PCL Centennial Learning Centre
Major industry player takes a stand for sustainable design
Explicit expression of concrete, steel and glass in the south elevation illustrates the company’s primary focus on construction. The Centennial Learning Centre becomes the new front door to an existing campus of company buildings.
by Tom Sutherland.
A corporate headquarters must be more than simply shelter from the storm. Ideally, it is a living, breathing advertisement conveying the image, values and philosophy of its owner to the world.
For the Edmonton-based PCL family of companies, the largest construction organization in Canada, the message the group wished to convey was its commitment to excellence in sustainable design and construction. To mark its 100th anniversary [1906-2006], PCL committed to build the PCL Centennial Learning Centre, an on-site and distance learning employee-training facility.
In addition, the green design challenges included PCL’s desire to create a state-of-the-art flagship facility, which also served to link two existing campus buildings on a 3.3 acre site. Further, PCL was determined to reflect the company’s core business of construction through the design expression of its new headquarters.
The Centennial Learning Centre evolved through Cohos Evamy’s integrated design process whereby the client works closely with an interdisciplinary in-house team of architects, engineers, and interior designers. During this process, a series of workshops or “charrettes” encourage creative idea generation, which supports the continued transition toward sustainable design.
Edmonton’s geographically northern location was a factor in the design and construction of a sustainable and energy-efficient building envelope. The final solution includes the use of cast-in-place reinforced concrete to provide a high thermal mass that assists in regulating interior temperatures. Though exterior walls appear as solid concrete, they are cast in place as two separate leaves on either side of a high-performance building envelope membrane with R15 insulation. Green roofs and white ‘energy star’ compliant roofs achieve an R20 insulation value in addition to reflecting excess solar heat.
The building’s high performance glazing systems are comprised of triple-pane, low- emissivity glass with thermally broken enhanced spacers and insulated aluminum curtainwall framing. The choice of glazing system was optimized through an iterative process of computer energy modelling for the entire building. These measures contribute to an overall energy performance 38% better than the MNECB.
The design of a glazed building spine and ’solar chimney’ is an integral part of the building’s ventilation system providing summer cooling. The air handling system makes use of remote air supply in the form of a 50m-long underground air intake system that allows for summer pre-cooling and winter pre-heating of air. During its travel, intake air is tempered, reducing heating and cooling energy demand at the main air handling units.
High efficiency boilers, reduced hot water demand, and demand-controlled ventilation contributes to overall energy efficiency. None of the HVAC systems use HCFC-based refrigerants or halons.
Materials and finishes have been carefully selected to limit the emission of volatile organic compounds and urea-formaldehydes. By value, 22.4% of the materials used in the building have some recycled content. To help confirm indoor air quality on a continuing basis, CO2 monitoring and an indoor air quality management plan are in place as part of the base building system. Energy-efficient, high-performance lighting fixtures are installed in conjunction with daylight and occupancy sensors.
An overall reduction in the use of potable water of 44.6% has been achieved through the use of waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets, ultra-low-flow solar powered faucets, and through the capture of rainwater and the use of a low volume drip irrigation system for the exterior planting.
An additional green benefit was achieved through the reuse or recycling of construction materials, with more than 15,668 m3 of waste diverted from landfills - representing 96% of the waste created on site during construction.
As the owners and builders of Alberta’s first private sector building to receive a LEED Gold Certification, the PCL family of companies has taken a significant step in furthering the private sector’s own green revolution toward sustainable design.
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Credits
- CLIENT: PCL Construction Resources Inc.
- CONTRACTOR: PCL Constructors Inc., Edmonton
- ARCHITECTURAL: Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, Edmonton
- INTERIOR DESIGN: Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, Edmonton
- STRUCTURAL: Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, Edmonton
- MECHANICAL: Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, Edmonton
- ELECTRICAL: Cohos Evamy integratedesignTM, Edmonton
- LANDSCAPE: Carlyle + Associates, Landscape Architect, Edmonton
- PHOTOS: Ray Steinke Photography, Toronto
Materials
- Cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls and floors, where walls envelope a high-performance building envelope membrane with R15 insulation, steel superstructure accommodates long spans, and frames an elevated glass “spine” that forms part of the ventilation system; triple-pane, low- emissivity glass with thermally broken enhanced spacers and insulated aluminum curtainwall framing; green roofs and white ‘energy star’ compliant roofs, R20 and heat reflecting
- Minimal interior material palette consists of carpet set into recesses in polished concrete floors to designate gathering areas and provide sound dampening; ornamental metal cladding applied to exposed mechanical shafts; segmented double layer glazing used in the Innovation Room allowing light to wash walls from both inside and out; and the use of wood, laminates, and ornamental metal in the design of millwork.
- Water-conserving waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets, solar powered faucets, capture of rainwater and use of a low volume drip irrigation system for exterior planting.