting basin

four 1/2” rebar where walls are greater than 10” in width otherwise only 2 bars Entry from the street to the laneway two houses.

house, the smaller of the

The rainwater harvesting basin. See location and construction.

drawings this page for SABHOMES | WINTER 2013

SABHOMES | WINTER 2013

SUBSCRIBE! ecoHouse Canada, the sister magazine of SABMag, is the newest and most authoritative source of information on Canadian highperformance housing. Published four times per year, ecoHouse Canada is a showcase of the best in Canadian residential design, products and technologies.

• September 29 - October 3 Building a Sustainable Future: CPCI Plant Tours, www.cpci.ca/ en/resources/npd/ • October 2, Toronto Green Building Festival, www.sbcanada.org

• October 16, Toronto CaGBC - Greater Toronto Chapter Gala, www.cagbctoronto.org

• November 13-14, Saskatoon Building Saskatchewan Green Conference, buildsaskgreen.ca

• October 20 -25, New Orleans - Greenbuild, www.greenbuildexpo.com

sabMag - FALL 2014

6 7 8

SMALL AND EFFICIENT

events

Loft Bathroom Kitchen Laneway Courtyard

TO SUBSCRIBE: www.sabmagazine.com/subscribe-shop

OR CALL: 1-800-520-6281, x304

Schematic arrangement of salvaged steel sections.

View of the completed building at night.

Grey Matter: Lessons from the ‘La Cuisine’ building, Winnipeg Folk Festival Final section using site modified components

SABMag: Your firm’s ‘La Cuisine’ building for the Winnipeg

VIEWPOINT ARTICLE

Folk Festival has attracted a lot of attention for such a mod-

A conversation with Tom Monteyne

SABMag: What was your rationale for using reclaimed materials and what materials did you use?

est project. Can you explain a little about the background and context?

TM: The Winnipeg Folk Festival has a general policy of minimizing

waste, and promoting environmentally responsible construction. They

TM: I would agree that our La Cuisine Building is unassum-

were interested in a facility that would have the minimum possible eco-

ing but I would not call it modest – it is actually more than

logical footprint, and that could even be disassembled and removed if

7,000 square feet in size under the roof. The Winnipeg Folk

required. We also wanted this first permanent building for the festival

Festival was started in 1974. Over 40 years it has become one

to be embraced by the community and to fit in with the inclusive and

of North America’s premier outdoor folk music events and

improvisational spirit of the place, and so we set out to make the build-

draws artists from around the world. The festival takes place

ing as tent-like as possible.

in a provincial park 30km north of the city and attracts more than 60,000 visitors over five days in early July.

The canted ceiling of the kitchen encourages passive ventilation of the space, eliminating the need for mechanical equipment, and the building

This means that the festival facilities experience a short

is not insulated. We figured out early that the main contributor to the

but intense period of active use before going into ‘hiberna-

ecological footprint would be the building materials themselves. This

tion’ until the following summer. Since the beginning of the

seemed like an ideal opportunity to explore ideas about the re-use of

festival, a temporary kitchen housed in a tent was used to

materials that we had been developing as a practice.

prepare meals for the performers and volunteers who run the

La Cuisine reclaims and adapts the primary structural components of

festival. Eventually, the volume of food required as the festival

an obsolete pre-engineered steel building, including the main structural

has expanded, along with stricter provincial health standards,

members [columns, beams, and frames], secondary structural compo-

made a permanent kitchen facility a necessity. They asked us

nents [purlins and girts], and roof cladding. The columns that line the

to design an inexpensive building that would house the cook-

front porch were formally cedar hydro poles used on electrical transmis-

ing and serving of thousands of meals a day, but that could

sion lines.

also be used to hang tents for drying during a wet year, as well as being a secure storage facility in the off-season. Although it was not specifically asked for, the building also has a grand front porch that functions as a gathering place.

sabMag - FALL 2014

Large and small squares, planks and skinny planks.

human nature

™

a collection of skinny planks

NATURE’S SELECTION

Finding the space to thrive.

