Award

J U N E 2 0 2 3 | 75 Student Housing and Dining – University of Victoria "The project required materi- als like the Passive House-certified curtain wall from Germany, triple pane windows, and a high volume of exterior insulation for roofing and cladding," says Diana Demmers, proj- ect manager for EllisDon. "There was a high expectation of qual- ity assurance and quality control required for the exterior envelope to meet high performance tar- gets for building airtightness." The kitchen will output 8,700 meals per day, requiring 27,750 litres of domestic hot water (DHW) daily, so it was designed to pre-heat DHW using waste heat from the refrigeration sys- tem, kitchen exhaust, dishwasher's wastewater, and shower drain water. The heat recovery ventilation reduces the need for space heating, and electric air source heat pumps and other measures reduce GHGs for hot water heating by 88 per- cent. "By adopting a robust energy reduction strategy and using elec- tric kitchen equipment [rather than the industry standard gas-based equipment], this kitchen is five to six times more energy efficient than conventional commercial kitchens and decreases projected greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for the entire building," Wilson says. A project of this scale comes with its share of unique challenges. Pre- construction began with a logistical puzzle, since the deconstructed build- ings were three of the first built on campus and were connected to an underground bunker containing shared mechanical/electrical services. "We had to relocate electri- cal and mechanical services and a shared fire alarm panel that were connected to some remaining build- ings," says Nick Konicek, construction manager for EllisDon. "Several adja- cent buildings required shutdowns while we relocated services." To keep the food service running and speed up the deconstruc- tion process, the construction team facilitated and installed a 23,000-square-foot modular din- ing facility, which was in use for two academic years. "This idea from the joint venture saved the project about 16 months of the schedule and reduced project risks from construc- tion cost escalation," Konicek says. Cheko'nien House was ready for occupancy in July 2022 on the exact dates agreed upon in the con- tract written in 2018. "This, despite disruptions, the pandemic, and the general uncertainty in the world over the past few years, was an impor- tant accomplishment," Konicek says. John King, Kinetic's project direc- tor, says that on a project of this magnitude – with upwards of 400 people working indoors at once dur- ing the pandemic – the excellence of the team can not be overstated. "We had good strong rules and everyone, including the subtrades, followed them and worked together to stay safe," he says. "The EllisDon Kinetic team worked extremely well together. It was great to hear the praise each member of the team spoke of each other." A P H OTO G R A P H Y BY B R E T T H I TC H I N S/CO U RT E S Y U N I V ER S I T Y O F V I C TO R I A

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