Project Description: The project is a 140 to 160ML/d membrane filtration water treatment plant. The project includes the treatment plant, an attached administration building accommodating operator areas, an operator training facility with pilot plant, laboratory and visitor reception area. The total project budget is $48.5 milliion. The plant is being built on a two hectare former industrial site within the city centre area of Kamloops. The site is in close proximity to the South Thompson River and adjacent to service commercial, residential and park land uses. The Kamloops Millennium Rivers Trail crosses the site. Approximately 4700 m_ of the site will be restored to a naturalized landscape treatment including a wetland. Other site features include visitor and service access, shared use parking, secure delivery / storage compound and a recycling drop-off station. Sustainability Concepts Featured: § Vision Statement establishing sustainability through integration of servicing and enhancement infrastructure § LEEDTM registration and gold level certification target § Brownfield site selection, landscape restoration and neighbourhood enhancement § Expandable building and process systems § On-site storm water management and re-use § Energy reduction targets of 35% for total plant and 50% for HVAC through rejecting heat to intake water § Use of high efficiency lighting, daylight harvesting and energy management system § Indoor environmental quality enhancement including daylight and views, DDC control systems, low VOC materials and mechanical ventilation/operable windows § Water conservation through 99% recovery of process water, non-potable water supply to 19 ha of park land, re-use of stormwater and dryland landscape selections § Environmentally preferable building materials § Green roof at administration building § Recycling program during construction and occupancy
• from: Urban Systems • document: River Street Water Treatment Plant • in detail XlnkS5FB XlnkC17CC

The City of Whiterock together with Busby Architects and KDS Construction are setting new standards for building construction in North America by going green with our new operations facility. Their goal is to receive Gold Certification through the U.S. Green Building Councils internationally recognized LEED” (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) program. To meet the criteria, they are using a wide variety of innovative building strategies in the 661-square-meter facility – everything from environmentally advanced design to renewable energy systems and water conservation techniques. This will not only substantially reduce the impact on the environment, energy consumed and long-term operating costs, it will also provide a healthier work environment, increase worker productivity and enhance building marketability. The price of such innovative excellence is just 8% more than the cost of an equivalent conventional building, yet the anticipated 40% reduction in energy costs will completely amortize this additional expenditure within 11 years. In short, going green delivers an excellent return environmentally, economically and socially and they urge others in the community to follow our lead.
• from: Busby + Associates • document: Whiterock Operations Building • in detail XlnkS5FC XlnkC1786

Koo’s Corner takes its name from the automotive service garage first built on the site. It is a high density urban infill project. The project involved an extensive renovation of the former garage into 2 loft units and the addition of 4 townhouse-style units on the former parking lot to the south. The intention behind the project was to create as sustainable a project as possible while working within the budget limits of a market housing project. Particular focus was on energy including: future-proofing the building to facilitate the adoption of solar technologies at a later date, the use of heat recovery in both ventilation and shower greywater. Particular attention was paid to materials selection to ensure excellent indoor air quality and low embodied energy. A further aim was to provide affordable housing in an urban setting, that responded to its context.
• from: reSource Rethinking Building Inc. • document: Koo’s Corner • in detail XlnkS5EE XlnkC18C2

The new wing of Cedar Hill Community Centre is to be built in accord with the Centre’s goals of promoting health and wellbeing. High indoor air and environmental quality is a priority and will be achieved using low emitting materials, natural ventilation and generous views of the outdoor surroundings. With the North facing glazing and operable windows the new fitness areas, pottery and art studios will forgo the usual requirements of having air conditioning. The use of natural light and reduction of mechanical equipment will result in an energy efficient facility, lowering both initial and operating costs, and the introduction of bioswales and permeable paver parking area will enhance the landscaping of this community centre, already located in an idyllic natural setting.
• from: CEI – Architecture and Planning • document: Cedar Hill • in detail XlnkS5EF XlnkC1805

A key component of the GVRD’s Solid Waste Management Plan, the Surrey Transfer Station has been sited with construction scheduled for completion by early 2004. The design-build contract is the responsibility of Wastech Services Ltd., one of the GVRD’s primary solid waste operations contractors. In keeping with the GVRD’s Sustainable Region Initiative and Board policy to use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as a discretionary framework for all new facilities, the Surrey Transfer Station will be designed and constructed employing the LEED Green Building Rating System for guidance and potential certification. When completed, the Surrey Transfer Station is anticipated to be one of the first industrial buildings in Canada to be LEED certified. This energy efficient facility will incorporate natural light and high-recycled content while minimizing construction waste and water use. The innovative design addresses not only the sustainability of the building but also of the site itself, with native and drought resistant plants thereby eliminating the use of irrigation, and the diversion of storm water through a bioswale to eradicate pollutants in the municipal system.
• from: CEI – Architecture and Planning • document: Surrey Transfer Station • in detail XlnkS5F0 XlnkC1805

This project introduces new envrironmentally responsive, healthy and energy efficient construction methods and products to first nations, residential builders and communities across Canada. The homes are designed to benifit from solar, wind and earth energy.
• from: Broadway Architects • document: Seabird Island • in detail XlnkS5F1 XlnkC18C3

