Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/493534
86 | A PR IL 2015 Mountain Equipment Co-op Headquarters Additionally, heat generated inside the building through aspects like arti- ficial lighting and computer servers is reclaimed by pumps to heat the build- ing. "Excess energy from the day can be stored in tanks and used later in the evening for heating," explains Roland Charneux, executive VP at Pageau Morel and Associates Inc. "For remaining energy needs, the heat pumps are linked to a geothermal borehole field com- prised of 22 wells, 150 metres deep." These extract heat from the ground in the winter, and reject it in the summer. Rainwater is also harvested and col- lected on the blue roof and supplies 75 per cent of the building's non-potable water needs. The roof deck below is an occupied green roof space from which water is diverted into the feature at the front entrance. "On a day of heavy rain, you can see all the water flowing through the feature and know it's coming from the roof deck, before it gets treated in a bioswale system and discharged in the storm system," says Cochlin. The new headquarters sustainabil- ity features extend beyond reduced energy consumption after its comple- tion. Structurally, heavy timber was used in conjunction with concrete and steel. Tanya Luthi, senior project man- ager for the project at Fast + Epp puts it in perspective: "The building is notable for the sheer volume of wood contained in the structure: over one-million board feet of lumber, enough to cover an NHL rink with a volume of wood over five and a half feet high." The underside of each f loor is exposed to the interior, which not only creates a warm and natural-looking workplace, but also means a traditional t-bar ceiling grid didn't need to be used. "The trusses themselves aren't leading edge as it's a relatively old building tech- nique," explains Tyler Pasquill, VP of pre- construction at Ventana Construction. "What's unique is using them in a project of this size and scope, with a floor ple- num above, for this application, and hav- ing them meet current seismic codes." Lateral loads are resisted by steel, buck ling-restrained braced (BRB) frames. "Unlike typical steel braces, which are designed to buckle in compres- sion, BRBs dissipate energy through the yielding of a steel core inside of a grout- filled casing that prevents buckling when the core is in compression," says Luthi. "This system is more ductile and robust than traditional steel braced frames." As with most big projects, the new MEC headquarters came with its own challenges, but having all team mem- bers involved in the design process from the start created a beautiful, sustain- able and integrated finished product. "MEC [employees] don't think in terms of LEED points; they see passive design as doing the right thing," notes Cochlin, who worked with Ventana Construction on the MEC North Vancouver retail store that was completed in 2012. Treagus further explains, "We were given a blank canvas and a toolbox. Building green was a given, but we also didn't want to dismiss the esthetic of the building as an inspirational piece and how important it is from just a wellness perspective for our employees and in turn, our customers." A