January 23, 2007

LEED Certification

Complex shoots for gold

Kitchener clears twin-pad arena, fitness facility and walking track project

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Kitchener city council has approved construction of what is expected to be one of Canada’s most environmentally friendly athletic complexes.

Designed by Toronto-based PBK Architects Inc., the Hanson Avenue facility will include a twin-pad arena, boxing club, fitness facility and a community walking track.

Project architect Stan Zalewski said the $19.4 million facility could very well be the first project of its ilk to achieve a Gold rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

“Right from the beginning, LEED has been a focus,” Zalewski told Daily Commercial News. “The city has been looking at achieving LEED Silver on many new public buildings. When we showed them how close we were to Gold, they decided to go for it.”

lPBK ARCHITECTS INC.

A highly energy-efficient athletic complex will be constructed in Kitchener and is applying forGold LEED certification.

The project team includes construction manager Ball Construction Inc. of Kitchener, consulting engineers Cochrane Engineering of Burlington and LEED consultants Enermodal Engineering Ltd. of Kitchener. Landscape architects are GSP Group of Kitchener.

Zalewski, whose firm has designed community arenas across the country in collaboration with sister GENIVAR company Cochrane, said the Kitchener facility will incorporate a number of energy-saving and environmentally friendly features.

These are expected to save the city an estimated $125,000 annually in operating costs. Some of those features include: a green roof; a heat recovery system that will reuse the heat from the ice refrigeration system to provide heat in the stands; energy-efficient lighting technology; and a rain water collection system that will reuse water collected from the roof for ice resurfacing.

The walking/running track will be available for public use. A consultant completed an analysis of trends and demographics as well as interviews with seniors’ walking groups, community sports groups and others and determined that there is a demand for an indoor walking track in the city.

“Community involvement has been an important part of this project,” Zalewski said.

The complex will be constructed on an industrial site which backs onto a parkland.

“There used to be a snow dump on the site,” Zalewski said. “It was a big gravel scar on the landscape. We’re now trying to naturalize this land.”

Site preparation got under way last fall.

The Kitchener Minor Hockey Association and Waterloo Regional Boxing Association will be the major tenants of the complex, which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2008.

Berry Vrbanovic, chair of the city’s environmental advisory committee said pursuing LEED Gold certification “isn’t even about having a landmark Canadian facility.

“This is about doing the right thing for the environment and for the people of this community - for current and future generations to come.”

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