BC Cancer Agency Research Centre
Landmark research facility achieves Canada’s first LEED Gold rating
The design distinguishes the office and laboratory blocks
by Ivo Taller
The 233,000sf BC Cancer Agency’s Research Centre in Vancouver is the first facility of its kind in Canada to achieve a LEED Gold rating accomplished through heat recovery, natural and high-efficiency lighting, material conservation, and waste management, among other measures.
Funded with the direct support of BC Cancer Foundation donors, and opened in 2005, the project represents the state-of-the-art cancer research in Canada. Included are facilities for the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre, which is the only genomics facility in Canada, dedicated to cancer research.
The building is broken up into office and laboratory blocks, each with its own architectural expression. In cross-section, two floors of offices correspond to one floor of laboratories including its interstitial service floor. These service floors give access to the mechanical and electrical systems when reconfiguration is necessary. The program also includes a 220-seat lecture theatre, library resource centre and food services.
The architectural language is rich in metaphors inspired by the activities and artifacts of medical research. The 15-foot diameter windows of the laboratory block, one for each of the 68 principal researchers working within, are inspired by Petri dishes. From the inside, the large round windows flood the laboratory space with natural daylight. Fixed exterior louvres cut out summer sun and control solar gain.
The 12 floors of office space also benefit from views through vertical strip windows, their multi-colours an abstraction of a sequence of chromosome six, a subject of study in cancer research. These windows can be opened for natural ventilation. The staircase joining the office floors was inspired by a DNA spiral, and encourages informal interaction between researchers while reducing elevator use.
To support the need for flexibility, laboratory modules were developed on a standard grid. These flexible spaces allow for minimal disruptions to adjacent laboratories during future renovations. The ability to change the workstations provides a creative ambiance and serves as a guard against premature obsolescence. The laboratory space includes a 20,000sf vivarium, discreetly positioned beneath the parking garage.
Perhaps most significant among the green strategies used relate to energy saving. The building is predicted to perform almost 50% better than the Model National Energy Code, with space heating energy 85% under MNEC.
Approximately 7,200 gigajoules per annum are recovered from the chiller and used to provide space heating. This alone offsets roughly 60% of the space heating load.
Further reductions are achieved through heat recovery from the laboratory exhaust air. Excess heat from the office is absorbed by the concrete floor and carried away by water filled pipes embedded in the slab. Cooling loads throughout the building are reduced through the use of high performance low-e double glazing. Lighting loads, predicted to be 23% less than MNEC, are achieved through a combination of day lighting, high efficiency fixtures and individual control systems such as occupancy sensors.
The strategies relating to the conservation of materials and resources were also highly successful. More than 25% of raw material extraction and more than 75% of fabrication was done locally, and the implementation of a construction waste management plan resulted in 98% of construction waste being diverted from landfill. Nearly 30% of building materials came from recycled sources, and all materials and finishes were selected for low VOC or other toxic content.
Ivo Taller is a Partner with Henriquez Partners Architects, and was the Project Architect and Collaborating Designer for this project.
Credits
- Client: BC Cancer Foundation
- Architect: IBI Group/Henriquez Partners Architects in Joint Venture, Vancouver; Managing Principal: David Thom, IBI Group, Design Partner: Richard Henriquez, Henriquez Partners Architects
- Engineers: Glotman Simpson, Vancouver [struct.]; Keen Engineering Co. Ltd. [now part of Stantec Consulting Ltd.], Vancouver [mech.]; R.A. Duff & Associates Ltd., Vancouver [elect.]
- Program & Project Management: Stantec Consulting Ltd., Vancouver
- Building Code Consultant: Graham Harmsworth Lai & Associates Ltd.
- Acoustical Consultant: Brown Strachan Assoc.
- Wind Study Consultant: Rowan Williams Daview & Irwin Inc.
- Lab Consultant: Earl Walls Associates, Vancouver
- General Contractor: Ledcor Construction, Vancouver
- Photos: Nic Lehoux
Budget: $95 million
Final cost: $88 million
Cost per sf: $270
Materials
- Concrete slab construction with embedded hydronic heating and cooling, spiral staircase by Vedder Steel, prefinished metal cladding panels by Keith Panel Systems;
- Windows on bottom three floors, on the spiral staircase enclosure and round window curtain wall installed by Artec Glazing, remaining windows by Allan Windows, doors supplied by Nico Industries;
- Low-VOC paint by Glidden, Crossley Carpet and Tarkett Optima resilient flooring installed by Maxwell Floors Ltd., tiles by Daltile;
- Cabinets and millwork: ground floor by Trident Millwork, other floors by Nico Industries.