Every ecosystem has a new cast of species found in nature with lessons to teach its students of design. At Interface, we seek out the connections that exist in our world’s living systems to bring environmental responsibility into spaces of every size. It’s harmonious innovation. The Human Nature™ Collection by Interface®. A Foundation for Beautiful Thinking. interface.com/human-nature 16

sabMag - FALL 2014

Farnham Garrison Kitchen and Dining Hall 1

Thoughtful design raises user comfort and well-being

The new 2,075 m2 single-storey building houses kitchen and dining facilities for the Department of National Defence at the Farnham Garrison in Farnham, Quebec. The dining hall is designed to accommodate 300 seats, and the kitchen has a capacity of 600 meals [two services] per hour. To facilitate wayfinding, functional spaces are differentiated by material, shape and/or colour. Practically all spaces feature natural daylight and direct views to the outside. By Marc Bertrand Dining room Kitchen

Floor plan

Staff The dining area has a seating capacity of 300 and offers views to the surrounding landscape through generous curtain wall glazing [1].

Service area Circulation

sabMag - FALL 2014

5 Project Performance - Energy intensity [building and process energy] = 565MJ/m2/year - Energy intensity reduction relative to reference building under MNECB = 25% - Annual electrical energy consumption = 220kWh/m2 [Note: 11.8% of annual energy requirement comes from renewable sources] - Potable water consumption from municipal sources = 365L/m2/year [Note: given transient nature of use, consumption in L/occupant would not provide a meaningful figure] - Potable water reduction relative to reference building = 20% - Construction materials diverted from landfill = 75% - Reclaimed and recycled materials by value = 15% - Regional materials [800km radius] by value =20% [Note: 50% of wood used is FSC certified, remanider is SFI certified]

Air space 10mm sprayed insulation

Moreover, the client has committed to the use of ‘Green Seal’ labelled products for all interior building maintenance in an effort to reduce the use of chemicals that could otherwise be harmful to the health of building occupants. Solar energy is collected via dark perforated metal panels [Solarwall]

Adhesive membrane through wall flashing 50mm rigid insulation

on the southeast and southwest facades of the mechanical penthouse. The resulting hot air, which is redistributed inside the building, accounts for 5% of building heating requirements. Window glazing is oriented to maximize passive solar energy, and is lined with low-emissivity film in order to increase thermal stability. The building features a heat recovery system: a network of thermal heat pumps, coupled to a water loop, allows the recovery of waste heat from the cold room compressors. This recovered energy is in turn used to heat the building during winter. Further energy efficiency is achieved by the selection of EnergyStar appliances, totaling 70% of the kitchen equipment.

Vapour barrier 25.4mm rigid insulation

All construction materials and finishes were meticulously selected, with priority given to recycled, local and sustainably-forested materials. All materials in the project were selected for a maximum service life, both for life cycle cost considerations and in response to the cli-

50mm rigid insulation

ent requirement for a minimum 40-year life span. The wood structure, which constitutes the mess hall portion of the building, is designed to be easily dismantled at the end of its service life. The building has exceeded the client’s technical requirements by achieving LEED Gold - a first for the Department of National Defence. In addition, by providing beauty, light and interesting spatial qualities, we believe it has increased the level of user comfort and well-being. 

Foundation at exterior wall detail

Marc Bertrand, OAQ, MRAIC, is Project Manager for FABRIQ architecture.

The clean and simple lines of the dining hall are complemented by the warmth of parallel strand lumber [PSL] roof trusses [5].

sabMag - FALL 2014

CLIMATE CHANGES. OUR VALUES DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T.

ROXULÂŽ insulation maintains its thermal integrity whatever the weather because we believe performance should never be anything less than you expect. Although R-values can change with temperature, with ROXUL insulation the R-value you spec is the R-value you get. Find more value at roxul.com.

sabMag - FALL 2014

Westmount

Recreation Centre

1 Site plan

E C

A Main entrance B CafĂŠ C Exit/Mechanical D Secondary entrance E Westmount Park

sabMag - FALL 2014

The recreation centre is set below grade to reduce the visual impact of the building. This results in both energy savings through the effect of earth sheltering, and the opportunity to create An additional 0.6 hectares of parkland [1].

