Natural Resources Canada chose to relocate its CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory from Ottawa to Hamilton to be closer to the steel and manufacturing sectors it serves through metallurgical research and testing. Currently under review for LEED Platinum certification this new building raises the bar for the sustainable design of industrial buildings in Canada.

By Birgit Siber

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The basics start with environmental loads

Building envelopes must be designed to perform under all weather conditions. The BC Cancer Agency Research Centre in Vancouver by IBI Group ans Henriquez Architects.

Modern building systems consist of structural, service and envelope components that can be respectively compared to the bones, organs and skin of the human body. The skin protects the body from harmful exterior environments and maintains comfortable body conditions. In the same manner, the building envelope aims to regulate indoor environmental conditions for human use or occupancy. (more…)

Careful design delivers high quality work space on large scale

The building is arranged in two parallel, four-storey wings, offset from one another and oriented with their long sides facing due south to take maximum advantage of solar exposure.

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This new 51,100 m2 head office building, located on a 9.9 hectare site, represents a major initiative in Loblaw’s ongoing commitment to the environment and its employees. The client’s objective was to provide a high quality work environment, one that would embody and reflect the company’s own philosophy of sourcing with integrity, making positive differences in the community and in the way we operate culturally, socially and environmentally at work and at home. (more…)

An installed sound masking system is almost indiscernible to occupants.

Just as with light, temperature and humidity, there is a comfort zone for the volume of sound in an occupied space. It is determined by the noise floor, or the level of continuous background sound. If the noise floor is too high, the environment is irritating and tiring. If it is too low, other occupants’ conversations are easily overheard and noises cause distractions.
Acoustically, green buildings present additional challenges because the strategies that help with daylighting, natural ventilation and temperature regulation also tend to lower their acoustic performance. (more…)

Rendering of the Richmond Olympic Oal. The proprietary pre-fab “woodwave” panel system was designed, fabricated and installed by Structurecraft Builders Inc., and spans between the glulam arches.

The increasing concern for energy efficiency and other green building strategies, as codified in the LEED Rating System [as well as other rating systems], considers many aspects of indoor environmental quality but does not explicitly provide credits for good acoustical design. (more…)

Design flexibility, energy efficiency and healthy environments

by Bill Reynolds

A sustainable approach to building design brings with it demands for flexibility, energy efficiency and healthy work environments. Interior spaces need to respond rapidly and cost effectively to organizational and technological changes. Meanwhile, steadily increasing energy costs require building systems that operate with improved efficiencies while ensuring a healthy, comfortable environment for building occupants. (more…)

Best Practice Embraces Efficiency and Innovation Including daylight harvesting

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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.

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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. (more…)

Building owners and designers wanting to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of their buildings are confronted by an array of technologies for heating and cooling, all claiming superior performance and even promising guaranteed LEED credits. (more…)