Environmental commitment through facility design at Inspire

Resilient landscaping is the practice of designing outdoor infrastructure, elements and spaces with a focus on sustainability, ecological health and low-maintenance solutions. This approach prioritizes the use of plant species and soil management techniques that not only thrive in the local environment, but also contribute to the long-term health of the ecosystem. By choosing plants that are well-adapted to the local climate, such as native perennials, resilient landscaping helps create strong root systems that stabilize the soil, reduce erosion and prevent soil loss during heavy rainfall.

Native perennial species are especially effective in building robust rooting structures, as their deep and extensive root systems bind the soil, helping to maintain the substrate and reduce the risk of erosion. Unlike non-native plants, which require more water and fertilizers, native plants have evolved to thrive in the local environment, promoting biodiversity and reducing the need for costly ongoing maintenance and artificial inputs.

In addition to soil stability, resilient landscaping aids in managing stormwater. By incorporating absorptive soils and plant species that can capture and retain water, this approach reduces runoff and promotes inundation through low impact development (LID). This is highly important in urban areas, where impervious surfaces like pavement and rooftops prevent water from being absorbed. Resilient landscapes help mitigate this by reducing the volume and speed of runoff, directing it more effectively to natural waterways and decreasing the risk of flooding and water pollution.

Deciduous trees play a unique role in passive design by helping to regulate the temperature around buildings and promoting energy efficiency throughout the year. During the summer months, the canopy of leaves provides natural shade to buildings and outdoor spaces, reducing the direct sunlight that hits the structure. This shading effect helps to lower the surrounding temperature, keeping the building cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning. Deciduous trees contribute to energy savings and enhance outdoor comfort for occupants by preventing the sun from overheating interior spaces.

In contrast, during the winter months when temperatures drop, trees’ leaves will fall, allowing for more sunlight to reach the building. This enables the building to capture more solar heat, warming the interior spaces naturally and reducing the need for active heating systems. By strategically planting deciduous trees around buildings, architects and urban planners have had an impact on lowering the cooling load of this building, making it more resilient to seasonal temperature fluctuations and helping to minimize the carbon footprint of the structures they surround.

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was adopted as an international treaty with the intention of protecting the Earth’s ozone layer, which safeguards the planet from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The protocol focused on phasing out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including certain refrigerants that have been identified as contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer. These substances are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

In alignment with this global effort, this building has taken steps to reduce its environmental impact by choosing to use safer alternatives. Rather than using CFCs, HCFCs or HFCs, which can contribute to ozone layer degradation, the building employs HFOs (hydrofluoroolefins). HFOs are a newer class of refrigerants that have a significantly lower potential for ozone depletion and a reduced global warming potential compared to their predecessors.

This decision is part of a broader trend in the building and construction industry to adopt more environmentally friendly technologies that reduce the harmful effects of refrigerants on the environment. The shift to HFOs helps not only in safeguarding the ozone layer, but also in reducing the carbon footprint of the building, making it a more sustainable choice for the future.

This building incorporates a variety of climate-resilient strategies to ensure the safety, comfort and well-being of its occupants in the face of future climate changes. One of the key features is a glycol snow melt management system, which helps prevent hazardous slipping during winter months. By melting snow and ice on walkways, driveways and other surfaces, the system reduces the risk of accidents, ensuring that occupants can safely navigate the building’s exterior in cold weather.

In addition to the snow melt system, the building is designed with overhangs that provide protection for occupants during winter. These overhangs help prevent excessive snow accumulation around the building, reducing the need for manual snow removal and minimizing the risk of snow-related hazards. They allow occupants to enter and exit the building more safely during snowy conditions without worry.

The building integrates exterior louvers in strategic placements to reduce heat gain during warmer months. By controlling the amount of direct sunlight that enters the building, these louvers help maintain a comfortable indoor temperature, reducing the need for air conditioning and enhancing the building’s energy efficiency and operational carbon.

To protect against severe weather, the building is equipped with impact-resistant roofing materials and cladding, providing robust protection against hail storms and minimizing the potential for damage and the need for costly repairs.

Finally, the building is designed with thoughtful placement of smoke detectors to address the specific challenges posed by wildfire season. These detectors are strategically positioned to avoid false alarms caused by smoke from nearby wildfires, while still ensuring that they remain effective in the event of an actual fire. This consideration improves occupant safety and reduces unnecessary disruptions, particularly in regions such as Airdrie, where wildfires are a common occurrence.

