Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178323
COURTESY BENTALL KENNEDY LP Broadway Tech Centre – 2910 Virtual Way by Heidi Castle n the not too distant past, building green was a niche market. Terms like sustainability, green practice and eco-friendly, let alone designing to LEED standard, were notions and practices outside the mainstream. Today, building green is the benchmark, meaning environmental and resource ef iciencies add value to a project. Broadway Tech Centre, an innovative 17-acre urban business and tech campus at Broadway and Renfrew streets in Vancouver, is an award-winning example of building with that view in mind. "Sustainability was absolutely part of the strategy for the design of this project," says Doug Pearce, chief executive of icer/chief investment of icer of British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC), the owner of Broadway Tech Centre. "bcIMC is committed to responsible property investing. Broadway Tech Centre exempli ies our focus on developing properties that are energy-ef icient, tenant-friendly and enhance local communities." "Five of the buildings in the irst phase of development at Broadway Tech Centre are designed to LEED standard and have either achieved or targeted Gold or Platinum certi ication," says Tony Astles, executive vice president of Bentall Kennedy, the real estate investment and management advisor for I Broadway Tech Centre – 2910 Virtual Way p.80-83Broadway Tech.indd 81 bcIMC. "It's unusual to have that many LEED buildings on one site." The most recently completed building, 2910 Virtual Way, epitomizes sustainability and exempli ies what Broadway Tech Centre offers. The lightweight green roof system captures and retains rainwater via a carpet of succulent sedums that, through evaporative transpiration, shade and cool the building in summer, add biomass to the site and create an acoustically quieter structure. The system has a root barrier and a moisture felt layer seeded with the evergreen succulents that are hardy through summer drought and winter freeze. The two-inch sedum mat affords an attractive overlook for neighbours as it unfolds in waves of changing seasonal colours speci ically designed to evoke coastal meadows. "The green roof is a real feature of the building," says Teresa Coady, president, B+H BuntingCoady. "It was a challenge at irst. We were looking for a solution that would not add weight to the roof and would not be too expensive to install and maintain. We found it in the low-pro ile sedum." A water curtain, which lanks either end of a long re lecting pool that graces the main entrance, is a major design feature for the building. It cools the ambient temperature as air blows through water rippling down the stainless steel wire mesh. The water glistens in the sunlight and shimmers at night as it's lit with LED lighting. "This building's water features pick up on Japanese and Rajasthan building design where air blowing through water acts as a natural air conditioner," says Randy Sharp, principal with Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc. The building is designed with a water-based four-pipe fan coil system with energy-ef icient boilers. The result is a high rate of fresh air with low energy demand that balances comfort, health and ef iciency. While esthetically distinct one from the other, all of the buildings at Broadway Tech Centre share a common design approach: they respond to the direction they face. All north-facing windows take advantage of controlled light from that direction while those south-facing are shaded, and east and west are contoured to optimize sun angle control. "The lovely curved facade on 2910 Virtual Way is a good example of responsive design," says Coady. "It takes full advantage of the studio-quality north light while enhancing the overall campus esthetic." The building's exterior of corrugated metal, composite metal panelling and a glass curtainwall of horizontal lines evokes a timeless industrial language used throughout the campus. Once inside, 2910 Virtual Way features a spacious two-storey lobby, a design element it shares with other campus buildings. The sustainable design of 2910 Virtual Way is part of the same ethic repeated throughout Broadway Tech Centre. Water channels combined with waterfalls link gardens and outdoor spaces between the buildings. The resulting ambient white noise dampens city sound. The landscape incorporates a mix of spaces both active and quiet. Large canopy trees shade the hardscape and provide green corridors. The extensive green roof system absorbs rainwater, manages stormwater, lowers urban air temperatures and mitigates heat island effect. The landscape, intimate pedestrianscaled streetscape and outdoor amenities such as basketball and volleyball sport courts, are largely built on roof deck. This biophilic, urban oasis was formerly home to Eaton's Vancouver warehouse, which is now an integral part of the campus design. Instead of demolishing it and dumping tons of debris into the land ill, the concrete structure was salvaged, saving the associated costs of excavation, debris removal and new construction. (The ultimate in 'reduce, reuse and recycle,' the warehouse forms AUGUST 2012 /81 7/13/12 10:39 AM