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Sustainable design strategies show dividends for the industry as a whole by Tiffany Sloan N ational homebuilding standards took a step forward this February with the introduction of the 2012 R-2000 Standard, boasting reduced water consumption, improved indoor air quality and a 50-per-cent increase in energy efficiency over the 2005 R-2000 Standard. As of January 1, Ontario claims one of the most energy-efficient building codes in North America, calling for a benchmark efficiency rating of EnerGuide 80. In Vancouver, as a step toward the City's goal of achieving carbonneutral buildings by 2020, all new municipal facilities over 500 square metres must be LEED Gold – the highest environmental standard required by a local government in North America. Such mandates speak to the building industry's gains in the arena of green design. But how can these high performance standards be reconciled with the need to be cost competitive? It starts with strategic cost-benefit transfers that often result in very short-term or instant payback for system and material upgrades, says Marc Gaudet, senior mechanical engineer with Williams Engineering in Edmonton. "When we examine the various components of a proposed building, we invariably encounter an incremental or premium cost for superior performance – and that is totally logical. But we have to recognize that that superior performance should impact favourably as a benefit to other component systems of the building and create an opportunity to reduce costs in that discipline." Gaudet offers up the example of high-efficiency condensing boilers; their superior performance allows for the use of smaller piping and smaller pumps, and the savings on piping offsets the higher cost of the boilers. Likewise, a reduction in the size of heating boilers will offset much of the cost for high-performing exhaust air heat recovery. And a superior-performance building envelope and efficient lighting installations will reduce the demand and associated cost for heating and cooling systems. "The reality is that superior performance need not cost more if well executed, but for certain it will cost less to operate," says Gaudet. The Student Learning Centre at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON. Sustainable Design Strategies p.34-37Sustainable design.indd 35 RENDERINGS COURTESY ZEIDLER PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS Thoughtful Leadership The Learning Exchange at Mohawk College, Hamilton, ON. Speaking of the integrated design process that facilitates these cost-benefit transfers, Gaudet says it's a matter of communication and of timing. "As time proceeds in the life of any project, the resistance to change increases, so it's strategically important to make these decisions early and to have everyone at the table at the conceptual design stage." While such instant-payback design strategies are the easiest accommodations in competitive budgets, Gaudet observes an industry shift from a myopic focus on 'first costs' toward acceptance of premium components that will pay for themselves in reduced operating costs over time – generally within 10 years or less. "The dialogue more often now extends to favouring robust, high-performance hardware of longer useful life that will reliably deliver superior comfort while being simpler to operate and more adaptable to change. The incremental cost for superior performance is a good buy and in most cases is justifiable against the benefits." Robert Lange, partner with Vancouverbased DGBK Architects, agrees that while capital costs are still the primary driver, clients are increasingly willing to look at longer-term return schedules. "Still, everyone is working to a very tight budget, so unless there's a very good case to look at long-term paybacks, then they usually fall to within the five- to 10-year range." In terms of new the technologies, "there have been a few relatively newer HVAC systems introduced to the North American market," says Ali Syed, senior energy management project advisor, from Hemisphere Engineering's Edmonton office. He cites the growing application of the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems (also known as VRV, or variable refrigerant volume systems). Already widely used in Asia, Europe and South America, these systems offer better energy efficiency and offer greater design flexibility to the architects and engineers as well as good temperature control for the end users. Displacement ventilation systems are also gaining popularity – particularly in K-12 schools, says Syed. Compared to the mixed-flow ventilation systems, displacement ventilation offers not only higher energy efficiency but also improved indoor air quality. "A few clients do consider some basic renewable systems," says Syed. "For instance, solar water heating and water reclaim systems, and to some extent wind turbines and photovoltaic systems." The return on investment is comparatively quicker for the first two options, solar hot water and water reclaim systems being relatively affordable, but he is less optimistic about the future of the latter two – in Alberta, at least. Although wind turbines are so dependent on the average wind velocity in a city and varying weather conditions, "they may still offer slightly more attractive paybacks than photovoltaics," says Syed. "But they [both] still need, in my opinion, some provincial government funding to make it more conducive for clients to consider the high premium associated with these technologies." In the absence of government funding, the renewable energy systems with such long-term return schedules appeal primarily to universities, and occasionally to hospitals, says Syed. These clients tend to budget for a longer building life cycle, are generally more open to and invested in research and development, and may value the opportunity to showcase new technologies and green initiatives. However, projected payback schedules for any premium system may be incongruent with the actual long-term energy savings it provides. "Typically, their energy performance is very different from what the energy model had predicted – the reason being that the building systems are not operated at their optimal settings, so that can render a very inefficient performance," explains Syed. Syed attributes this to a perception that measurement and verification (M&V) measures, including M&V LEED credits, are expensive to pursue – more expensive than they may be worth. He disagrees, attesting that measurement and verification is paramount. "I think, from the consultant's point of view, and from the Canada Green Building Council's, that more quantification needs to be provided to the client and the public so they can appreciate that measurement and verification can save a lot of money down the road." And while the Canadian industry currently suffers from a dearth of case studies to confirm this, "I think once more literature becomes available, clients will buy into this credit too." True long-term planning goes further than accounting for just JUNE 2012 /35 5/25/12 11:46:22 AM

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