The Vento
tidy residential/ commercial project employs design strategies in quest for LEED Platinum
The Vento is a three-storey mixed use development of 39,000sf, with retail space and two affordable housing units on the ground floor, and 22 two- storey suites above.
The Vento, and its companion building the Aqua, are part of the first phase in the comprehensive redevelopment of a former hospital site in suburban Calgary. Implementation of the master plan for the area, known as the Bridges, is being overseen by the City of Calgary, with individual lots being developed by the private sector.
While the entire Bridges redevelopment, which reuses and densifies existing urban land, supports the city’s sustainable agenda, the sites chosen by Windmill Developments have particular attributes including being located on a former parking lot and being within a short walking distance from parks, transit and a variety of local amenities within the planned high density, mixed use community.
The success of the Vento comes not from the application of sophisticated green technology, but rather from the careful consideration and response to site attributes and orientation, and to the specification and detailing of the basic building elements.
Stringent design guidelines required almost full build-out of the site, presenting challenges both in the mitigation of the urban heat island effect, and in the management of storm water. The ground floor retail units extend almost the full depth of the site north to south, their roof slabs forming a south facing terrace for the shallower residential units above. These accessible terraces are planted with drought-resistant indigenous species, and elsewhere the roof is covered in a reflective, low-emissivity roofing material.
With respect to water management, the design response was to create an underground storage cistern and reuse tank enabling storm water to be recycled for toilet flushing, and for excess water to be released into the city system at a controlled rate.
Energy savings of almost 50% over MNECB are achieved through an integrated approach. Efficient envelope design includes R20 insulation, high performance windows limited in number on the north elevation, and used extensively to maximize passive heating and ventilation on the south elevation, heat recovery ventilators, radiant flooring in the residential units, and several other strategies. The developer also purchased green power certificates for the first two years of operation.
An indoor environmental quality management plan was adhered to during construction, and air quality testing was conducted and passed post-construction. Construction materials met low VOC guidelines. Air quality control measures include prohibiting smoking in all common areas of the building. No mechanical cooling was used in the residential suites, with thermal comfort maintained passively. Heat recovery ventilators provide 100% fresh air to each residential suite
The Vento, and its Aqua project companion, represent Windmill Developments’ desire to bring environmental sustainability into the public consciousness by establishing the benchmark for mixed-use residential and commercial development in Canada.
Credits
- Owner: Windmill Development Group, Vicoria and Ottawa
- Architect: Busby Perkins+Will, Vancouver [J. Belisle, P. Busby, C. Chen, R. Drew, M. Schouls, S. Pickles, J. Pockar, K. Wagner]
- Mechanical / Electrical Engineering: Keen Engineering/Stantec, Calgary
- Structural Engineers: Read, Jones, Christofferson, Calgary
- Ecological Consultants: Aqua-tex Scientific, Calgary
- Green Building Consultant: BuildGreen Consulting, Calgary
- Construction: Stuart Olso, Calgary
- Landscape: Riparia, Calgary
- Interior Design: Penner and Associates, Calgary
- Air Quality Testing: Theodor Sterling Associates, Calgary
Materials
- Specification included recycled content and regional manufacture of materials, Interior finishes selected to maximize recycled content, recyclability, durability, renewable material use, and local harvest and extraction.
- Exterior: Clay brick, western red cedar with clear water-based stain, composite cement panels ; high performance [R5] triple glazing
- Interior: Concrete structure with drywall finish, Interface carpet tile, Colin Campbell & Sons Eco-Cushion carpet underlay, Sierra Pine Medite II MDF, Forbo Marmoleum Fresco linoleum flooring, Dulux Lifemaster interior paint and primer.
Bricor faucets and Caroma dual flush toilets.
Appliances- Frigidaire appliances and Danby Simplicity compact stacking front-loading washer and dryer. - Completion Date: May 2006
- Construction Cost: $6 million
- Square Footage: 39,000