You have many choices for handling water in your stormwater management plan.

It’s your choice.

So why not make it beautiful as well? Hydrotech’s Garden Roof® Assembly is setting the standard. Hydrotech has the hydrology performance data for its components and assemblies that you can use to develop reliable and predictable BMP elements for your project’s stormwater management plan. To learn more about HHT - Hydrotech Hydrology Tool, please call 800.361.8924 or visit us on-line at www.hydrotechmembrane.ca.

This OR This?

Hydrotech’s Garden Roof... Where “Beauty Meets Performance”

Beauty Meets Performance™

Hydrotech Membrane Corp. 10951 Parkway Blvd. Ville d’Anjou, Quebec H1J 1S1 800.361.8924 www.hydrotechmembrane.ca

BMP

WOULD YOU INVEST IN THIS? I propose to build you a new building. Outfit it with the most technologically-advanced energy-saving products in the world. Then leave all the windows open.

Sound crazy? It is crazy. But you are doing it right now. Every building you are invested in today has windows with R-2 to R-4 insulation. That’s like leaving all the windows open. You can change that with one phone call. Choose windows with ECOGLASS/HM. Get insulating values of R-8 to R-20 and get You’d be REAL energy savings. Just call the number over here

crazy 1-866-331-8235 not to call. sabMag - FALL 2014

How can you get more LEED® points with wood?

Acoustics

Construction Waste Management

Durability

Indoor Air Quality

Life Cycle Assessment

Locally Produced Materials

Passive Design and Framing Techniques Recycled Materials

Salvaged Materials

The Architect’s Toolkit is now at your fingertips, visit naturallywood.com/architectstoolkit. With information on B.C. wood species, case studies and technical details about maximizing LEED® points using wood, the Toolkit is your one-stop resource for British Columbia wood products. Find everything you need online.

sabMag - FALL 2014

The BlueShore Financial

ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTRE

Light footprint provides lessons in environmental stewardship

From its 175 hectare rural campus 85km north of Vancouver BC, the North Vancouver Outdoor School [NVOS] has offered environmental education programs on behalf of School District 44 for more than 40 years.

Every elementary student in the district spends at least a few days at the school, wading alongside spawning salmon, identifying and tasting wild berries, tending to farm animals, observing eagles or immersing themselves in a multitude of other outdoor learning experiences.

JIM TAGGART

sabMag - FALL 2014

We’re ready to assemble the ideal light for your facility. Because we’re GE, we understand that every facility has unique lighting demands, and we’ve engineered a broad range of LED solutions to meet them. From high-bay fixtures to high-tech controls, GE offers lighting innovations that can make any industrial space more efficient. Let our experts help you design a customized lighting plan that fits your facility perfectly. Learn more at gelighting.com/industrial.

gelighting.com 34

sabMag - FALL 2014

Advancing

with

sustainable design

life cycle assessment

Read this article and take the quiz at: WWW.SABMAGAZINE-EDUCATION.INFO

to receive 1 Core Learning Unit

Take approved SABMag continuing education courses for LEED AP credential maintenance.

In partnership with: www.lunchboxconsulting.ca

LCA 101 Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex Photo: Cornerstone Architecture Incorporated

by Jennifer O’Connor Introduction Life cycle thinking in construction is now more important than ever. Architects and engineers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in making buildings better by taking a holistic, long-range view – not just in costs and energy performance, but in environmental impacts as well. At the same time, the sustainability world is moving quickly to jettison “green” product labels in favour of providing consumers with quantified environmental performance data. Together, these trends are motivating adoption of life cycle assessment in the construction sector. Life cycle assessment [LCA] is a powerful tool to help sustainable design move towards a performance basis. An analytical method for estimating lifetime environmental impacts due to a product or process, LCA can help building designers quantify and validate their sustainability decisions. LCA quantifies the resource consumption and emissions due to constructing, using and disposing of a building, and then estimates the resulting impacts to the environment. LCA can be a useful new skill set and a good match for existing skills in design offices or sustainability consultancies. Plus, the recent release of LEED v4 with a new three-point credit for LCA and a new 33-point LCA credit in Green Globes are creating an incentive to learn LCA. And it’s easier than it sounds.

