Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/755184
DECEMBER 2016 | 31 Green Building Design PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY HDR|CEI ARCHITECTURE ASSOCIATES, INC. of building systems for energy efficiency. Bringing down the cost of solar cells and finding ways to store power. There is a lot of wasted heat in hospitals; if we can recapture some of that heat and re-use it there is a real potential source of savings," Whiteley adds. While advancements in materials and systems is an essential component, technology also plays a key role in the development of green building design. HDR Inc. recently developed REPS (Rapid Energy Performance Simulation) program, which is able to take very basic information, such as the square foot- age and location, and tell you your energy usage before a designer even starts sketching ideas. "We used to rely on engineering for this and that could take weeks; now we have the technology to do this instantaneously in-house," explains Bill Locking, senior VP at HDR|CEI Architecture Associates, Inc. "After REPS we use the real-time energy analysis soft- ware Sefaira, which shows the designer how a design is performing. They can make a quick adjustment and the technology helps them connect the dots between design and energy use," adds Alisha Heide, architec- tural technologist. One green building design project that the firm worked on was the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Penticton, B.C. that was designed to Living Building Challenge standards. While its features, which include everything from manually operated windows to vac- uum tube solar panels, are noteworthy, the building became much more than that. "It was a true collabo- ration, with all disciplines interweaving, but it was the lessons learned from its design, construction and ongoing operations that have helped educate the stu- dents that make this project stand out," says Locking. Jef f R abinov itch, pr incipa l at Read Jones Christoffersen agrees that collaboration is help- ing advance the sector, and points to the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model that integrates people, systems, business structures and practices to achieve the best possible project outcomes. "IPD combines the best practises from integrative design and lean construction to harness the talents and insights of all team members to optimize project results," explains Rabinovitch. "All key project partici- pants, including the owner, contractor, architect, engi- neers and key subtrades are aligned through a single poly-party project contract. Guided through all phases of the project by shared values and objectives, all par- ticipants have an invested interest in the success of the project." + + Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Penticton, B.C.