By combining these various climate-resilient features, the building is better equipped to handle extreme weather conditions, safeguard its occupants and reduce the environmental impact of its operations. These strategies contribute to a safer, more sustainable building that remains functional and comfortable year-round, regardless of the climate challenges it may face.

Certain building materials can "off-gas," meaning they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particles and gases into the indoor air over time. These emissions can stem from substances like adhesives, paints, insulation, flooring, and furniture, all of which may contain chemicals that, when released into the air, can contribute to poor indoor air quality. In some cases, the gases and particles produced by off-gassing can be harmful to human health, potentially causing headaches, respiratory issues, eye irritation and contributing to long-term health problems. Additionally, poor air quality caused by off-gassing can lead to a condition known as "sick building syndrome," where occupants experience symptoms of discomfort or illness due to exposure to indoor pollutants.

To mitigate these risks, this building has been designed with an emphasis on using low-emitting materials. These materials are carefully selected for their reduced levels of off-gassing, ensuring that they do not release harmful particles or chemicals into the air.

By using low-emitting materials, the building helps to create a healthier environment, reducing the risk of sick building syndrome and enhancing the well-being of everyone inside. This approach also contributes to a more sustainable building design, as the use of non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials reduces the building’s overall environmental impact. The long-term benefits of low-emitting materials include reduced maintenance and a longer lifespan for the building, as these materials tend to be more durable and require fewer replacements.

This building incorporates several passive design elements to enhance its energy efficiency and comfort for occupants, especially in terms of temperature regulation. One of the key strategies is solar shading, which is achieved through overhangs and other architectural features. These overhangs are strategically positioned to block direct sunlight during the hotter months, reducing solar heat gain and lowering cooling loads. By minimizing the need for artificial cooling, the building’s energy consumption is reduced, making it more sustainable and cost-effective over time.

Effective insulation is another passive design element used in the building. Insulation is important for minimizing heat transfer through the building’s walls, roofs and floors. During the winter, it helps to retain heat inside the building, reducing the need for heating systems, while in the summer, it prevents heat from entering, thus reducing the need for air conditioning. This insulation helps maintain a comfortable indoor temperature throughout the year and ensures energy savings.

Additionally, the building features energy-efficient glazing, which is designed to minimize both heat loss in colder months and heat gain in warmer months. The use of double paned windows with low-emissivity coatings helps to reduce the amount of heat that escapes from the building in the winter, while blocking excessive heat from entering during the summer. As you explore the building, you may notice these design elements subtly integrated into the architecture, contributing to a sustainable and comfortable environment.

TEDI or Thermal Energy Demand Intensity, is an important metric used in building design and energy efficiency assessments. It measures the amount of heating energy required annually to maintain comfortable conditions within a building, accounting for heating, cooling and ventilation needs. TEDI is expressed as the total energy demand for these functions per unit of the modeled floor area, providing a quantifiable unit of how much energy is needed to keep the indoor environment at a targeted temperature throughout the year.

In this building, the TEDI value is 39, which indicates that it has a relatively low energy demand for heating compared to typical buildings. This building saves 30 per cent more energy than a baseline building, meaning it operates much more efficiently, reducing the energy required for temperature
regulation. This energy efficiency translates to lower operational costs, reduced environmental impact and a more sustainable overall design.

The value of TEDI lies in its ability to help architects, engineers and designers assess and optimize energy performance during the building design process. By focusing on reducing TEDI, building designers can create more energy-efficient spaces that require less heating energy, ultimately leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller environmental footprint.

Energy efficiency in this building was achieved through a combination of design strategies aimed at reducing heat loss and optimizing thermal performance. One of the primary methods was improving the airtightness of the walls through envelope design, ensuring that there were fewer gaps and cracks where heat could escape. This focus on sealing the building envelope helps maintain a consistent indoor temperature, while reducing the need for excessive heating or cooling.

The strategic placement and orientation of windows also played a critical role. By carefully positioning windows to maximize natural light and minimize heat loss, the building benefits from passive solar gains in the winter while reducing solar heat gain in the summer. The use of low-E (low emissivity) coatings on the glazing further enhances energy efficiency. These coatings reflect infrared and ultraviolet light, which are responsible for heat transfer, while allowing visible light to enter.

In addition to window design, the building envelope was improved with enhanced insulation. The R-value of the walls was increased from 20 to 24 and the roof was upgraded to an R-50 value. This improvement means that the building is significantly better at retaining heat, reducing the amount of energy required for heating during colder months.