LCA is typically a cradle-to-grave quantification of potential environmental impacts of products or services; it is based on natural sciences and considers the entire value chain. LCA has long been used in the industrial sector to understand environmental “hotspots” in products so that improvements can most effectively be made. Similarly, LCA can help building designers focus their efforts when a reduced footprint is desired. This application is called “whole-building LCA” when the entire building project is considered holistically in a LCA exercise – as opposed to LCA applied to parts of a building, such as only the floor assembly, or when selecting individual products. Whole-building LCA allows maximum flexibility in trade-offs. For example, although the addition of more insulation will result in increased material impacts of a building, it will often result in a net life cycle benefit due to reduced operating energy consumption. In a whole-building LCA, all of the flows between the building and nature are inventoried – that is, the resources consumed and the substances or wastes emitted to air, water and land are calculated for every stage of the building life cycle. Next, those environmental flows are assessed for their likely consequential impact on the environment. For example, once we know the lifetime consumption of coal-fired electricity for constructing, operating, and disposing of a building, we can then estimate the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to this consumption and the subsequent increase in global warming potential. It’s important to look at LCA results in the right context and with the right expectations. LCA is a comprehensive assessment process, but it can’t do everything on the sustainability agenda, and it is not intended to do so. Multiple tools are required for that.

sabMag - FALL 2014

In addition, there are uncertainties inherent in LCA, as with any complex modelling. This is why LCA is a science of best estimates and not a science of absolute measurement. Use LCA to help gauge relative performance across options, which then helps to refine the direction of further decisions.

Value of LCA to a design practice Traditional approaches to sustainable design are limited by incomplete information and a lack of a framework to assess decisions within a consistent, holistic context. By providing a rational and validated basis for decisions, LCA equips sustainable designers with a better toolkit. Consider this scenario: a designer wants to select the best environmental choice between two competing products. Product One has high recycled content. Product Two is locally sourced. Which one is better? It’s impossible to say given our limited data set here – all we have is a percent recycled content and a distance travelled, neither of which tells us anything about actual environmental performance. When we are forced to make a guess, there is a good chance that we end up with a greater environmental burden altogether, or the burden is unintentionally shifted to other life cycle stages or impacts of concern. The alternative is to eliminate the guesswork by reviewing LCA data for both products. This allows objective comparison of quantified environmental performance for various metrics like kg CO2e global warming potential. While useful in product comparisons, LCA is much more valuable to a designer when applied at the level of the whole building. Products with a heavy environmental burden can be balanced out by other building elements. In addition, the environmental performance of individual products is properly considered within the context of the whole building – this is an issue of scale. Traditional sustainability metrics don't provide any indication of the relative scale of impact. Product One might have much lower environmental burdens than Product Two, yet choosing Product One could have a negligible impact on total building performance. If Product Two has other product advantages, it would likely be the better choice, and a designer would look elsewhere for environmental improvements in the building. LCA is particularly useful for identifying hotspots, in other words, the biggest contributors to the environmental footprint of the building. By focussing attention on the hotspots, we can make meaningful and efficient improvements to the overall building footprint. Contribution analysis will indicate, for example, where in the building, or when in the building’s life cycle, we are most likely to find opportunities for impact reduction. LCA is critical for understanding the relative impacts of operating energy use and material use [i.e. "embodied" effects] in the total environmental equation of a building. Operating energy is usually seen as a dominant concern since it generally accounts for large shares of impacts such as primary energy use, global warming potential, and acidification potential over the total lifetime of the building. Design strategies that reduce operating energy are therefore often the most effective at reducing those impacts. Yet, there are several reasons why the embodied impacts of a building should not be ignored. As buildings become more energy efficient and/or use cleaner fuels in operation, materials account for a greater share of the impacts that operating energy use typically dominates. Materials additionally always dominate certain types of impacts such as solid waste generation.

sabMag - FALL 2014

Resource extraction

Recycling/reuse/disposal

Demolition Manufacturing Life cycle of building products

Occupancy/ maintenance On-site construction

Life cycle of building products: Each stage in the life cycle of products [and the whole building] is assessed for flows to and from nature.

