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62 | FEBRUA RY 2015 RENDERING BELOW COURTESY UBC PROPERTIES TRUST The Nest – Student Union Building at UBC the temperature remained within the standard for thermal comfort. A unique type of chiller was installed to provide cooling to specific areas. "Working with the mechanical and electrical consultants, we designed the atrium roof for solar hot water and for future solar PV loading," says RJC's Stoneham. "We also worked very closely with the mechanical consultants to incorporate hydronic heating and cool- ing into the structural slabs." Moreover, solar thermal and photo- voltaic arrays, passive ventilation and daylight harvesting in most spaces all contribute to supplying 30 per cent of total energy consumption. "We designed a metering system that provides energy consumption information at the room level," states Sunny Ghataurah, electri- cal engineer on the project from Applied Engineering Solutions Ltd. "The intent is that users of a space can see how much energy they are consuming so that they can modify their behaviours to achieve the intent of energy reduction on campus." The biggest impact on site, however, was monitoring and maintaining the Indoor Air Quality Plan throughout construction, explains Duane Ferreira, project manager at Bird Construction Company: "We used low-VOC emitting products that kept the air cleaner for workers and reduced the heavy smells associated with some painting, adhesive and caulking activities." Keeping the Nest in good working order for the long-term involves pre- ventative measures as well. Vancouver's climate makes using a leak detection and moisture monitoring system very beneficial to locate roof leaks before costly water damage occurs. "There are two such systems installed in the Nest," explains Pat Vokey, VP at Detec Systems. "The first system is for con- ventional roofs and is placed under the membrane, while the second system is for the inverted roofs and is placed on the surface of the membrane." For the students and other Nest users, there are more visible sustainability efforts. "The students wished for a build- ing that supports a model community and that sustainably promotes human contact and inspiration," says Bakker. While there are many areas for stu- dents to study, there are also several ways to take a break at the Nest. The first is a three-storey climbing wall on the north side of the building. Full height glazing allows a motivational view of English Bay and the North Shore moun- tains from the top of the wall. A fair-weather visit to the 10,750- square-foot roof top garden on the fourth level of the Nest can help too. It includes a water feature, ample seat- ing and a crop area where AMS will be growing organic produce that will be used in the Nest's food venues. "From the design team selection pro- cess that involved a student-wide vote based on YouTube videos of architect presentations, to the development of the design guidelines, sustainability targets and schematic approach through a series of open workshops, the students have been fully and creatively engaged in the design process," says Bakker. "Student engagement was key to our success." A WesbridgeSteelworks.indd 1 15-01-15 2:26 PM Nightingale.indd 1 15-01-09 11:14

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