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Spring 2008 Vol. VI, No. 3
Randa Khalil: Platinum Green LEED in British Columbia
Platinum Green LEED in British Columbia
Randa Khalil (BE '81): Khalil's electrical engineering
company, RFA Consulting, has just earned Canada's first ever Platinum
Green Building Rating for the energy efficient Gulf Islands Operating
Center in British Columbia. This is the highest awarded rating by Canada's
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design).
Team
Architects: Larry McFarland Architects, Architect Ron Kato
Structural: CW Engineering, John Percival. P. Eng
Electrical: RFA Consulting Electrical Engineers, Randa Khalil, P. Eng
Mechanical: KEEN Engineering, Willy Perez, P. Eng
Buildings are responsible for almost one-third of Canada's annual greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, closely paralleling energy use. Buildings account
for 70 percent of the nation's electricity use(1).
Most buildings in Canada rely heavily on non-renewable sources such as
coal, oil, natural gas, propane and nuclear power. Power plants cause
other environmental and health problems, including acid rain, smog, and
mercury poisoning in lakes and rivers. We can reduce these hazards by
curbing energy use through sustainable building technologies, such as
solar power generation, and efficient design.
One of the primary goals in the design of the facility was to minimize
energy consumption. With its energy-efficient design, The GINPR Operations
Centre uses over 75% percent less energy than the Model National Energy
Code Reference building.
Building Interior
Geothermal Heating
Ocean
Most building energy is used for water heating, space heating and space
cooling. Heat pumps are called "heat pumps" because they move heat from
one place to another.
Even cold water contains a great deal of heat; Ever been inside a cave
in the summer? The air underground is a constant, cooler temperature than
the air outside.
That's the principle behind the geothermal heat pump.
In the winter, it moves the heat from the ocean water into the building
while in the summer, it pulls the heat from the building and discharges
it back into the ocean.
Titanium Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger concentrates the ocean's energy and releases it inside
the building at a higher temperature. The geothermal heat pump doesn't
create heat by burning fuel, like a furnace. Instead, in winter it collects
the Ocean's natural heat through a series of pipes submersed in the Tsehum
harbor.
Titanium Heat Exchanger
Energy Performance
Operating energy is a significant measure of sustainability which enables
straightforward comparisons between alternative building technologies.
Buildings consume energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting,
equipment and appliances.
Commissioning
This building systems are fully commissioned to ensure that the buildings'
complex mechanical systems operate as intended with the highest possible
efficiency.
Photo Voltaic Panels
About 20 percent of the building's electricity is generated by a photovoltaic
system. This system is connected to the BC Hydro grid, our local electric
utility infrastructure. When the building's electricity consumption is
low, a net-metering system is in effect. The system provides an average
of 35 kW hrs per day, the equivalent of 58 laptops operating continuously
for 8 hours.
Lighting
The building is strategically designed to dramatically reduce artificial
lighting demand. Natural light reaches every work stations through windows
on both sides of the building and on its roof.
Daylight sensors dim hallway lights when sufficient daylight is present,
and occupancy sensors turn office lights off when rooms become vacant.
The efficient fluorescent office fixtures, suspended from the ceilings,
project light up and down, allowing a much greater percentage of the light
to be utilized than a typical light system.
Heating and Cooling
Breakdown of typical commercial end use energy
© Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
Most building energy is used for water heating, space heating and space
cooling.
Extracting Heat from Ocean Water
The only heat source for the building is the ocean. Ocean water is piped
to heat pumps located in the Operations centre's mechanical room, which
extract heat from the water. That heat is then transferred through a titanium
plate heat exchanger to the building heating system and to a domestic
hot water tank.
Diagram of the GINPR operations centre geothermal heat
extraction system
Radiant Heating/Cooling System
A system of plastic pipes embedded in the concrete floors is used to distribute
heat around the building. This radiant heating/ cooling system greatly
reduces energy consumption.
Exterior Sunshades
Exterior sunshades have been installed over south facing windows to limit
the amount of direct sunshine which can penetrate windows. This prevents
the building interior from overheating in the summer months.
Building Envelope Performance
The building envelope and cladding system is specifically designed to
minimize heat loss.