Building Green and Water Conservation
Municipal Waterworks Facility an Eco Friendly Work Environment
May 6, 2009
Designers and developers of green architecture often promote the sustainability of their edifices without actually knowing whether the buildings will deliver on good intentions. Calgary’s Water Centre makes for a good follow up case study of a building designated LEED® Gold.
The Water Centre, a municipal building designed by Manasc Isaac in collaboration with Sturgess Architecture, has been occupied for 12 months. Built at a cost of $45 million, the four-storey office building is 183,000 square feet and has facilities for 800 city waterworks and wastewater staff.
The City of Calgary established a Sustainable Building Policy in 2003. It requires all new and renovated buildings over 500 m2 (5000 square feet) to achieve a minimum accreditation of LEED® Silver. Civic authorities decided to make the new Water Centre a model of sustainability, socially, environmentally, and economically.
Life in a Green Building
The Water Centre is a striking-looking building. The distinctive curved steel roof caps a wave-like building that has assumed iconic status. The building's unique shape posed a challenge for the builder, Dominion Construction Ltd.
The southern exposure is fully glazed with good views from every floor of the surrounding cityscape. The north exposure is environmentally more economical in its use of glass, but here too building occupants benefit from artfully-placed windows and views of the city’s downtown.
Occupants report being pleased with three qualities of the building:
- Air quality: Unlike most mechanically ventilated office environments, users report experiencing a general feeling of alertness and fewer headaches. Air quality has benefited from the incorporation of no, or low volatile organic compounds in materials used on the interior. An under floor plenum for distribution of mechanical services is a contributing factor to employees’ sense of wellbeing.
- Lighting: The architects worked with lighting consultants to provide as much natural lighting as possible without compromising the building’s energy consumption. Employees appreciate working at their desks with no glare from harsh overhead fluorescents.
- Window views: The building is designed to provide occupants with panoramic views out. Employees report not feeling trapped in their cubicles; there is always a far view to be had. Applied design research has demonstrated that views out are critical to occupant wellbeing.
Building users can control how much ventilation they get at their individual workstations through vents beneath their desks. Users can easily adjust the degree of light on work surfaces like desks. Windows can be opened to introduce fresh air. This type of personal control contributes to employee satisfaction.
Water Conservation and Energy Reduction Measures
As a showcase for sustainable design, the Water Centre set out to reduce water, electricity and natural gas consumption. A detailed analysis to compare actual energy usage with projections is still being prepared.
Signs of reduced consumption compared to similar commercial structures include:
- Natural gas for heating peaks during the winter, but is less marked than in other, comparable buildings.
- Electricity consumption from month to month is even throughout the year. This is despite the higher costs associated with cooling air.
- Rain water is being captured and used for irrigation purposes, and water consumption is lower due to low flow toilets and waterless urinals.
At the time of the building’s application for LEED® accreditation, it was anticipated that the building would be 95 percent day lit. with all office spaces having a window. The Water Centre is expected to realize a 59 percent reduction in water consumption and a 72 percent reduction in waste water.
Commissioning, or verification of the effective performance of the building's systems is not yet complete, a reflection of their complexity. Once commissioning is complete, it will be possible to verify how closely the building's actual performance matches the lofty goals for its design.
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