Thermal isolation clips were used in construction, improving energy efficiency by preventing heat bridges, which are areas where heat can pass through materials more easily. This attention to detail ensures that the building envelope performs at a high level, reducing the demand for artificial heating and cooling, which lowers energy consumption and contributes to a more sustainable building.

Enhanced commissioning is a comprehensive process that ensures a building's energy, water and indoor environmental quality systems are functioning as designed and intended, optimizing their performance and efficiency. This process goes beyond standard commissioning by thoroughly evaluating and fine-tuning key building systems to ensure they operate at peak efficiency throughout the building's lifecycle.

The scope of enhanced commissioning includes a wide range of systems within the building, including domestic hot water systems, lighting controls, heating systems, ventilation systems, air conditioning, refrigeration systems, and the building envelope. By carefully analyzing these systems, enhanced commissioning ensures that they work together cohesively, reducing energy consumption, lowering operating costs, and enhancing occupant comfort.

Domestic hot water systems are analyzed to ensure that the water heating is working efficiently for the building and its needs. This includes checking the insulation of pipes, the calibration of heating equipment and the optimization of hot water delivery.

Lighting controls are analyzed to make sure that they are programmed and calibrated correctly, providing adequate illumination when needed while minimizing energy use. This includes the use of daylight sensors, occupancy sensors and dimming controls to ensure lighting levels are adjusted based on real-time needs.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are a large focus during the process of enhanced commissioning. These systems are analyzed to ensure they maintain comfortable indoor temperatures and proper air quality while minimizing energy consumption. The calibration of thermostats, optimization of airflow, as well as maintenance of equipment like heat pumps, air handlers and fans are all completed to aid in reducing unnecessary energy usage. In addition to the above analyzed systems, refrigerants and building envelopes are also evaluated.

This process typically involves detailed performance testing, system recalibration and fine-tuning to address any issues that might hinder performance. The goal is to ensure that the building operates as efficiently as possible from day one and continues to do so over time. Enhanced commissioning is a proactive approach that benefits building owners, operators and occupants by improving the building's long-term sustainability and operational performance. It reduces maintenance costs, extends the lifespan of building systems and contributes to a more comfortable and healthier internal environment.

This building is designed to be highly energy-efficient, incorporating a range of high-performance strategies that may not be immediately visible but play a crucial role in its sustainable operation. These tactics are implemented to optimize energy use, reduce operating costs and create a comfortable environment for its occupants.

One of the key strategies is the heat recovery system, which captures and reuses heat from exhaust air or waste heat produced by the building's HVAC systems. This process significantly reduces the demand on heating and cooling systems, allowing the building to maintain comfortable temperatures while minimizing energy consumption. By transferring heat to areas that need it, the building can avoid using additional energy for heating, which lowers overall energy demand.

Another important feature is zoning differentiation, which involves dividing the building into distinct areas or zones that can be controlled independently in terms of heating, cooling and ventilation. This allows for more precise energy management by ensuring that only the necessary areas are heated or cooled at any given time. Zoning can be based on factors like occupancy levels, time of day or specific environmental conditions, so that spaces with less activity, such as storage areas or offices that are not in use as often, do not consume unnecessary energy. This level of control not only reduces energy waste, but also improves comfort by maintaining optimal conditions tailored to the needs of each space.

Energy-efficient pumps and air handling systems are another feature. These systems are designed to use the least amount of energy necessary to circulate air and water throughout the building. Combined with regulated ventilation via carbon dioxide sensors, which adjust airflow based on the CO2 levels in each zone, these systems ensure that the building's ventilation is always optimized.

Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) controls on pumps and air handling units allow the building’s HVAC systems to adjust the speed of motors based on real-time demand. This means that these systems don’t run at full capacity when it's not needed, leading to significant energy savings. VFDs optimize the operation of motors by matching their speed to the actual demand.

Daylighting is another energy-saving feature which uses natural light to reduce reliance on artificial lighting. The building is designed to maximize the amount of natural light that enters with carefully placed windows, skylights and light wells. Daylighting controls are integrated into the building’s lighting system to automatically adjust interior lighting levels based on the amount of natural light available. This ensures that lights are only on when needed and at the appropriate intensity, reducing energy usage. In addition to daylighting, the building features high-efficiency lighting systems, such as LED lights, which consume less energy than traditional bulbs and have a longer lifespan.