Sustainability 2003 Award Winner Sustainable demolition may sound like a contradiction in terms, but sustainability guides the demolition and reconstruction of the 175 million litre Little Mountain Reservoir in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park. Built in 1911, the reservoir stores water for emergency use and to meet fluctuations in daily water demand. Located at the high point in one of Vancouver’s most popular parks, the roof of the concrete reservoir provides parking as well as a landscaped park area. The reservoir required upgrading to meet current seismic standards as well as to provide additional storage capacity and improved operational flexibility. With sustainability principles in mind, a key goal for the project team was to keep the impact of the work on the park, and on the region, to a minimum. The new reservoir fits into the same footprint as the original one, and the project work has been planned in close consultation with park users and the host municipality to minimize impacts. After a series of public meetings with park users, GVRD staff, consultants, contractors and sub-contractors signed a Project Charter that stresses safety, budget, environmental stewardship, responsiveness to public concerns, effective communication and timeliness. The project puts the principles of the Charter into action by using innovative technologies such as on-site concrete recycling and separation of rebar. For reconstruction, contractors used EcoSmart concrete, utilizing flyash from coalfired power plants. Compared to conventional concrete, manufacturing EcoSmart concrete for this project produces 3000 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Contractors use noise barriers and controls to reduce construction impacts in the park, wash truck wheels and roads, and control dust, runoff and debris. Plans call for protecting trees and replanting vegetation that is disturbed. To keep park users informed, the GVRD has hosted a series of open houses and distributed project updates in the surrounding community. A wheelchair-accessible viewing platform allows visitors to safely view the progress of the project. With the cooperation of the project team, the first phase of the project was finished on budget and on schedule. By planning for social, environmental and economic concerns, the project team has set a model for a sustainable demolition and reconstruction project in a sensitive, busy urban park.
• from: GVRD • document: Little Mountain Reservoir Reconstruction • in detail • see also: GVRD Sustainable Region Initiative XlnkS5E0 XlnkC179D

This new building developed by the City of Surrey combines two important community services in a single structure. The South Surrey RCMP District Office occupies a 10,000 square foot space on the lower floor, while the new Semiahmoo Library has 20,000 square feet of double-height space above. Parking occupies half of the footprint at ground level, with additional parking below grade. The roof of the structure slopes upward from the rear of the building, allowing for a mezzanine in the library containing office and work space and a staff lounge leading onto an outdoor deck above the entrance. Located in South Surrey (next door to a Fire Hall) along a major traffic artery (152nd Street), the project is the first LEED” Certified library in British Columbia. It also marks the first project funded by the City of Surrey to achieve LEED” Certification. The building features a raised access floor system for optimum flexibility and an open ceiling system free of mechanical system pipes and ducts. It is constructed primarily of concrete, glass, and steel, which are cost-effective as well as durable materials appropriate for a community resource. The front façade, with its large expanse of glass, visible central stairway, and clerestory windows, punctuated by steel cladding above the front parking entry, communicates a balance of openness and strength, which is an important message to the community from both the law enforcement and library perspective. Taken together the achievements of this project add up to a notable move in the right direction for community buildings in BC not a showcase or a prototype, but a handsome, efficient, highquality building representing the responsible use of public funds for the benefit of the whole community.
• from: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership ARCHITECTS DESIGNERS PLANNERS • document: Semiahmoo Library & RCMP District Office • in detail XlnkS5E1 XlnkC18BD

Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership and MCM Interiors together known as MCM designed a new 10,000 square foot office space for their own combined workforce (50 people) in order to improve the work environment for the staff and demonstrate the evolving nature of their practice. The inclusion of sustainable design and building practices as an integral part of the renovation process was recognized as a key element in the achievement of both objectives. Using the LEED” Pilot Draft rating System for Commercial Interiors, the project achieved the equivalent of LEED” Certified with substantial credits for Indoor Environmental Quality, as well as for Energy Performance, and Materials. The new offices of MCM were completed in June 2003, and they occupy the 16th floor of Two Bentall Centre in downtown Vancouver. Bentall Centre consists of five office towers all designed by MCM and built between 1965 and 2002, which provide almost 2 million square feet of office space. With the renovation of the 16th floor for its own offices, MCM has taken the lead in the application of sustainable design practices to Vancouvers largest Class A office complex. Bentall Real Estate Services has recognized the strong business case for sustainable design and views the MCM offices as a test case. Reductions in energy and water use, combined with improved air quality, light quality, and overall comfort for their tenants, are powerful incentives for owners and managers of commercial properties.
• from: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership ARCHITECTS DESIGNERS PLANNERS • document: MCM Studio • in detail XlnkS5E2 XlnkC18BD

The Pierce County Environmental Services Division is housed in a building designed by the Miller/Hull Partnership, incorporating sustainable design principles such as light wells, natural air circulation and roofwater collection. The site, an old gravel mine overlooking Puget Sound, is being reclaimed through a 50-year master plan which will incorporate the wastewater treatment plant, and replace the mine with recreational facilities and an environmental education centre. AldrichPears provided interpretation of Environmental Services’ vision and action, the green building, the site’s history and geology, as well as greywater reclamation, landscaping and erosion control. Visitors are given an inside look at this often unseen world, and take away a sense of personal relevance and responsibility for the environment. The building and first phase of reclamation opened in March 2003.
• from: Aldrich Pears Associates • document: Pierce County Environmental Services Building • in detail XlnkS5E3 XlnkC18BC