August 3, 2011

ENERMODAL ENGINEERING

The Kitchener, Ont. headquarters of Enermodal Engineering Ltd. has achieved LEED platinum. The long, narrow building is designed to allow access to daylight for all employees and automated exterior shades cut down on glare and solar heat gain. The 22,000 square foot building is the first in Waterloo Region to achieve LEED platinum. It was awarded 61 of a possible 70 points in the new construction category and 50 of 57 points in the commercial interiors category. The project team included Robertson Simmons Architects Inc. and Melloul Blamey Construction.

Enermodal Engineering building in Kitchener, Ontario gets Platinum LEED rating

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

KITCHENER, Ont.

The Kitchener headquarters of green building consultant Enermodal Engineering Ltd. has scored double Platinum, achieving certification in two LEED Canada categories: new construction (NC) and commercial interiors (CI).

As well, LEED Platinum is being sought from the Canada Green Building Council in the category of operations & maintenance of existing buildings, for the $5.5 million-project called A Grander View.

Enermodal said the building was awarded 61 of 70 NC points and 50 of 57 CI points, the most CI points ever achieved by a Canadian project. The project also achieved all 10 LEED NC optimize energy performance points.

The 22,000-square-foot building is the first commercial facility in Waterloo Region to achieve LEED Platinum and reportedly, Canada’s most energy-efficient office, using a metered 69 kWh/m2 compared with the Canadian average of more than 375 kWh/m2.

ENERMODAL ENGINEERING

A Grander View is the headquarters of Enermodal Engineering Ltd. in Kitchener Ont. The first building in Waterloo Region to achieve LEED platinum certification, the building includes a variable refrigerant flow heating and cooling system. It is one of two buildings set to represent Canada in the Sustainable Buildings Challenge in Helsinki in October.

“It is one thing to promote your building as ‘green’ and another to be awarded the top designation in the most rigorous green building, third-party rating system in North America,” said Enermodal.president Stephen Carpenter.

“That we were able to design and build A Grander View at minimal additional cost, including LEED certification, shows that LEED Platinum is possible for even small projects with modest budgets.”

A Grander View is one of two buildings set to represent Canada at the Sustainable Buildings Challenge in Helsinki in October. The project team included local firms Robertson Simmons Architects Inc. and Melloul Blamey Construction.

Enermodal said the design philosophy was to use “a simple and carefully conceived” mechanical/electrical design rather than flashy technologies or complex systems.

Green features include: a variable refrigerant flow heating/cooling system; a separate ventilation system with earth tubes and energy-recovery features; and occupancy-sensor-controlled ventilation, lighting and heating/cooling.

An air-to-water source heat pump transfers heat from the computer server room to provide all domestic hot water needs. A rainwater cistern supplies wastewater conveyance.

The long, narrow 40-foot-wide building has been designed to allow access to daylight for all employees. Automated exterior shades cut down on glare and solar heat gain.

The building also has an insulated concrete form shell and triple-glazed windows.

Enermodal said that while there is “a continuous debate” over the actual versus predicted energy savings of green buildings,

A Grander View is hitting its targets for energy efficiency of 82-per-cent metered energy savings.

The building actually achieved higher water savings than predicted, at 89-per-cent indoor water savings compared with a conventional office, the firm said.

Enermodal Engineering made history, becoming the first LEED consultant to certify 100 LEED projects in Canada. The 100th LEED certified project was its headquarters.

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