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D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | 59 Skeena Residence – UBC Okanagan Harte notes UBC undertakes proj- ects that are living labs, integrating the infrastructure and building works, doing so in a way that students can really learn on an academic side. "For instance, at Skeena there are 20 units in the building that are selected for a parallel measuring system, mon- itoring temperature, indoor humidity, CO2 levels and VOC levels. This is part of a provincially funded program to assess the energy performance of the building in real-world scenarios." Ken White, project manager at Sawchuk Developments says the Skeena Residence was a learning curve for a lot of people in the trades. "We had done a smaller Passive House proj- ect previously, but this job was unique in terms of how tight the building envelope needed to be, the thickness of insulation, and the performance of the windows and door openings," he explains. "We were quite involved with monitoring that construction to make sure that everything was going to per- form. Near the end of the project the building was put through pressure tests, both positive and negative, and that required a pass for certification." He adds another aspect of the Passive House design specifications required that all of the piping into the building had to have thick insulation, which was quite challenging to fit it all in given the space between the fram- ing and other elements. Mike Mariotto, partner at Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLP says structurally, the challenge was to maintain the ther- mal continuity required for a Passive House. "That includes all the insulation on the exterior, extending from the foun- dation – below grade and under the slab – up the sides of the residence and over the roof. That continuity also included any building connection and the airtightness of the enve- lope. This was driving the project from the beginning." He explains being involved from the start of the proj- ect was important to ensure that Passive House principles and structural design requirements worked effectively together. "The goal is to get Passive House certification, so close attention to detail was required to ensure thermal continuity was achieved." A P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A N D R E W L AT R EI L L E /CO U RT E SY P U B L I C: A RC H I T EC T U R E + CO M M U N I C AT I O N 8:27 AM • METAL STUD • DRYWALL • T-BAR CEILINGS • STUCCO • INSULATION • DEMOUNTABLE WALLS 250-878-9197 Proud to have installed the insulation, framing, drywall and T-bar ceilings on the Skeena Residence - UBCO project. MJBWallCeilings_AWARD_1220.indd 1 12/14/20 8:32 AM Proud to be part of UBC's first Passive House project: UBCO SKEENA RESIDENCE Consulting Structural Engineers 604 688 9861 bushbohlman.com apexelevator.com 604-533-4617 We are proud to be part of the project team for Skeena Residence – UBCO! Apex_AWARD_1220.indd 1 12/14/20 8:31 AM Supply and Install: Formwork, Concrete, Reinforcing Steel, Finishing, and Tower Cranes We pride ourselves in giving you a specialized forming system that creates a quality product, while still maintaining schedule and safety. INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL www.stemmerconstruction.com LEADERS IN CONCRETE FORMING Stemmer_AWARD_1220.indd 1 12/8/20 3:52 March 2021 ANNUAL INDUSTRY FEATURE: Structural Steel Book your ad space now: | Dan Chapman 604.473.0316