Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
Budzey Building by Zuzanna Wodzynska L ocated in the heart of Van- couver's Downtown Eastside, the Budzey Building is being built through a partnership between RainCity Housing and Support Society, the City of Vancouver and BC Housing. As one of 14 Cit y-owned sites being developed under the Provincial Homelessness Initiative, the Budzey is unique in that it targets women and their families. The building is 10-storeys high with 147 units of subsidized rental housing of concrete construction. About a third of the suites are two- and three-bedroom units that will accommodate women and their children, while the rest are for women living on their own. "The building has a common space intended for kids to play in, as well as playground equipment in the enclosed courtyard," says Bill Briscall, commu- nications manager at RainCity Housing. Taking the potential needs of its res- idents into consideration, the Budzey Building will contain t wo adjacent rooms with bed bug eliminating equip- ment that will be used to sanitize items that can contract bed bugs. The building will also feature offices for RainCity Housing, one level of under- ground parking and contain three com- mercial retail units to be leased by the City of Vancouver. "Although undeniably modern in expression and detailing, the building form and materials allude to ref lect elements of historic architecture of the Downtown Eastside," says Larry Adams of NSDA Architects. This is a f it ting allusion as the Budzey Building is replacing the small, 24-room Drake Hotel built on that site in 1912 and purchased by the City of Vancouver in 2007. "The Budzey Build- ing optimizes the property," explains Patrick Brothers, project manager at Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. "Its construction has required innovative planning for the efficient use of space." Caref ul consideration was also given to designing the building to meet LEED Gold requirements and to achieve near-carbon-neutral operation. "Our approach to sustainability is to build well," says Adams. "A buildings is not only constructed to save energy during its lifespan, but also to save on mainte- nance and renewal costs." Some of these measures include well- insulated wall assemblies to increase heating and cooling efficiencies, high- qualit y glazing and a passive solar shading design. There are also many unique mechanical systems that will minimize the Budzey Building's carbon footprint. One example is the 90-TR (tons of refrigeration) air-to-water reversible heat pump unit, which acts as the main energy source by generat- ing low-temperature heating water in the winter season and chilled water for the summer. " T he s e a s on a l he a t i n g C OP [Coefficient of Performance] will be around 3.5," says Peter Osuchowski, mechanical engineer at MMM Group Ltd. "This is comparable to having a 350 per cent efficiency electric boiler as opposed to a 90 per cent efficiency gas-fired one." This unit will provide heating for the residential suites through a low- temperature radiant floor heating sys- tem. In addition, there will be a separate 30-TR pump unit dedicated to pre-heat- ing domestic hot water, year round. Other efficiencies incorporated in the design include the two heat recovery ventilation units that will be mounted on the roof. These will direct 100 per cent outdoor air for ventilation to each of the residential suites. Energy recovery wheels will also use air exhausted from residential bath- rooms and other parts of the building to pre-heat and pre-cool supply air. All amenity and public areas will be fully air-conditioned in the summer season. "Based on the total building energy simulation, it is estimated that the Budzey Building will use 63 per cent less energy than the baseline build- ing ," says Osuchowski. This could mean significant operational savings, a key concern for many social hous- ing initiatives. "The tight budget was overcome by relying on our experience from several other BC Housing projects, and by working closely with our design and construction partners to identify cost savings and efficiencies," adds Andrew Tashiro, project manager at MMM Group Ltd. Funding for the project is provided by the government of B.C, the City of Vancouver and Streetohome Founda- tion. "This partnership will provide life-changing support to many of Van- couver's most vulnerable and margin- alized women, and brings us another step closer to our crucial goal of ending street homelessness in Vancouver by 2015," said Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson in a news release. Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. is also partnering with the Blade- Runners employment program, an ini- tiative that provides onsite training and experience to at-risk youth to facilitate their entry into the labour force. n Location 220 Princess Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. owner/DeveLoper RainCity Housing and Support Society architect NSDA Architects GeneraL contractor Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. StructuraL conSuLtant Fast + Epp MechanicaL/ eLectricaL conSuLtant MMM Group Ltd. BuiLDinG enveLope conSuLtant exp Services Inc. LanDScape architect Perry + Associates totaL area 118,285 square feet totaL coSt $28 million renderings courtesy nsdA Architects june 2014 /79 Budzey Building p.78-79Budzey Building.indd 79 14-06-06 2:19 PM