A new approach to normal

Defined by sun floods, through views, and candycoloured stairwells, the new, six-storey Passive House Skeena residence offers food for thought for future shared accommodation

Photography: Andrew Latreille | www.andrewlatreille.com

With 220 modified traditional bedrooms and support amenities, Skeena completes an ensemble of buildings surrounding the Commons lawn at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna. More than with conventional building methodologies, an integrated design process is vital to achieving Passive House: where a conventional design process begins with broad strokes and becomes further refined with each iteration, details rule with Passive House design. Even fasteners become an essential element due to their ability to conduct heat. Therefore, designing the details in preliminary phases allows for accurate energy modelling.

The Passive House process accelerates decision-making and is heavily weighted toward preliminary design with significant time and cost savings achieved by working through problems in the beginning. Energy invested early in the design pays off over the lifetime of the building. In fact, so efficient is Skeena that at the coldest point of the year, more than 25 per cent of the heat required for the building is supplied by student body heat.

Left At Skeena, every element is essential due to its ability to conduct or absorb heat, meaning that designing the details in preliminary phases allows for accurate energy modelling

With easy access to outdoor green space for picnics, fitness, or just hanging around, Skeena is the first Passive House dormitory in Canada and the second in North America

Left A candy-coloured stairwell brightens up the interior of an otherwise nondescript access route

Skeena is the first Passive House dormitory in Canada and the second in North America, forming part of UBCO’s Living Laboratory initiative. As one of several wood frame dormitories on campus, it creates a unique opportunity for studying Passive House performance in Canada.

The building has been fitted with a comprehensive monitoring system which will gather data to compare Skeena’s energy use and occupant comfort with neighbouring buildings built to LEED Gold and BC Building code standards.

The residence is so efficient that at the coldest point of the year, 25 per cent of the building’s heating requirement is provided by the occupants’ body heat

The designers worked closely with the housing operations team to ensure durability and deconstructability

The first cohort of students who are living in the building will complete a postoccupancy survey at the end of the school year which will be added to the study. Every year, 220 university students will call Skeena home and become familiar with the advantages of Passive House and act as advocates for low energy living.

The designers worked closely with the housing operations team to ensure durability and deconstructability. For example, short life span elements were planned for easy replacement. The sequencing of washroom construction in particular was carefully considered so that countertops and shower liners could be removed without damaging adjacent wall and floor finishes.

Located between typologically identical buildings designed to building code minimums and LEED Gold levels, Skeena presents a unique opportunity for understanding PH buildings.

Project: Passive House Skeena Location: Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Design firm: WMW Public: Architecture + Communication | www.publicdesign.ca Passive House consultant: RDH Building Science Project size: 6,750 sq-m Site size: 4,388 sq-m

A comprehensive monitoring system will gather data to compare Skeena’s energy use and occupant comfort with neighbouring buildings