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Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre at Vancouver General Hospital ; + The University of Manitoba's Active Living Centre. Sustainable Design Strategies PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CIBINEL ARCHITECTS; RENDERING COURTESY PARKIN ARCHITECTS LIMITED A As consumers become increasingly savvy to the defi- nitions of terms like LEED, rainwater harvesting and low-VOC as well as the systems and products that cre- ate technologically advanced buildings, designers and engineers are having to be at the top of their game to satisfy all stakeholders. Sustainable design strategies can be executed through many channels to ensure projects are completed with the most environmentally sound options possible. In the world of architecture, Parkin Architects Ltd. is working on a number of sustainable projects. One such project is the Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) – an eight-storey mental health inpatient facility that focuses on the patient environment. Following LEED Gold standards, the building is designed to amalgamate several current mental health care services on the VGH campus. "Because it's not an acute care facility, we were able to explore more oppor- tunities for materials, accommodations and outdoor spaces than we would in a more clinical setting," says John MacSween, principal at Parkin Architects Ltd. "Our goal is to make the building as non-institutional and comfortable as possible to help de-stigmatize the complex. The end result will make it look more like a condo complex than a hospital building." MacSween says the lighting levels don't have to be as intense as they would in acute care and that helps with the environment they want to create. It also helps with LEED scoring for lighting and reduced energy con- sumption. "There's a lot of glass in the building creat- ing a great deal of transparency," he says. "Every floor has external balconies, which is unusual for a hospital setting. Glass railings on the balconies are 10-feet high to ensure safety and security. To add more brightness to the interior areas, a light well will be built into the centre of the building. Every patient floor has access to at least two, sometimes three outdoor patient areas that include built-in planters for patient use." A large rooftop terrace with tall glass enclosures offers views to the mountains and city creating a relaxing environ- ment that is beneficial for patients, staff and visitors. The anticipated completion of the building is in 2017. The education and public sector are also seeing rapid advancements in sustainable design strategies. Strategic Thinking Collaboration and research promote sustainable design practices by LAURIE JONES As a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, environmental sus- tainability is an important principle for the University of Manitoba. This commitment created the sustainabil- ity framework for the University's Active Living Centre construction. "Being a LEED Silver building, this was to be as environmentally sustainable as possible while providing customers with a state-of-the-art fitness facility that presented open spaces and a connected- ness to the outside," says George Cibinel, principal, Cibinel Architecture Ltd. "Emphasis during design and construction was placed on sourcing local, regional and recycled products, energy conservation, water conser- vation, and low-VOC products and surface materials." Because the project was financially supported by the provincial government, the University of Manitoba's Active Living Centre's construction was governed by the Manitoba Green Building Policy. "This policy aims to spark a significant improvement in how new and renovated buildings that are funded by the Government of Manitoba perform over their entire life cycle from an environmental, energy and economic perspective," says Cibinel. To ensure all requirements were covered, third party verification was secured prior to completion of the building. "The significant energy and water con- servation features include external fixed solar shades to reduce incoming solar gain in the summer while allowing passive heating in winter; a high air volume 20-foot-diameter ceiling fan that provides air changes in the workout areas with minimal motor power; and radiant in-f loor heating in the high-mass concrete floors that provides heating in select areas," says David Epp, principal, Epp Siepman Engineering Inc. Other conservation features include the University's existing central energy plant to supply both heating and chilled cooling energy. The Building Automation System (BAS) will be capable of monitoring and con- trolling operations for all HVAC and lighting systems, saving 30 per cent of the energy systems. Experience with a wide variety of building types and materials gives engineers a unique insight into the many factors that affect building durability and long- term deterioration. As part of a commitment to inte- grated sustainable design, Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC) uses a formalized in-house Sustainable Design Framework consisting of six guiding design strategies that cross all third-party green building rating systems. "These strategies are used to guide our building enve- lope and structural engineers as well as our project partners," says Duncan Rowe, associate and sustainable design specialist. "Material comparison and efficient use of materials are key to applying any third-party green building rating system," he says. "We actively partici- pate in building durability plans as well as the inte- grated charrette process to find sustainable solutions within LEED, or any other rating system framework."

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