There is also an issue of urgency that only LCA can address. While operating energy consumption takes place slowly over time, architects and engineers make an immediate and significant debit in embodied impact during construction, due to their design choices. Consider that climate change mitigation requires that we drastically reduce emissions today – long term solutions are important too, but reductions have to start right now; in design, that means paying equal attention to embodied environmental impacts. Four green building programs in North America now have incentives for designers to use LCA to minimize the environmental footprint of new construction. The whole-building LCA provisions in LEED®, Green Globes®, the International Green Construction Code and the California green code ask designers to show that the final design has lower LCA impacts than a “reference” building. The intention here is that the reference building is an early iteration of the building design; performing LCA during early design creates a performance benchmark to beat, helping inform decisions as they evolve from conceptual design through design development. The green building programs want to reward design decisions that ultimately lead to lower LCA impacts. Advanced sustainability designers won’t stop with a LEED or Green Globes certification. Transparent and standardized communication of environmental performance metrics is a hot trend in product manufacturing and likely to migrate to building design. Manufacturers are rushing to publish environmental product declarations [EPDs] – think of these as the environmental equivalent of nutrition labelling on food packages. Environmental performance of buildings should similarly be documented for validation and accountability. The best way to declare the performance of a building is by conducting and publishing wholebuilding LCA data for the building in accordance with the European standard EN 15978, which specifies a standardized methodology and reporting format.

VALUE THROUGH INNOVATION TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WEST DON LANDS DEVELOPMENT incorporates many sustainable features: high-performance building envelope, high-efficiency building systems, ENERGY STAR appliances and green roofs. Thermally efficient Inline Fiberglass Windows save energy demand and push toward a lower carbon footprint one step at a time.

PROJECT IN PROGRESS: TCHC West Don Lands | Location: 589, King Street E., Toronto. ARCHITECT: CORE Architect PROJECT MANAGMENT: BLUESCAPE

With a commitment to green and sustainable design, through profiles pultruded exclusively in green and recycled material, INLINE is fully positioned to support green building projects and LEED eligibility.

Call us to discuss your next project.

MEMBER/MEMBRE

www.inlinefiberglass.com 1.866.566.5656 sabMag - FALL 2014

Cumulative building energy consumption

Contribution 100% 90% 80%

Total energy

70%

Operating energy

60% 50% 40% 30%

Embodied energy

20%

Building repair

10% 0%

GHGs Floors

Fossil fuel Walls

Water Roof

Foundation

Smog

Respiratory

Waste

0 0

Time

Partitions

We can look for hotspots in a variety of ways. In this example, six different LCA results are shown with proportional contribution to each one by various building elements. If we are interested in reducing embodied energy of this example building, we will notice that the walls are the biggest contributor to fossil fuel consumption. We can consider reducing the total area of walls, or we can drill deeper into the wall results if we want to explore different wall design and material options.

This graph schematically shows total energy consumed by a building over time. For the first several years, total energy is vastly dominated by embodied energy, that is, the energy used to make the construction materials and erect the building. We need LCA to understand this initial hit to the building’s environmental footprint. There’s no such thing as a zero-carbon building, unless we ignore the inconvenient embodied carbon.

