May 14, 2007

DEREK LEPPER

ABOVE: An operations centre constructed for Parks Canada on Vancouver Island was designed to incorporate natural resources available on the site. Seen above is a view of the east-facing main entry.

LARRY MCFARLAND ARCHITECTS LTD.

Above: Clerestory windows allow natural light to penetrate to the centre of the floor plan. Seen above is a view of the atrium and main stair.

Architecture

Canada's first LEED Platinum wins

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

An operations centre for the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in British Columbia has been nationally recognized as one of the most advanced and environmentally sustainable buildings in Canada.

Designed by Vancouver’s Larry McFarland Architects Ltd., the three-storey building on the Sidney waterfront last July received LEED Platinum certification — the first project in Canada to do so.

On top of that, the $4.5 million project has just been awarded an inaugural Green Building award, administered by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in partnership with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

“We are immensely proud,” project architect Ron Kato told Daily Commercial News. His team had been mandated by Public Works and Government Services Canada to attain LEED Gold status.

“The moment we realized that Platinum was within reach, the entire design and client team felt elated with the realization that we had truly achieved what had seemed previously an unattainable target.”

Constructed for Parks Canada by Ledcor Special Projects, the building houses park operations and administration staff. Occupancy was November 2005.

Kato said the project afforded Parks Canada an opportunity to create a facility “with minimal ecological footprint, fully in keeping with the federal agency’s core values of environmental stewardship.”

Kato, whose firm currently is pursuing LEED certification on several other projects, said the sustainable design philosophy established at the outset included three guiding principles:

• Respect for the site.

• Incorporation of natural operating systems occurring at the site.

• Integration of sustainable components into the fabric of the building.

The centre was designed to minimize dependence on outside sources of energy as well environmental impact. Natural resources available on the site — the ocean, sunlight and abundant rainfall — have all been incorporated into the building systems.

“Using available natural resources while reducing the demand placed on externally provided services was our basic strategy,” Kato said. “We were able to drastically reduce the demand on these services through good design practice.”

A rainwater collection system is an integral part of the project. Water is collected and then stored in a 30,000-litre underground tank. That water is used to flush toilets and for marine “washwater” operations.

There is no connection to the municipal stormwater system.

The project also incorporates roof-installed photovoltaic panels, to generate 20 per cent of the building’s energy.

"...we had truly achieved what had seemed previously an unattainable target."

Ron Kato

Project Architect

An ocean-based, heat pump system supplies heat and hot water. Sea water is pumped directly into the building, passing through a heat exchanger and heat pumps. Heated or cooled water is distributed throughout the building by a system of plastic pipes embedded in the concrete floors.

The building’s interior is planned around a central atrium, facilitating natural ventilation. Interior finishes are minimized. Structural materials are exposed, where possible. Concrete floors are for the most part exposed.

Kato said a “significant” amount of local and recycled materials has been incorporated in the project as well.

“We wanted to create a building where all of these sustainable features were integrated into the architectural fabric itself, rather than the manner in which we usually see these types of systems — typically as highly visible add-ons.”

CaGBC said the building is the first to follow through on a commitment by Public Works and Government Services Canada to achieve LEED Gold or higher on its projects.

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