How to bring LCA into design LCA is a complex science typically practised by experts. In order to make LCA accessible for architects and engineers, the Athena Institute developed a simplified LCA software tool specifically for them. The Athena Impact Estimator for Buildings [IE4B] was first released in 2002 and has been continuously updated. All of Athena’s software and resources are provided free of charge. The Impact Estimator has the complex life cycle databases and methodology in the background, meaning the user need only address inputs about the physical nature of the building. A bill of materials can be imported from any CAD program, or users can alternatively let the IE4B calculate building material volumes based on general geometry and loading parameters. Although the IE4B doesn’t include an operating energy simulation capability, it does allow users to enter the results of a simulation in order to compute the fuel cycle burdens, including pre-combustion effects, and factor them into the overall results. Accommodating multiple comparisons at once, the IE4B allows users to change the design, substitute materials, and make sideby-side comparisons for any one or all of the environmental impact indicators. It also lets users compare similar projects with different floor areas on a unit floor area basis. For those seeking to earn whole-building LCA credits in green buildings programs such as LEED and Green Globes, the Athena Institute recently published a document to make it easier: the Athena Guide to Whole-building LCA in Green Building Programs is available on our website. This guideline demystifies the credit requirements and provides help in achieving compliance using the IE4B, with extensive advice on how to approach the reference building. The Centennial Garage in Edmonton is a good example of LCA in the design process. Completed in April 2010, this massive building houses 250 buses and office space. As prime consultant, Morrison

sabMag - FALL 2014

Centennial Garage

Hershfield led a team targeting LEED silver and pursuing several different sustainability strategies. The IE4B software was used to explore several different approaches to structural design. The LCA results allowed the design team to bring environmental information into the equation as one of many sets of metrics used to decide on the final design.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Brought Sustainability to the Next Level

Ottawa Archive and Library Facility Barry J. Hobin Architects

Morrison Hershfield is a North American Leader in engineering design. Utilizing the newest of sustainable technologies, Morrison Hershfield helps our clients to integrate LEED Version 4 in the design of high performance green buildings optimized to benefit the environment, human health, and the community. Morrison Hershfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multi-disciplinary engineering services can help you with your next building project. Our sustainable building services typically include: Expert LEED Facilitation Energy Modeling and Simulation Carbon Footprinting & Verification Building Science

Life Cycle Assessment Whole Building Commissioning Code & Life Safety

Constructive Thinkers

www.morrisonhershfield.com

sabMag - FALL 2014

athena impact estimator for buildings Summary measures results - Fossil fuel use - Global warming - Acidification - Human health particulate - Eutrophication - Ozone depletion - Smog

TRACI v2.1 database - LCIA methodology characterization factors

Absolute results [LCI] - Energy consumption - Resource use - Air emissions - Water emissions - Land emissions

Building information - Location - Life expectancy - Occupancy type - Floor area - Height Op. Energy information - Annual operating energy from simulation or measurement

Assembly information - Geometry - Assembly/material choice - Loading

Material information - Material takeoffs

Reports dialog - Report type - Results typ

Assembly input dialogs - Foundations - Columns and beams - Floors - Roof - Walls

Extra basic materials input dialog

More information on LCA and additional resources: The Athena Institute [www.athenasmi.org] is a non-profit consultancy and think tank in life cycle assessment [LCA] for the built environment. The North American pioneer and only specialist in construction-sector LCA, the Athena Institute works with sustainability leaders in product manufacturing, building design, construction, and green rating programs to enable smaller footprints in the production and consumption of materials, buildings and infrastructure.

sabMag - FALL 2014

Scenario databases - Product service life - Transportation - Construction waste - Construction energy - Demolition energy - End of life outcome

Add/Modify project dialog

Another project using LCA to include environmental data in design parameters is the Middlesex Centre Wellness and Recreation Complex in Komoka, Ontario. The London, Ontario firm Cornerstone Architecture achieved four Green Globes for this multi-use building, completed in 2011 and designed with a total life cycle approach to selection of materials and systems. The team used the Athena EcoCalculator to compare alternatives and to rationalize decisions with their client. They were able to quantify their environmental savings due to their decisions on roofing and cladding systems, and interior finishes..

Back end

Bill of materials - Life cycle structure and enclosure material use

Front end

user input

Athena LCI database process LCI data for: - Building products - Energy - Transportation